About Us

What is Primero?

Primero is an open-source, digital public good and easy-to-use information management platform originally developed by the humanitarian protection community. It is highly configurable to align to your workflows and standard operating procedures and can be used both online and offline on any device. It is now being used widely by the social services workforce, including humanitarian, development and public sector workers in +60 countries and territories. The system currently has 3 modules: the CPIMS+, GBVIMS+ and MRMIMS+. Each module has functionality securely store, manage and analyze data to facilitate case management, incident monitoring and family tracing and reunification. Primero is fully internationalized and available out-of-the-box in over 40+ languages.

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

What is 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. It involves significant changes to the UI, a streamlining of the user experience, a revamp of the tools for data interoperability (API), better support for operations in offline (PWA) and low connectivity scenarios, and a change to the underlying data structures. However, for all intents and purposes this is the same Primero, with significant feature improvements. Version 2 of the application has a new look and feel but existing functionality has been largely preserved from Version 1 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.

How can I set up Primero and get support?

If you choose to host Primero on the cloud, it can be accessed via any device with a data connection via your browser. We test extensively with Google Chrome and Firefox. The Primero Support Hub includes a user forum, all documentation, and a "Try Primero" feature. Primero/CPIMS+ is fully open source. If you want to deploy Primero on your own, you can access the code on the Primero GitHub. The Primero Support Hub has all the documentation available to get set up on your own. If users wish to use the proprietary configurations for CPIMS+ and GBVIMS+, they must request these from the respective steering committees. You can also check out the cpims.org and gbvims.com for a supported rollout.