Empowering New Zealand's Education Industry

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23 July 2015

With 30 years of expertise in designing, building and implementing cutting-edge business technologies, Greg Twemlow is enthusiastic about his new role as CEO of MUSAC Ltd – Massey University School Administration by Computer – New Zealand’s only cloud-based Student Management System (SMS) covering years 1-13. Developed under Ministry of Education auspices, “MUSAC is a product of 25 years work by educational experts” Twemlow says, and could be the catalyst to make New Zealand's Education industry the most effective in the world.

”When you truly believe in something, when others share your vision and entrust their greatest national treasure to you, it’s an incredibly humbling and exciting responsibility.” This is Greg Twemlow’s assessment of his new role as CEO of MUSAC Ltd – Massey University School Administration by Computer – New Zealand’s home-grown, cutting-edge Cloud solution for academic excellence. He’s eager to welcome MUSAC's customers back to school for term 3 and to encourage the Education industry to experience how MUSAC empowers educators, students, school administrators, parents and caregivers.

Not familiar with MUSAC? It was the brainchild of Rory Butler in 1987 and acquired by Massey University’s College of Education in 1989. After 25 years of development, it’s come of age, serving New Zealand’s education industry and the Ministry of Education as a student management system (SMS) beyond compare. In 1989, the experts at Massey University established MUSAC based on the belief that a better way of administering schools could benefit the entire New Zealand educational system. The MUSAC team, possessing a combined several hundred years of school administration experience, are now supporting close to 1500 organisations who rely on MUSAC products every day.

The MUSAC Cloud SMS, named EDGE, uses the latest Cloud computing technology and secure storage, enabling tremendous quantities of information to be not only stored but also retrieved from any networked device. The system compartmentalises access to that data so that users immediately have the information they need without extraneous processes slowing performance or compromising security. In addition, EDGE allows users to analyse information in meaningful ways through user-friendly interfaces. “Because MUSAC EDGE is cloud-based, our users have what they need, how and when they need it – and on any electronic device, explains Twemlow. 
 
EDGE is software designed for the entire school community including students, teachers, administrators, caregivers and parents. In everyday education scenarios, EDGE reduces time-consuming administrative paperwork down to simple electronic entries immediately updated in the EDGE platform. “Caregivers and students can log in,” says Twemlow, “and access everything from a child’s attendance records to real-time grades and academic progress through a highly secure Cloud platform that is managed for MUSAC by Massey University.” Teachers only have to enter data once and can analyse student achievement over time by individual or student group. For once, a system provides a way for everyone who needs access to a current student record to have it.

“As a full-service SMS, MUSAC's EDGE platform serves all levels of the educational ecosystem and has superior integration to other Cloud systems typically used by schools” Twemlow adds. EDGE addresses curriculum, attendance, students, staff, library resources and financial matters. Through selective dashboard technology, school administrators can apply operational and strategic-level data to educational metrics, a school librarian can locate reference materials for a student and a financial manager can complete an audit. Twemlow explains, “MUSAC EDGE is a purpose-built system that is intuitive and easy to use.”

MUSAC’s new – and first – CEO says he’s excited by all the possibilities. With over 30 years’ experience in software development and marketing, Greg Twemlow is considered a leader in high-tech business planning and state-of-the-art development. He has been tasked by the MUSAC Board with growing the business in New Zealand and internationally. Greg is a big believer in the power of education as a strategic advantage for New Zealand. “A nation’s youngest and brightest are its greatest resource. The MUSAC Cloud SMS,” he says, “will empower New Zealand's Education industry to be the most effective in the world.”

Right now, Mr Twemlow is focused on leveraging all his professional experience and domain expertise into fine-tuning the next generation of School Management Systems; he’s intent on expanding the great work of GM Jeremy Dombroski and the entire MUSAC team, to ensure MUSAC is New Zealand’s premiere educational state treasure. He explains, “Our whole effort is an investment in cutting-edge technology to build New Zealand’s future wealth in every way that matters – from the children up – and I’m excited to have an opportunity to lead an experienced and dedicated team.”

Contact the new MUSAC CEO at   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   or connect with him on LinkedIn at  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregtwemlow