{"id":34079,"date":"2025-03-13T17:08:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T21:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=34079"},"modified":"2025-03-13T17:08:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T21:08:18","slug":"a-new-chapter-for-sierra-and-polaris-web-based-upgrades-enhanced-sms-alerts","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/whats-new\/a-new-chapter-for-sierra-and-polaris-web-based-upgrades-enhanced-sms-alerts\/","title":{"rendered":"A new chapter for Sierra and Polaris: web-based upgrades &#038; enhanced SMS alerts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Innovative, from Clarivate, is dedicated to ongoing innovation and investment in Sierra and Polaris platforms.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past year, Innovative has implemented significant enhancements aimed at modernizing library workflows, improving accessibility, and introducing advanced tools designed to empower both library staff and patrons.<\/p>\n<p>The year 2024 marked a pivotal moment for both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/products\/sierra-ils\/\"><strong>Sierra <\/strong><\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/products\/polaris-ils\/\"><strong>Polaris<\/strong><\/a>. With the release of Sierra 6.3, as well as Polaris 7.6 and 7.7, Innovative introduced powerful new features, expanded web-based administration capabilities, and made strategic improvements informed by user feedback. These advancements include enhancements to Leap\u2019s usability, refinements to authentication processes, and improved record management\u2014furthering the evolution of both platforms.<\/p>\n<p>The expansion of web-based functionality and SMS integration in Innovative\u2019s roadmap are among the top developments:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Web-Based System Administration in Polaris &amp; Sierra<\/strong>: Administrators can now manage settings, permissions, and workflows directly through a web browser, reducing reliance on installed applications.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Advanced SMS &amp; Voice Alerts<\/strong>: Patrons can now be engaged more effectively with customizable text and voice notifications for holds, due dates, renewals, and more.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved Security &amp; Accessibility<\/strong>: Web-based access enhances the flexibility, security, and convenience of system management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A commitment to customer-driven development remains at the forefront of continued updates. With upcoming releases such as Polaris 7.8 and more enhancements to Sierra, Innovative will introduce new integrations, expanded web-based features, and further automation to libraries globally.<\/p>\n<p>Innovative encourages partnership and engagement from libraries through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iii.com\/community\/idea-exchange\/\">Idea Exchange<\/a>, where feedback directly influences the future of Polaris and Sierra. For further information on platform updates, explore the public roadmaps for <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.productboard.com\/iii\/6-innovative-product-status-board-new\/tabs\/22-sierra\">Sierra<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.productboard.com\/iii\/6-innovative-product-status-board-new\/tabs\/23-polaris\">Polaris<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover the latest updates to Sierra and Polaris, including web-based system administration, enhanced patron notifications, and automation &#8211; part of Innovative\u2019s commitment to continuous improvement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":34080,"template":"","categories":[472,430,43,51],"tags":[20,30],"class_list":["post-34079","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-innovative-libraries","category-polaris-ils","category-sierra-ils","tag-polaris","tag-sierra"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A new chapter for Sierra and Polaris: web-based upgrades &amp; 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