While we could wager that most people don’t truly know what ‘being in the cloud’ means (is it literally ‘in a cloud’?), the cloud has become the norm for SaaS companies across the world and the new home for cloud LMS.
In the previous times, Learning Management Systems used to be installed on the internal servers of the organization that is implementing them, keeping the information local and leaving maintenance up to the purchasing institution. This left reliability to the mercy of local servers, and maintenance in the hands of administrators whose area of expertise may not necessarily be e-learning. More importantly, a locally hosted LMS can limit the accessibility of e-learning material, seriously curtailing its overall reach.
On the other hand, a cloud based LMS, which is hosted on the servers of the company providing the LMS, brings with it various benefits for both, the organization implementing the LMS and the end users. If you are looking into an LMS for your company, then it is important that you understand all of the benefits that a cloud LMS can offer.
Faster Implementation via the Cloud LMS
With a cloud LMS, there is absolutely no need to download or install any software on your network, and it is possible to get your first learners up and on the cloud LMS in a matter of hours after purchase. It is the responsibility of the cloud LMS company to set the system up for you, which saves you time and costs in the rollout of your new learning management system.
Increased Reliability
With a cloud-based LMS, all the organization has to worry about is managing their own courses. Most cloud LMSs, such as Paradiso LMS, come with full training on how to use the LMS and continued support for as long as a license is held. Site maintenance, updates and system faults are all taken care of by the cloud LMS company – things which would otherwise use a lot of your time and resources. Likewise the maintenance support provided by a cloud LMS company like Paradiso Solutions is dedicated and specific to only cloud LMSs and not the locally-hosted ones, so we can safely say you would be in the best of hands.
Heightened Security
With all the talk over the past few years in the wake of the hacking of celebrities’ personal photo stashes – data security has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind. It may seem almost counterintuitive to trust your e-learning content to the servers of some other company, but the truth is that a cloud LMS actually provides greater security as the security system is specifically designed for e-learning.
Lower Costs with Cloud SMS
Clearly, cost is a major factor in choosing an LMS. The good news is that a cloud LMS can reduce your costs, especially implementation costs. Cloud LMS training is provided, as well as 24/7 support is levied in the case of Paradiso’s cloud LMS. All LMS data is hosted on the cloud LMS company servers, freeing up space on your own servers, which also saves considerable costs.
Increased Accessibility
With increasingly globalized workforces and learners wanting access to on-the-go training, it is now more important than ever for the cloud LMS being able to reach the widest audience possible. A cloud LMS allows learners to connect wherever they are in the world and access their training. All they need for a cloud LMS to work is a web browser, yes, that’s literally the bare minimum requirement. The benefits for the instructors are also great, as they can log on from anywhere and monitor the performance of their learners in real time.
Mobile Access
Virtually all good cloud LMSs support responsive technology, so that courses can be viewed and taken on various devices, be them computer, tablet or smartphone. In the same way that a cloud LMS has the potential to increase participation and engagement, it also does give learners the opportunity to continue their training on the device of their choice. The Paradiso Offline Player takes this one step further by allowing learners to download their courses and material when connected to the internet, to be completed later at their convenience.
It’s slightly disingenuous to refer to it as ‘the Cloud’, as in reality there are countless numbers of them. The cloud LMS really does represent a big part of the future of the internet, as it gives users instant access to what they need and right when they need it. In the context of a cloud LMS, it removes many of the problems associated with your own LMS, and gives learners the opportunity to learn at their own pace.
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