Benefits of the Cloud LMS – Is it the future of Learning Management Systems?

Learning is crucial for corporations, who need to acquire newer skills and knowledge on a continuous basis. This has generated tremendous interest and adoption of Learning Management Systems (LMSs) among corporations over the last decade or so. However, the increasing use of LMS brought with it overheads in the implementation and maintenance of the new system. The amount of time and finances invested in managing an LMS is considerable, and even companies which excel in change management find it increasingly difficult to achieve widespread adoption and user satisfaction.

According to the 2014 LMS Trends Survey conducted by the Brandon Hall Group, 54% of all deployed LMSs are in the Cloud. This is indicative of the slow but steady movement towards cloud-based LMS deployments. The reasons for this are many – Cloud LMSs are budget-friendly as well as easier to maintain on account of faster updates, upgrades, and fixes. The report also indicates that Cloud Learning Management System users are also most satisfied with the learning system – due to a myriad of contributing factors. The following graph shows the percentage impact of several factors

There are many benefits of implementing a Cloud LMS:

• The biggest advantage is reduced cost. Though every organization has its own needs and requirements, company size is undoubtedly the biggest influencer in the choice of deploying a Cloud LMS. Small and medium businesses often do not have the infrastructure or the in-house expertise to deploy and run an on-premises LMS. They also choose not to incur the heavy overheads that accrue in the mercurial markets and prefer the pay-as-you-go mode. A Cloud LMS allows you to reap the benefits of an enterprise LMS without having any associated overhead costs.
• Cloud LMSs also provide increased reach across the global landscape that most organizations have. Organizations today want their employees to be trained at all times – where ever they are. However, it is often difficult for employees in remote locations to access the LMS for the want of technological infrastructure. With the Cloud Learning Management System, all that the learner needs is a device that can connect with the­­­­­­­Internet – desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet – and a connection to the Internet to access learning from the Cloud LMS. For inconsistent connections, progress can be saved and courses taken up from the section last read.
• Traditional IT infrastructure, which is necessary to deploy an enterprise-wide installed LMS, can take up time to set up – but a Cloud-based learning solution can be up and running in no time. As a result, the organization’s IT team is not burdened unnecessarily. Additionally, all updates and maintenance of the LMS can be done remotely – without affecting the learning experience.
• Cloud LMS can also be integrated seamlessly with other existing systems within the organization – especially with the HR database which controls and maintains user access of the learning system. This makes the job of administrators simpler, as they can assign courses easily from the HRMS and do not have to log on separately to a different system. Learners too find it simpler to log on to the HRMS and move forth to the LMS – all seamlessly. This increases efficiencies within the organization as well as improves the learning experience by providing ease of use.
• Security is often an issue that many organizations have when making the decision to adopt a Cloud LMS. Modern Cloud-based LMSs are built with considerable emphasis on security and have many levels of security for their clients. Application-level security ensures that only authorized learners can access the system for the courses and reports that they are entitled to. Any breach or unauthorized logins can be detected by the system and duly reported. The data that resides on the Cloud is also protected and can be securely accessed by the learner. In many cases, downloading or saving of course material may be disabled and only resources that are indicated as ‘downloadable’ can be saved on the learners’ system. Backup of the data is done automatically to ensure no losses even in the rare case of a systems failure.
• Finally, Cloud LMS is scalable –across different organizations and changing needs. So smaller organizations have the option of beginning small, and then increasing the LMS capacity by increasing the number of new recruits. For larger organizations too, it makes sense as Cloud LMSs allow a lot of customization and partitioned learning units within the LMS. This is very useful, as learner groups within a large organization may have hugely differing learning requirements. With the Cloud Learning Management System, it is possible to create a different ‘LMS’ for each small group and provide a personalized learning experience.

Every decade witnesses a new technology revolution that changes the way we work – from the introduction of mainframes and the popularity of personal computers to the internet boom. In recent times, the world has seen tremendous economic downturn and, more than ever, companies now have to find ways to economize while maintaining efficiencies. Cloud-based solutions may be the next Big Thing of the decade – considering the flexibility and cost savings they provide. Keeping in mind the growing need for flexible Cloud-based solutions in the training sector, G-Cube has launched its radical Cloud-based LMS,WiZDOM Cloud. For more on Cloud-based solutions, write to in**@gc**********.net or fill the form below and we will be happy to guide you.