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Types of Learning Management Systems

• Learning management system is widely used in
  organizations for managing and administering
  training to a large and scattered workforce.
  Every organization chooses to train the workforce
  in a different way and may require certain
  features for particular training and learning
  process. Its important for an organization to
  choose the right LMS from various available types
  for successful implementation of learning
  strategy.

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Types of Learning Management Systems
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Types of Learning Management Systems Learning
management system is widely used in organizations
for managing and administering training to a
large and scattered workforce. Every organization
chooses to train the workforce in a different way
and may require certain features for particular
training and learning process. Its important for
an organization to choose the right LMS from
various available types for successful
implementation of learning strategy. Lets look
at the different types available in the market
and the scenarios in which they are useful. Open
Source or Free LMS One of the most common types
of Learning Management System available is Open
Source or Free LMS. In open source LMS, the
original source code of the software is available
openly for download and it is free of charge. It
can be modified and redistributed by a
collaborative community like universities,
colleges or companies. Users can access the
source code and customize it for meeting specific
requirements. Open source or Free LMS is
generally chosen because its free to use and
also offers flexibility, as the design can be
customized and new features can be added.
However, in most cases, it can be extremely
complicated to use by beginners and can suit only
the sophisticated users. Moreover, it doesnt
have a reliable support system, so making changes
even small ones can be difficult for beginner
level users. Commercial LMS
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Commercial LMS are offered by companies for a fee
and it costs money to use the product. It
provides a superior level of support and is
easier and quicker to deploy than the open source
ones. It is usually more robust and includes good
documentation. If you dont have a technical
staff in your company to help in installation,
maintenance, and upgrade activities, then
Commercial LMS represent a more ideal
choice. Commercial Learning Management Systems
are available in two main forms based on the
deployment mode - Installed or On-Premise and
Cloud Hosted or SaaS. Installed or On-Premise
LMS Installed or On-Premise LMS is locally hosted
and usually chosen by large companies. This
Learning management system is purchased from a
vendor or downloaded from the website and
installed on organizations own
servers. Installed LMS provides the greater
flexibility to customize and individualize the
solution but also requires IT staff to
administer, manage and upgrade the system. You
would also require a team to handle support and
take care of technical issues. Cloud-hosted or
SaaS LMS
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Unlike On-premise systems, Cloud hosted LMS is
hosted on the servers of the service provider
(vendor) and is offered as a completely managed
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Cloud LMS is
typically available in monthly or annual
subscription plans generally depending on
features and number of users or subscribers.
Users can log in with a user name and password
and can either access the content online or
download the e-learning course material for
offline usage. Cloud-hosted Learning Management
System provides more flexibility in scaling up or
down and since it is a hosted service, you are
free from the hassles of installing plugins,
troubleshooting or making updates. All the
maintenance is done by service provider
themselves. Final Word With this basic
understanding of various types of LMS available,
you can choose the right one according to your
need and budget. If you have a technical team
in-house and a limited budget, you can explore an
Open-Source or Free LMS. However, if the budget
is not a constraint and you seek more control on
customization then Installed or On-Premise LMS
would be a better choice. In case you are looking
for a hassle-free installation, maintenance and
upgrade experience at an affordable budget, Cloud
LMS would be your best bet. Identify your
organizations need and choose the most
appropriate solution. To dive deeper into the
practical world of Cloud hosted Learning
Management System, take a trip around MindScroll
Free Trial and experience the process yourself.
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