What is Primero?

Primero is an easy-to-use information management platform originally developed by the humanitarian protection community. It is now being used widely by social services workforce, humanitarian, and development workers in more than 35 countries.

What does “Primero” stand for?

Primero is not an acronym, but the name was originally taken from “Protection-related Information Management”.

What is “protection”?

“Protection” refers to humanitarian Protection, including Child Protection. Read more on OCHA: What is Protection? And UNICEF's What is Child Protection?

What does Primero do?

Primero is an information management software that helps social workers, protection workers, and service providers manage, store, and analyse data. It currently has functionality to support: 1) case management 2) incident monitoring, and, 3) family tracing and reunification.

What does Primero NOT do?

As with any software, Primero cannot replace or substitute good business practice, which in this case refers to good protection programming. The application will only add value to programmes that are already functioning. Primero represents an opportunity to strengthen programmes with the use of information management technology.

Why would I want to use Primero?

Primero was designed by and for protection professionals. It was developed to extend and improve partnerships between actors who are managing data about vulnerable children and survivors of violence. Since these actors often have to work together to provide services, Primero was created to provide a common, secure system to protect data and relieve some of the information management burden on social workers and protection professionals. It utilizes role-based access, so you can carefully define which users can see which data and perform which actions. Primero is constantly improving, and always looking for new partners and new ideas. Check out the “Introduction to Primero” on Prezi.

What do I need to run Primero?

Is it free? How much does it cost?

Primero is an open source, not-for-profit project. There are no licensing fees associated with Primero.
The application and documentation are freely available. Some Primero resources (like the standard configurations for the CPIMS+ and GBVIMS+) are only shared under specific circumstances through the global inter-agency steering committees, and when minimum criteria are met.
The costs of configuring and deploying Primero will vary depending on the available technical capacity of the organization and the complexity of the installation. For progammes that are willing to use Primero "out of the box", with basic localization and little or no customization, costs are significantly reduced.
A total cost of ownership assessment should be conducted based on the size and complexity of the installation. As with any technology solution, organizations should not underestimate the ongoing costs of support and maintenance.
As a not-for-profit, the global Primero project cannot provide direct implementation support to individual organizations. Partners and potential users will be given access to documentation and resources, including the Primero Support Hub, and software patches and upgrades will be made available on GitHub.

Does Primero have a dedicated support hub?

Is Primero a digital, global public good?

Has Primero ever been evaluated?

Yes! Primero has undergone numerous reviews and evaluations.
In 2019 Deloitte conducted a case study on Primero supported by the UNICEF Evaluation Office

What are Primero v2 and Primero X?

Primero v2 is a new version of Primero developed in 2020. Primero v2 has been completely redesigned with a new look and feel, with an emphasis on usability, security and scalability.
Primero v2 has feature parity with Primero v1, so users of Primero v1 can easily adapt to the new version.
Primero X is the name of the new software as a service (SaaS) offering. Primero X will allow new users to access and deploy Primero v2 via the cloud and connect them with a full package of services.
Primero X is supported by a Kubernetes-based infrastructure that allows for seamless scaling, and continuous development and delivery of new features, patches and upgrades.

Does Primero work offline?

Yes. Primero v1 can be deployed on a single machine using a VM (virtual machine) or locally hosted. In both cases, data can be gathered when the system is offline. Primero instances can be configured to replicate to the cloud when a connection is available. The Primero Android app also works offline, and can be used to gather data when no connectivity is available.
Primero v2 is a progressive web application (PWA) available both online and offline as a full feature web app! For those case workers and case managers on the move and in low internet connectivity areas, this is game changer! Primero v2 responds to the size of the screen, so it can be used on any type of device - computer, tablet or phone - via the web browser.

Who is behind Primero?

Primero was developed by UNICEF and third party software companies, in close collaboration with partners from UNHCR, UNFPA, IRC, DPKO, OSRSG-CAAC, Save the Children, IMC and others. The application is considered a global public good to be made freely available to partners wishing to improve their results in protection programmes. We do our best to adhere to the Digital Principles.

Is Primero open source?

Yes. Primero uses open source technologies and is licensed under the GNU Affero GPL 3 License.

Is open source safe?

This is a topic of much debate. I many ways, open source software is more secure than proprietary software. Many sources have produced comparative analysis on this issue. You must do you own research and come to your own conclusion. We think open source is the way to go! Read more on Why Open Source Means Stronger Security.

How can I get Primero?

You can find Primero here: https://github.com/orgs/primeroIMS if you are interested in deploying Primero through the open source. You can also check out the cpims.org and gbvims.com for a supported rollout.

Can anyone use Primero?

Primero is freely available. The GNU Affero GPL 3 License covers the source code. If users wish to use the proprietary configurations for CPIMS+ and GBVIMS+, they must request these from the respective steering committees.

Is it difficult to learn how to use?

Primero has been designed and tested with end users. We have used Agile methodologies as well as Morae usability testing software, and we’ve constantly listened to feedback. More than 100 field-based users have tested Primero, and have provide more than 500 lines of feedback used to create user stories. We have seen new users learn how to navigate Primero in just a few minutes. For teams that are accustomed to clunky apps or giant Excel sheets, Primero is a breeze to learn.

Is Primero available in other languages?

The Primero interface is now translated into French, Spanish and Arabic. In-app translation allows for configurable fields to be translated by the System Administrator. Full internationalization is now implemented and available in all versions of Primero.

Primero loves children, and children love Primero...