Common questions about installing, configuring, and using DMS Staff Messenger.
DMS Staff Messenger is an internal messaging platform built specifically for use within schools and businesses. It allows staff to send instant messages to individual colleagues or groups, and enables administrators to broadcast site-wide announcements to all staff simultaneously.
Unlike consumer messaging apps, Staff Messenger runs on your own network, keeps all data within your organisation, and gives administrators full oversight and control of communication.
No. DMS Staff Messenger runs entirely over your internal local area network (LAN or Wi-Fi). No internet connection is required for day-to-day messaging. This also means your messages never leave your network and are not stored on any external servers.
All message data is stored on your own server within your network. No data is sent to EDUSOFTWARE or any third party. This means your organisation retains full control over all communication data, which greatly simplifies your GDPR compliance obligations in relation to this product.
If you have specific data protection questions, we recommend discussing with your organisation's Data Protection Officer.
Microsoft Teams and similar platforms are cloud-based, require internet connectivity, depend on Microsoft's infrastructure, and are designed for broader collaboration use cases. DMS Staff Messenger is a focused, lightweight internal messaging tool that runs on your own network with no cloud dependency.
For organisations where simplicity, network independence, and data control are priorities, Staff Messenger offers a reliable and straightforward alternative. It is also significantly simpler for staff to use — with no Microsoft account or additional licensing required per user.
DMS Staff Messenger requires:
For complete system requirements, see the Installation Manual.
The server component is installed once, on a single machine (typically your server or a dedicated PC). It manages all users, groups, and the routing of messages across the network.
The client is the application installed on each staff member's PC. It connects to the server and provides the messaging interface that staff use to send and receive messages.
You only need one server installation regardless of how many staff members use the system.
Yes. The Staff Messenger client supports silent installation, making it compatible with Group Policy (GPO), Microsoft Intune, and other deployment tools. This allows you to push the client to all staff machines without visiting each one. See the Installation Manual for the required command line parameters for silent installation.
Staff Messenger communicates over a specific TCP port on your local network. The port number, along with any required firewall configuration, is detailed in the Installation Manual. The Windows installer will typically prompt you to allow the application through Windows Firewall automatically during setup.
Once the client is installed and the staff member is logged in, they simply:
The recipient will receive an on-screen notification immediately. Messages also appear in the recipient's message history within the application.
Yes. Administrators can send a broadcast message that is delivered to all connected staff members simultaneously. This is useful for urgent announcements or site-wide notices. Depending on your configuration, this broadcast capability can also be granted to specific non-administrator users such as senior staff or heads of department.
Yes. Staff Messenger retains a message history so users can scroll back through previous conversations. Administrators can also access message logs from the administration panel for oversight and record-keeping purposes. The duration for which messages are retained can be configured by the administrator.
New users are added through the Staff Messenger administration panel. To add a user:
In the administration panel, go to Users, find the relevant account, and either deactivate it (which prevents login while retaining the message history) or delete it entirely. We recommend deactivating rather than deleting so that message history associated with that user is preserved.
Groups are created in the administration panel under Groups → Add Group. Give the group a name (e.g. "Teaching Staff", "Admin Team", "Site Team") and then add the relevant user accounts to it. Once created, any member can send a message to the whole group, and administrators can broadcast to specific groups or all groups at once.
Administrators can reset any user's password from the administration panel. Go to Users, find the user, and select Reset Password. You can set a temporary password which the user will be prompted to change on their next login, depending on your security settings.
Work through the following checks:
If the issue persists across multiple PCs, check that the Staff Messenger server service is running on the server machine.
Common causes of login failure:
On a healthy local network, messages should arrive within a second or less. If delivery is noticeably slow, this may indicate:
In most cases, ensuring the server is running on a reasonably modern, lightly loaded machine and that devices have a good network connection resolves any latency issues. Contact us if the problem continues.
Our support team is happy to help with any questions not covered here.
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