How does SIF work?
A. There are four elements that make SIF work: Software Application: a software program implemented within a school or district. SIF Data Object: Sets of information shared by software applications using the rules of the SIF Specification SIF Agent: A software program (written by a vendor) that serves as the intermediary between the software application and the SIF Zone ZIS (Zone Integration Server): A software program that serves as the central communications point in a SIF Zone When a software application with a SIF Agent sends out a message to the ZIS, the ZIS forwards that information onto the applications that are listening for this information. The information is routed through the application’s agent. SIF Certified software applications and agents do not talk to each other directly; each application talks to its agent and it talks to the ZIS, which handles all further communication. The ZIS’s role as a “third party message handler” means that the SIF framework is easily expandab
