Welcome to the second edition of our ‘Hidden Gems’ series! Today we wanted to inform you how ‘Cirrusly’ we take communicating important updates for you, so we’re going to dive into our release cycle: how it works, and more importantly, what the main benefits are for you.
The Cirrus Release Cycle – what is it?
Our team is committed to delivering the best experience to you and your candidates by constantly improving and expanding our platform through bi-weekly updates. However, we’ve noticed that software updates aren’t the most riveting thing to read, so most of our customers aren’t aware of the whats, whens, and whys of our updates and this ‘Hidden Gems’ episode is here to clear the air!
What:
Our bi-weekly release cycle involves a systematic process where we update our platform every two weeks. These updates include new features, improvements to existing features, bug fixes, and maintenance. Our development team works diligently to ensure that these updates are rolled out smoothly and efficiently, with minimal impact on your day-to-day use of the Cirrus platform.
When:
Every second week on Tuesday. We already have all of our dates mapped out for 2023, check out our release calendar here! We time the releases in each hosted region outside of normal working hours to minimise disruption:
- EU: 06:00 CET / CEST (UTC+1 / UTC+2)
- CA: 00:00 EST / EDT (UTC-5 / UTC-4)
- SG: 21:00 SGT (UTC+8)
- AU: 00:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Why:
To make Cirrus the best e-assessment platform in the world, of course 😉
Benefits for you
New Features
By keeping track of our updates, you’ll be among the first to learn about new features and enhancements that could boost your productivity and improve your experience on our platform. You can take advantage of these additions as soon as they’re released, giving you a competitive edge.
Improvements and Optimizations
Our team is constantly working to streamline our platform, making it more efficient and user-friendly. By staying informed about these improvements, you can adjust your workflow accordingly and reap the benefits of a more seamless experience.
Bug Fixes and Maintenance
No software is perfect, and sometimes bugs or issues rear their ugly head. Our bi-weekly updates address these problems, ensuring that our platform remains stable and reliable. By being aware of these fixes, you can avoid potential frustration or complications arising from unresolved issues.
Staying Informed
Regularly reading our release notes will keep you up-to-date on our platform’s latest developments, enabling you to make informed decisions about your use of the platform and its features.
Support and Troubleshooting
If you’re aware of the latest updates, it’s easier for you to provide accurate information when seeking assistance from our support team. This knowledge can help expedite the troubleshooting process and result in a faster resolution to your concerns.
How to stay informed
- We announce all releases via the status page: https://status.cirrusplatform.com/
- We also send out Product Update notifications by email two weeks in advance and one hour ahead of the update, to highlight the planned changes. To receive Product Update notifications as a customer, you need to be subscribed. If you’re not yet receiving our updates, please subscribe by clicking the blue ‘Subscribe to updates’ button on the status page and filling in your details.
Important
The releases are timed outside of normal working hours. Please take note of the schedule for your time zone and refrain from scheduling exams during software updates.
For more information, please check our Release Policy.
