My latest paper takes on the latest "buzz" topic - The Cloud.

1. LEARNING AND
“
Just like water from
the tap in your kitchen,
DEVELOPMENT IN THE cloud computing
services can be turned
CLOUD – OPPORTUNITIES on or off quickly as
needed. Like at the
AND WATCH OUTS water company, there
is a team of dedicated
professionals making
sure the service
provided is safe, secure
and available on a 24/7
basis. When the tap
isn’t on, not only are
you saving water, but
you aren’t paying for
resources you don’t
currently need.
”
Vivek Kundra,
Federal Chief Information
Officer, The Obama
Administration
Jeremy Blain, Director,
International Partners Network, Cegos Group 1

2. CONTENTS
Page
4 OVERVIEW
5 1. CLOUD COMPUTING: A DEFINITION
7 2. THE IMPACT OF CLOUD COMPUTING ON L&D
7 2.1 Mobile, Decentralised & Just in Time Learning
8 2.2 A Richer and More Personalised Learning Experience
9 2.3 Speed of Implementation
9 2.4 Cost Effective/Lower Entry Barriers
10 2.5 No More IT Dependence
10 2.6 Greater Integration
11 3. FORMS OF TRAINING THAT WILL BENEFIT FROM
THE CLOUD
11 3.1 Mobile Learning
11 3.2 Video Content
11 3.3 Social Networking & Informal Training
12 3.4 Virtual Learning
12 3.5 E-Learning
13 4. THE CLOUD AND AN ORGANISATION’S CULTURE
14 5. THE POTENTIAL THREATS
14 5.1 Data Security
15 5.2 A Loss of Control?
15 5.3 The Future Roles of Managed Service Provider and
Training Provider
15 5.4 Transition Difficulties © Cegos Group, 2011/2012

3. 16 6. TOP TIPS TOWARDS A CLOUD-BASED L&D
STRATEGY
16 6.1 Always Keep the Cloud in Mind
16 6.2 Don’t be Over Hasty... Don’t Give Up on Processes
within the Firewall
16 6.3 Never Underestimate the Personal Touch
16 6.4 Make Sure you Pass the ‘So What’ Test
17 6.5 Commit Resources
17 6.6 Give Yourself Room for Manoeuvre
18 7. CONCLUSIONS
19 8. REFERENCES
20 9. ABOUT CEGOS GROUP
21 10. ABOUT JEREMY BLAIN
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

4. 1. OVERVIEW
There are few IT developments that have garnered more airtime and news
copy over the last few years than cloud computing.
Yet, unlike many of the technology fads that have come and gone, there’s
no doubt that cloud computing is changing how we manage and exchange
information forever.
Recent research by International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that worldwide
IT spending on cloud services will grow almost threefold to $44.2 billion
by 2013 and almost every industry sector has adopted the cloud into their
business operations.
This is very much the case with L&D today with cloud computing offering a
unique opportunity to reshape learning as we know it, with implications for
how we deliver learning, how learners receive it, and the content of learning.
To date, however, there are few resources L&D professional can go to in order
to gain a comprehensive overview of the potential of cloud computing to L&D,
the applications, and the pitfalls to look out for. This is what this white paper
intends to achieve.
The first starting point is to be clear about what cloud computing means
today.
4
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

