Types of Learning Management Systems: A Comprehensive Guide

LMS could be said to be like the Swiss Army knives of education. There are a lot of different tools that come together and create a cohesive system that makes course delivery, management, and reporting an easy peasy job. Whether you are working in an educational institution or a corporate training environment, choosing an LMS makes it easy to manage the learning part while also engaging the learners. The variety in LMS also brings about the meeting of objectives. In this article, let us take a look at the various types of learning management systems and the best LMS for business that are available in the market.

Table of Contents

• Cloud-Based LMS Platforms
• On-Premise LMS
• Open-Source LMS Platforms
• Proprietary LMS Platforms
• Custom-Built LMS
• LMS for Specific Use Cases
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Cloud-Based LMS Platforms

Software as a service is one of the types of learning management systems also called a cloud-based LMS. It is a web-based LMS that is hosted on the vendor’s servers. Cloud-based learning management systems are quite popular, especially in terms of their quick deployment and subscription-based LMS pricing models that are available.

Pros

Cost Effective – Reduces the need for in-house maintenance and an IT infrastructure hence making it the best LMS for business.

Accessibility – Users can easily access the LMS from anywhere at any time. You only require an internet connection to use a cloud-based LMS.

Cons

Limitation regarding customizations – There may be restrictions regarding how customized you can create your LMS to be.

Data control – Organizations will have lower control over their own data.

Best Fit

Here are a few of the areas where cloud-based LMS could be the best fit:

Small businesses – Cloud-based LMS is a great choice for small businesses since they have lower related costs and minimal IT requirements.

Rapidly growing organizations – Cloud-based LMS can accommodate a large group of growing workplaces by providing scalable online learning platforms.

Organizations with remote workers – Cloud-based LMS can provide materials for people to train from anywhere and at any time.

On-Premise LMS

On-premise or Installed LMS platforms is one of the types of learning management systems that are usually hosted on the company’s own servers. These are ideal for those organizations which consist of strict data privacy requirements. It also allows employees to access the LMS from the organization’s network which means they do not require an internet connection.

Pros

Ease of customization – This can be highly customized so that it meets all your company’s requirements.

Data security – Offers a higher amount of control over data privacy and security.

Cons

Resource-intensive – Requires a dedicated IT team that can help manage and update the software

Cost – It requires a significant upfront investment in maintenance costs and hardware.

Best Fit

An on-premise LMS is the best fit for those organizations that are choosing an LMS for:

Compliance – organizations that want to implement specific compliance measures tailored to a unique regulatory landscape.

Customization – the organization could implement customized user integrations and interfaces

Enhanced security – Data resides within the company, which gives the organization better control over data security. This, in turn, could result in it being the best LMS for business.

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Open-Source LMS Platforms

An open-source LMS which is a part of the LMS categories is more of a community-driven platform where users tend to collaborate with each other to improve the way the system works. It is highly flexible and can be customized to adapt to your unique requirements.

Pros

Cost-effective – It is free to use and also reduces any associated costs regarding licensing and purchasing fees.

Flexibility – It is highly customizable which allows organizations to modify the in-built code making it the best LMS for business.

Cons

Support – There is very limited or no official support available which makes you rely on community forums and resources for troubleshooting.

Technical Expertise Needed – Requires a certain level of technical skill to install, maintain, and customize.

Best Fit

Here are a few of the areas where open-source LMS could be the best fit:

Educational institutions – Open LMS is a great option for educational institutions where students and teachers can access free content.

Interactive learning – Learners can easily interact with each other and become more knowledgeable regarding the course.

Corporate training – Using this LMS it is possible to train in corporate for both professional and customer development.

Proprietary LMS

Proprietary LMSs which are a part of LMS categories are built and hosted by a single entity or an organization. They are based on the software development known as closed source. A proprietary LMS comes along with a copyright license that restricts the users from changing the source code. In fact, even violating these copyright laws could be classified as one of the cybercrimes.

Pros

Ease of use – It is designed in such a way that it is easy to use and needs very little technical expertise.

Reliability – It often comes with regular updates from the vendors along with dedicated customer support.

Cons

Cost – This could be expensive due to the licensing fee that you need to pay along with a few additional costs for customization or updates.

Flexibility in customization – There is a limited amount of flexibility in customizing your LMS platform.

Best Fit

A proprietary LMS is one of the best fits for those users who require constant support, do not want to customize or personalize the options they get, or do not want to integrate with third-party sources. It is also great for people who are beginners while using an LMS.

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Custom-Built LMS

In the case of custom-built LMS, an organization highly relies on its in-house development team or external consultants to create a customized learning management system. Typically, a custom-built LMS solution is on-premise, which also provides the advantages and challenges of an on-premise system. It’s quite a costly and time-consuming solution to develop.

Pros

Custom solution – The solution provided will perfectly fit with all your integration needs and workflow requirements since it has custom solutions.

Competitive advantage – It offers unique features providing a quite competitive edge over other LMS platforms.

Cons

Development cost and time – It could often be highly expensive and time-consuming.

Resource-intensive – Requires IT staff and skilled developers for ongoing support and development.

Best For

Here are a few of the areas where custom-built LMS could be the best fit:

Large enterprises – Those organizations that have complex training requirements

Organizations with external stakeholders – Organizations who want to train customers, vendors, or partners.

Mobile-first approach – Those organizations that want to encourage offline learning capabilities or mobile-specific interactions.

LMS for Specific Use Cases

There are also various LMS categories based on specific use cases. These are more client-centric and try to meet the set requirements of the client. 

Corporate LMS

Corporate LMS is mainly used for managing onboarding processes, skill development, and career training. It also enables employees and the C-level management team to meet specific e-learning needs. Moreover, a corporate LMS consists of a lot of learning materials, books, presentations, and lectures that can be accessed from anywhere.

Academic LMS

An academic LMS is one of the types of learning management systems that is based on web technology and helps in the creation, management, and delivery of educational courses. It also provides training programs along with learning and development programs for the students.

Blended Learning LMS

Blended learning LMS is one of the LMS categories, which is also called hybrid learning. It is an approach to education that combines both offline opportunities and an online education medium. This offers the benefits of both face-to-face learning and online freedom.

Extended Enterprise LMS

Extended enterprise LMS provides training to a business’s external partners. You can also make your training available for external stakeholders such as vendors, customers, etc., making them more knowledgeable about your organization.

Conclusion

Well, now that you know all about the various types of learning management systems available. It is now time to improve your organizational learning and development. We have also discussed the best fit for each of the elements, along with the pros and cons, which will help you determine which one is the best for your organizational needs. You might also want to consider the features you get when choosing an LMS from the above LMS categories.

FAQs 

 

Not to be considered as tax, legal, financial or HR advice. Regulations change over time so please consult a lawyer, accountant  or Labour Law  expert for specific guidance.