Let’s not beat around the bush. The benefits of using a cloud-based learning management system have been proven time and again. But while joining forces with the cloud might be the future, what’s less clear is why businesses should put their trust in a cloud-based LMS for training.
In fact, when it comes to corporate training, it can even be hard to tell what’s “cloud” and what’s, well, not. But there’s an easy way of thinking about this.
The opposite of a cloud-based system is one that’s installed and housed on a computer within the organization. All changes to the content or system settings are saved to that computer’s hard disk. A cloud-based LMS, on the other hand, is hosted online. All changes to the content or system settings are automatically saved to servers on the cloud.
The benefits of this? Huge!
6 Main Benefits of Using a Cloud-based LMS for Corporate Training
Now that we’re all on the same page about what a cloud-based LMS actually is, let’s take a closer look at what it can do for your corporate training. Here are six ways that businesses stand to gain by converting to cloud-based training solutions for training their staff.
1. Built-in scalability
Corporate training is often tasked with bridging skills gaps across departments, countries and any other training segments in an organization. But training at such a scale presents some serious risks.
One of these risks is inconsistent training delivery. This is where not all employees are given the same materials, assessments, facilitation or on-the-job training opportunities. When training is inconsistent, you can expect not only an inconsistent training ROI but also invisible skills gaps that persist among employees who’ve already been trained.
That’s why it’s so important that corporations are equipped to train many employees, over many locations without compromising on quality. That’s where a cloud-based LMS can make all of the difference. A system that’s hosted on the internet will appear exactly the same to all learners and trainers, whether they’re in Texas or Timbuktu.
2. Better cybersecurity
Executive VP at Salesforce.com, Vivek Kundra, famously quipped: “Cloud computing is often far more secure than traditional computing because companies like Google and Amazon can attract and retain cyber-security personnel of a higher quality than many governmental agencies.”
The benefit of improved cybersecurity because of the quality of cloud hosting security personnel is hard to ignore. Just imagine the consequences if your training materials were hacked, unknowingly changed, deleted, or even shared with competitors.
The security improvements of a cloud-based LMS really pay off when it comes to critical corporate training, like compliance training. In these cases, even just a short delay in delivering training to the intended audience can affect a business’ ability to remain productive and legally compliant.
3. Mobile readiness and responsive design
If you’ve spent any time at all designing training for corporate employees, you’ve seen just how busy they are – and how little patience they have for inconvenient training requirements.
Convenience and ease of access are no longer “nice to haves”. Today, they’re absolutely essential for effective and engaging training. This is where mobile learning can save a corporate training program from a plague of incomplete courses and abandoned assessments.
On a cloud-based LMS, employees can access their courses from anywhere, anytime. The system adapts to the device they’re using for a seamless user experience, so employees are more likely to find the right time to learn and engage in corporate training.
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4. Better training ROI
Do you want to get the best bang for your training buck? Of course you do. Businesses often balk at the cost of corporate training. This is especially true when large numbers of staff need to be trained at once, or many training courses need to be developed and delivered to meet upskilling and legal requirements.
While a cloud-based LMS doesn’t necessarily cut down on initial cost investment, it does make it far easier to reuse content in future training sessions. This means that you can keep reaping the benefits of your work.
Of course, there’s also the convenience and ease of access that comes with a powerful cloud-based LMS. Employees save time on travel and get to learn on-the-go. This means that they have more time left over to be productive employees.
A cloud-based LMS also presents benefits for your bottom line when it comes to technical costs because upgrades and new features tend to be included in the service package.
5. Decreased maintenance overhead
Maintenance is that niggly and persistent cost of running a traditional LMS from a local computer or server.
Most corporates need their internal IT team to focus on operational concerns, rather than tweaking settings and formatting their training systems. And we won’t mention the loss of productivity when IT gets roped into time-consuming troubleshooting when the system isn’t responding the way it should.
Cloud-based training solutions remove the burden of maintenance from the user (you!) and offer a fully-maintained service with limited downtime.
A cloud-based LMS also makes it easy to offer your employees the best training content around. When you don’t need an internal IT team to upload and release new materials for you, you can keep your courses updated easily, without any technical bottlenecks.
6. Increased productivity
What does 1) less time spent maintaining the system, 2) up-to-the-minute updates, 3) convenient access to materials, 4) improved cybersecurity, and 5) consistent training roll-out add up to?
More productive hours in the day for employees and the training team!
If there’s one rule that corporate training needs to follow, it’s this: don’t sacrifice long-term productivity for short-term training. When your business spans hundreds (or even just dozens) of employees, relatively small productivity gains or losses can have a significant knock-on effect. So it’s important to choose a cloud-based training solution that promises the biggest productivity gains and the least disruption to workflow.
Move With the Times, Choose a Cloud-based LMS for Corporate Training
An LMS that’s hosted on the cloud can deliver your training into the twenty-first century. Benefits like scalability and improved training ROI are critical to an organization’s long-term success – and without a frequently updated, constantly evolving cloud-based LMS, it’s all too easy to get left behind.
| Tags: Cloud LMS
