What is Cloud LMS? (Pros and Cons Explained)

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Cloud-based Learning Management Systems (LMS) are leading the way for modern learning and development practices. As cloud and hybrid cloud setups become the norm, ensuring these systems work effectively for both organizations and individual learners remains a major challenge.

A recent report from Google Cloud showed that 93% of tech leaders now mainly use cloud infrastructure, while the use of on-site setups is decreasing a lot. Cloud technology is clearly important now and will continue to be in the future.

In this article, we’ll look at what a cloud LMS is, the benefits it offers, and some potential downsides in the world of online learning.

What is Cloud LMS?

Illustration of how cloud computing works

To understand what a Cloud LMS is, let’s break it down into three parts: Learning Management Systems (LMS), Cloud Computing, and Cloud LMS.

Learning Management System (LMS):

A Learning Management System (LMS) is a software platform designed to help organizations manage, deliver, and track their learning and training programs. It acts as a central hub for creating, organizing, and distributing educational content, online courses, and assessments.

Cloud Computing:

Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computing services—like storage, processing power, and applications—over the internet.

Instead of depending on local servers or personal computers, cloud computing allows users to access their resources remotely from any device with an internet connection.

This approach offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency, as the heavy lifting is handled by remote servers managed by cloud service providers.

Cloud LMS:

A Cloud LMS combines the traditional LMS functionality with the advantages of cloud computing. It provides a platform for managing and delivering learning materials online, but with the added benefits of cloud technology.

This means you can access your training resources from anywhere, at any time, as long as you have an internet connection.

The cloud-based nature of these systems ensures that updates, maintenance, and scalability are handled by the service provider. It helps organizations to focus on creating and managing their educational content without worrying about the underlying infrastructure..

7 Key Benefits of Cloud Based LMS

Here are six important benefits you can expect from using cloud-based e-learning.

1. Lower Upfront Costs

Illustration depicting lower upfront costs as an advantage of using a Cloud LMS.

According to a 2019, survey of 475 eLearning professionals, 22% reported that hosting a Learning Management System (LMS) was their largest expense.

When you self-host an LMS, you have to manage all the technical details yourself or hire someone else to do it. This can be quite expensive, especially if your program is large or needs a lot of expertise. You need to think about costs like installation, setup, customization, administration, and training for your staff.

On the other hand, using cloud hosting can save you a lot of money because your LMS will be ready to use and taken care of by an external team.

It’s true that a cloud-based LMS comes with a monthly subscription fee. However, this can be offset by the fact that self-hosted options usually require you to buy the software upfront or pay an annual licensing fee.

If you’re a small to medium-sized organization with limited resources but want to enjoy the benefits of an online Learning Management System, a cloud-based LMS is a great choice for you.

2. Rapid Deployment

Illustration depicting rapid deployment as an advantage of using a Cloud LMS.

With cloud hosting, you don’t have to worry about the complicated process of installing Learning Management System (LMS) software on your own servers and setting it up the way you want.

Since everything is hosted online, there’s no software for you to learn or install, so you can sign up and start uploading your eLearning content right away.

LMS hosting providers can either offer guidance on how to successfully launch your system or take care of the entire LMS setup for you, which can save you a lot of stress (though it might cost a bit more).

Plus, because cloud hosting requires fewer resources, switching to it is likely to help you launch your online training course faster than if you were using local servers.

3. Lower Learning Curve

LMSs are mainly designed for organizations that may not be very familiar with technology and want to get started quickly.

Most cloud-based providers offer a variety of online support services to help users with any questions or problems they might have. These resources often include blogs, webinars, articles, tutorials, and discussion forums.

So, if you run into any issues, you can count on a helpful eLearning community to assist you.

That being said, it’s important to choose an LMS that matches your team’s skills and experience. Be sure to test out different options to make sure they meet your needs in a way that is easy to understand.

4. Stress-free Maintenance

Illustration of Stress-free Maintenance as an advantage of using a Cloud LMS.

Since cloud computing first began in the 1960s, its main goal has been to make things work more efficiently and smoothly.

