Onboarding - What to Expect
How a Fisar account goes from signed deal to first completed SAR, what happens automatically, and the two points where we need something from you.
Fisar onboarding is designed to be mostly automatic. There is no information-gathering form to complete and no onboarding call to schedule - the details we need are captured during the sales conversation, and the account activates itself the moment your invoice is paid.
You are involved at two points only. Everything else happens on our side.
The process
We create your organisation
Set up at the point of sale, with your invoice generated against the account. Nothing for you to do.
Your invoice is paid
Your account activates automatically. Payment is the trigger - there is no separate activation step to wait for.
We assign your DPOs
Fisar sends the invitations directly. You do not need an administrator in place first.
Your DPOs create their credentials
Each DPO follows the link in their invitation email, sets a password and configures multi-factor authentication if wanted.
Connectors are set up
Your systems are connected. We can do this remotely or in person alongside you - see below.
You can complete your first SAR
You are live.
Only steps 4 and 5 need anything from you. Steps 1, 2 and 3 happen on Fisar's side.
The system administrator is optional
An organisation administrator account can be added at any time and is not required to go live. It sits alongside onboarding rather than blocking it.
You will want one eventually - it is how you add further DPOs yourself, manage subscriptions and configure email. But it is not a prerequisite for running your first request. See The Organisation Dashboard.
This is a deliberate change. Waiting for an administrator to be identified and available used to be the single biggest cause of delay.
Help with connectors
Connecting Microsoft 365 or Google needs someone with administrator rights to your tenant or workspace - which is often not the DPO.
We do not leave you to work that out alone. Fisar will either remote in to the DPO's machine or sit alongside you on site to complete the connection.
This reflects how school IT actually works. DPOs are frequently the only day-to-day users of the platform, and internal IT capacity is limited. Ask and we will do it with you.
See Connecting Your Systems for what happens during the connection itself.
What Fisar needs from you
Captured during the sales conversation rather than a separate form. Having these to hand makes it quicker:
| Information | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
| Organisation details and registered address | To create your account |
| Company, charity or trust registration number | Account identification |
| Billing contact, plus PO and VAT numbers | Invoicing |
| Data Protection Officer names and emails | So we can send their invitations |
| ICO registration number and expiry | Compliance record |
| Schools, sites or entities to configure | Multi-site setup |
| Systems holding personal data | To agree which connectors matter |
| Preferred subdomain | Your login URL |
Two things worth getting right
Your subdomain is permanent. It becomes your login URL - https://[your-subdomain].app.fisar.co.uk - and cannot be changed once configured. Keep it short, lowercase and clearly tied to your organisation.
A Data Processing Agreement is issued before go-live and must be signed before the platform is activated. Fisar acts as data processor; your organisation remains the data controller.
Listing your systems
If you are unsure whether a system is relevant, mention it. Most organisations need far fewer connectors than they first assume, and we would rather rule something out than miss it.
Listing a system does not commit Fisar to building a connector. It tells us what exists so the right route can be agreed - a connector, an export route, or a later phase. See Integrations.
Multi-academy trusts
Use trust-level details for the organisation, then list each school separately with its name, URN, phase and postcode. Businesses should supply a company registration number in place of a URN.
If you need us
Onboarding is built to run without hand-holding, but we are on hand throughout. Contact info@fisar.co.uk at any point.
Next steps
Add more DPOs
Once an administrator account is in place, you can invite DPOs yourself.
Connect your systems
What happens during connection, and the one-connector-at-a-time rule.
Run your first SAR
Choose the right request type and follow the tutorial.
Requesting API access
For systems that need supplier approval first.