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Hosted Vs. Non-Hosted
Choosing whether to operate your learning management system (LMS) internally, or using an LMS service provider can be a tricky subject. Given there are more than 70 LMS providers and that none of them hold a significant share of the market will make choosing one company a challenge. Holding the training internally and using a locally supported LMS can place undo strain on IT personnel and e-training capabilities.
Non-Hosted
Many companies choose to deliver their training in-house. The ability to work with IT personnel onsite is attractive to training administrators with a history of insufficient service and support from professional training providers.
Another attraction is the ability to control content and its delivery. Electronic systems, such as firewalls, can be challenging for LMS providers to hurdle. Complying with IT system settings is sometimes next to impossible for LMS providers, causing administrators to want to keep training under their own roof.
The disadvantages to non-hosted training are the additional pressures placed on IT departments and the extra time it takes for an administrator to setup and deliver training, instead of being able to focus on managing the training program. Another disadvantage is that employees could not be given the option of training from home, due to the same firewall constraints faced by the LMS providers.
Hosted
Obviously, contracting an LMS service provider will take the strain from IT departments and training administrators; administrators can focus on delivering courses, new content, and tracking and measuring individual, group, and company progress as the result of training.
LMS service providers also offer tools that simplify course creation and implementation. With enhanced tools, a training administrator can more consistently and more effectively track the progress of their training program. The administrator can also work on utilizing these tools to their advantage, rather than be limited by an LMS created internally. A hosted LMS may include automatic tracking devices, test builders, reports, and custom content development tools.
LMS service providers are also excellent at delivering courses and troubleshooting problems that occur with delivering electronic training. Because providers specialize in hosting content, they are generally more responsive and effective in resolving issues.
One of the most valuable abilities of a hosted LMS is that companies can rely on the LMS service provider to complete their project on time and within certain budget constraints.
Conclusion
In-house training gives companies the ability to control content without compromising company IT systems, like firewall settings. Administrators also may feel they can work better with IT personnel they know and are familiar with.
Contracting with an LMS service provider allows training administrators to simplify the development and implementation of their training programs. Providers also have the ability to create and offer enhanced LMS tools to make training more effective and easier for the training administrator.
Studies indicate that hosted LMS customers were significantly more satisfied than companies that operated an internal LMS. LMS service providers are more responsive and can complete projects according to timelines and budgets.
Using an LMS service provider will reduce the costs, complexity, and resource requirements associated with e-learning.
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