The same applies to cloud Learning Management Systems (LMS). When you use a cloud server, you don’t have to worry about constant upgrades or updates, and you won’t have to stress about using outdated technology.

Plus, if there are data losses or mistakes in your local system, it’s not all on you to fix them! Usually, the monthly fee for cloud hosting includes help from an outside support team.

5. Greater Accessibility

Accessibility is one of the main reasons people choose a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS). With a self-hosted setup, users are limited by their own equipment and location. However, when you switch to the cloud, your team can work from anywhere and at any time.

While a skilled technical team might be able to set up in-house access on different devices and locations, this can be complicated and expensive. Cloud-based LMSs usually offer this feature as a standard option.

This is especially helpful for remote teams working on online projects. Nowadays, having this ability is seen as more of a necessity than a luxury for employees who need to work together from different places.

Map illustrating cloud accessibility and the widespread reach of Cloud LMS

Source: AWS

6. Collaborative Learning Opportunities

Illustration of Collaborative Learning Opportunities as an advantage of using a Cloud LMS.

Cloud-based Learning Management Systems create spaces where students can learn together. They provide tools that make it easy for students to connect with each other and their teachers.

Features like discussion boards, chat rooms, and shared document editing help students engage and share knowledge more effectively.

7. Speed up Production

Cloud-based e-learning makes it easier for people to work together, especially when creating content. What does this look like in real life?

First, all of your organization’s digital materials will be stored in one place, and as many users as needed can go in and make changes to a specific online course. They can also work at the same time.

For example, while your subject matter experts (SMEs) are writing the text, your graphic designers can upload images. Everything they do gets updated immediately.

This means that your Learning and Development (L&D) teams can expect to finish projects faster and avoid the usual problems that come with keeping track of different versions.

Using the cloud also means that your organization’s images, logos, and videos can be stored online for easy access. This way, content creators can quickly browse, choose, and add files directly into a training course.

4 Drawbacks of Cloud Based LMS

Though Cloud LMS offers many benefits, it also has some drawbacks that should be considered to maximize its effectiveness.

1. Needs a Strong Internet Connection

To really benefit from the features of a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS), you need some basic technology. This mainly means having a strong internet connection and the right devices.

If your internet service stops working, you won’t be able to get into your LMS. Because of this, organizations that don’t have a dependable connection might want to consider a different LMS option.

Additionally, slow internet speeds can be frustrating, making you wait longer to access your information.

On the bright side, you can always use public Wi-Fi to log into the LMS from anywhere in the world. As long as your internet is working, you should be able to access your LMS whenever you need it.

2. Concerns About Data Safety

Some organizations choose not to use cloud-based Learning Management Systems (LMS) because they worry about data security. They think that their information might be at risk when it’s stored on a server that is not on-site.

The argument for using self-hosted LMS is mainly about having control—by owning the hardware and system where the data is stored, you can be completely sure about its safety.

However, having full control also means you’re responsible for keeping everything secure. This includes protecting against attacks, preventing data loss, and fixing any system errors.

It’s important to remember that using cloud hosting doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from other security measures for LMS. For example, open-source LMS systems like Totara Learn and Moodle support industry-standard Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication methods, which improves security.

3. Cost Fluctuation

When it comes to money, using a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS) can help you avoid high costs for installation, setup, and training staff. For a monthly fee, you can feel confident that any extra needs will be handled.

However, the monthly costs of an LMS can change over time. For instance, the company that provides the cloud LMS might increase the monthly fees after the first year to cover their rising costs. They might also start charging for features that were previously free, like customer support.

To avoid unexpected price changes, one option is to include specific terms in a contract with your service provider. If you can sign a custom contract, this can be a good way to make sure your payments stay the same for a certain period.

4. Issues with Host Providers

One important problem to think about when switching to cloud computing is the LMS (Learning Management System) vendors themselves. It’s clear that cloud-based eLearning depends on how professional the hosting platforms are, along with their staff and servers.

This creates a small risk that a host might not deliver good service or meet your expectations. Additionally, LMS vendors usually work on a monthly or yearly basis, which means they can end their agreement with you on short notice if you don’t have a contract.

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