Cloud-based LMS – What does this mean?

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Cloud-based LMS – What does this mean?

You learn something new every day, as they say. Why not work out how to cement your feet and get
ahead of the game before we roll into 2018? Companies should be reshaping and shifting into the
digital world. In the not-so-distant future, the cloud will be everywhere, used for everything. So
we’ve addressed the growth of the cloud, let’s focus our attention on LMS.

Let’s tackle the abbreviation first, LMS stands for Learning Management System. It’s a software
application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational
courses or training programs. LMS can help with onboarding, retention, training, legal compliance,
continuing education, and more.

Technology has led to innovations in learning. The LMS Market is expected to grow to AUD 20.55
BILLION by 2021. As the LMS market becomes more established in education and business, it’s
important to keep up with the trends.

LMS has made it easier than ever for all types of organizations to create, update, organize, and
distribute courses to boost learner engagement and knowledge retention. From videos to live-virtual
classrooms, to online learning materials that are available anytime, anywhere, technology has
shaken up how people engage and process information.

When it comes to LMS, you can’t jump in, all guns blazing, in search of the biggest, shiniest, techie
system. Let’s head back to basics and work out what you need to consider when choosing which
system in which to invest for LMS.

Consider this

Does it need to be SCORM compliant? Is it replacing an existing learning management tool? Are you doing your course authoring in-house or getting your content elsewhere? Do you want this built-in with all other compliance, health, and safety management?

With so many questions, it’s difficult to know where to start, so I suggest beginning with the most
basic spec hurdle – cloud vs. on-premises hosting.

Cloud tech gets a lot of limelight, which makes sense as over 87% of LMS users have elected to go for
the web-based option. The figures don’t lie; the eLearning software world is now dominated by the
cloud. (Source: Capterra)

Cloud has its advantages, but so does on-premises. Weighing up your options and needs will help
you decide and make your life easier, going forward.

Entering Cloud-9

Hold on a minute …What is the cloud?

Cloud hosting means that your software is housed in warehouses full of hard drives. They still have
physical storage, it’s just physical storage you don’t have to manage.

Now that we’ve got that cleared up, we can have a look at why learning management systems are so
popular. The ability to build this within your health and safety software system is another advantage,
but first, let’s run through the pros and cons.

Pros:

Flexibility

The number-one upside to online software storage is how wonderfully flexible it is. In fact, if you look around the internet for reasons online software is awesome, many of them point to the cloud. It’s available online and can be accessed anywhere with internet. The use of multi-device allows you to access LMS whether you’re on the go or back in the office.

Convenience

The online software allows anyone to access the material from anywhere, so long as they have an
internet connection. This is the direction in which (almost) all tech is going. Donesafe’s system allows
you to use its offline functionalities, which would sync when you reconnect with the internet. It
means that your employees can get to your LMS regardless of where they are and when they want
to use it. Users can access learning management documents on their mobile devices, meaning that
your learners don’t need to worry about leaving their information at home or missing deadlines.
Convenience is something that an installed system simply cannot provide.

Cons:

May not work for older tech

I’m assuming, that you either have fairly modern technology in your office or that you’d very much
like to have modern technology. If your business environment experiences some technological
arrested development, because of the nature of the work, the open-mindedness of the staff or
bosses, budgets, or some other reason, you simply may not be ready for cloud LMS software.
However, give us a call and we’d be happy to provide further guidance or help you out with
transitioning.

Downtime is possible

Every computer has the potential to crash if you overload it. In the case of cloud-storage
warehouses, crashes are handled as quickly as possible. However, every system has the potential for
downtime, even if it’s planned for maintenance

No matter how quickly a host tries to handle their crashes and downtime, you’re still stuck waiting until the software solves the problems on their end. With on-premise, you can troubleshoot your own issues.

Recommendations

Looking for a strong cloud-based learning management software? Donesafe’s got you covered. We’ve got all this, plus more!

On-Premise LMS

Let’s head back down to the ground floor. Solid ground and out of the clouds. If it’s not on the cloud,
where is it? Some people might want you to think that on-premises software is more than down to
Earth, but could it be completely dead and buried? That said, there really are some cases where
installed software is superior.

Pros:

Quicker fixes

Got a problem? If you have your own IT team, the problem solved. You have a lot more control over when and how your downtime and maintenance happens when you locally own your own software.

Zilch internet needed

How reliable is the internet in your workplace? Maybe you find yourself or your employees are often on the road or working from areas that lack a steady internet connection. No more excuses, the need for completing training courses is a must for all companies and we get that.

This is exactly when an installed learning management system is helpful. It keeps your work from vanishing or pausing just because the internet decides it no longer wants to respond.

Long-term savings

The initial startup costs of owning and operating your own software on-premise is a bit higher. However, much like owning your own home or car, over time you come out ahead of the “renters.” In the long-run, hosting your own software on-site can save you some bucks along the way.

Cons:

Walking with Dinosaurs

I’ll admit it, even though the installed software isn’t dead yet… it isn’t exactly a spring chicken, either. And, yes, the fact that many of the on-premise software offerings out there can either be installed or hosted in the cloud is a sign that, sooner or later, the vendor will switch to being cloud-only.

Eats up space

If you have hefty software, it’s going to take up a whole heap of space. If this is an LMS that’s going to be run on computers that also need to run other software, you might want to consider investing in an external hard drive to keep space clear and keep your hardware humming smoothly.

Cloud LMS or On-Premise: Who’s the real winner here?

No matter what you pick, you’re a winner!

No matter what you pick, you’re a winner! However, the crowd-pleaser and destined favorite would
have to be cloud-based LMS built into your Donesafe health and compliance system. Think of the
other pros – your whole onboarding process could be completed in one system. You can throw all
your existing eLearning documents into our platform, and you’re good to go.

And as always, keep safe out there.

By Donesafe at donesafe.com

For a paperless, jargon-free business safety solution that you can manage from your phone, click here to get in contact and ask about how you can try Donesafe for FREE or visit our features page to find out more.

Sources: 
http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/learning-management-systems.asp
https://www.capterra.com/learning-management-system-software/user-research


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