5. 1. CLOUD COMPUTING: A DEFINITION
There are few technological developments that have captured the imagination
“!
Cloud computing is
a model for enabling
more over the last few years than cloud computing – what is considered
‘the next great frontier’ in the words of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and convenient, on-
a technology that has had the distinction of gracing the front cover of the
demand network
Economist last October (2010).
access to a shared
Yet, what exactly is cloud computing? The world-renowned industry analysts,
pool of configurable
the Gartner Group refer to cloud computing as ‘a style of computing where
massively scalable, IT-enabled capabilities are delivered as a service to computing resources
external customers using internet technologies’.
(e.g., networks, servers,
What this means is that applications and data are stored in a central location storage, applications,
on the internet and accessed via an internet browser. This location consists
and services) that can
of multiple servers, forming a part of a digital network, and is based totally
outside the traditional corporate IT infrastructure. The US-based, National be rapidly provisioned
Institute of Standards and Technology also provides a strong definition (see
and released with
right).
minimal management
Essentially, any computer or Internet friendly device connected to the Internet
effort or service provider
may access the cloud and the same pool of computing power (although that
inevitably depends on how fast Internet connections are). In the words of a interaction.
recent Training Journal article in April 2011, this ‘means you can tap into a
wealth of infrastructure at the touch of a button without having to manage
lengthy implementation plans and substantial costs.’
It’s the cloud that has spurred on the development of numerous new business
”
US-based The National Institute
of Standards and Technology
applications over the last couple of years and now even hardware with new
devices, such as Google’s thin client laptop, the chromebook, which has no
internal memory and is simply a tool for accessing the cloud.
In regard to L&D, the main manifestation of cloud computing we have tended
to see is in ‘Software as a Service (SaaS)’, although recently a number of
new applications and terms have also evolved, such as ‘Infrastructure-as-a-
Service’ and ‘Platform-as-a-Service.’
SaaS is about delivering a single application from a computer outside the
traditional company IT structure with no required hardware or software to
install and users tending to pay for the software on a pay as you go basis.
Although there are numerous SaaS applications today, perhaps two of the
best known and most established SaaS applications are Salesforce.com and
its applications for sales and customer service and Workday which provides
a number of its solutions focusing on human capital management and talent
management.
Cloud computing, however, is often considered to have a broader application
than SaaS through the direct targeting of server space rather than simply
a specific software application. It means that all a company’s data storage,
social networking, software programmes and leaning management systems
can all located outside the company’s IT and servers and can form part of the
cloud. Such a system would also be highly scalable, with no data limitations.
5
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

6. Today, in sectors such as government and financial services, the cloud has
been taken up significantly and, according to a study by Forrester Research,
a fifth of companies already use solutions from the cloud. In a recent report by
Accenture (Rewards and Risks at the Dawn of Cloud Computing (2010), 44%
of large organisations are today using cloud computing.
Yet, how many of these companies are using the cloud within the L&D
sector? What are its benefits and what are the top tips for a successful cloud
implementation?
In this paper, we will look at the potential benefits of cloud computing on L&D,
specific learning applications that can benefit from it, the potential threats
to be aware of, and a suggestion of top tips for the implementation of a
successful cloud-based L&D strategy.
6
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

7. 2. THE IMPACT OF CLOUD COMPUTING ON L&D
It’s fair to say that in many ways L&D and HR have been at the leading edge
“!
In taking content
outside traditional
of outsourced software services – managed services which are often seen
as a precursor to the cloud. Functions, such as payroll, recruitment and learning structures,
performance management, have often been coordinated outside a company’s
cloud computing is
premises and IT infrastructure. Yet, the emergence and widespread adoption
of cloud computing is likely to take this to a new level. essentially allowing for
the delivery of learning
The last few years, for example, has unleashed a host of new cloud-based
and web-based applications relevant to HR and L&D. If you look at the anywhere and at
Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010 compiled by the Centre for Learning and
anytime.
Performance Technologies and based on over 500 learning professional
submissions, cloud-based tools, such as Google Docs, Google Reader,
Delicious and SlideShare are coming to the fore, with traditional learning
tools, such as Word and PowerPoint further down the list (at 22 and 60
respectively).
”
Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies – Top 100 Tools for Learning
2010
1. Twitter (Microblogging)
2. YouTube (Video Sharing)
3. Google Docs (Office Collaboration)
4. Delicious (Social Bookmarking Tool)
5. Slideshare (Hosting Presentations)
6. Skype (Instant Messaging/VoIP)
7. Google Reader (RSS)
8. Wordpress (Blogging Tool)
9. Facebook (Social Networking)
10. Moodle (Content Management System)
11. Google Search (Web Search Tool)
12. Prezi (Presentation Software)
A full list can be found at http://c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/top100-2010.html
All these applications provide a significant break with the traditional learning of
the past with a move towards more informal, just in time DIY learning.
Let’s firstly take a look at the potential benefits to L&D of cloud computing in
more detail.
2.1 Mobile, Decentralised & Just in Time Learning
We’ve heard so often over the past few years the need to have more flexible
learning which aligns itself more closely with the employee’s day to day
activities and which doesn’t impinge on productivity. Cloud computing enables
this to happen.
In taking content outside traditional learning structures, cloud computing is
essentially allowing for the delivery of learning anywhere and at anytime. No
longer requiring memory intensive laptops and the need to access firewalls,
the cloud will enable people to access L&D from any location and from any
device as long as they have an internet connection.
7
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

8. This development has the potential to have an enormous impact on mobile
and flexible learning, with users able to access e-learning content via a cloud-
based learning management system, for example, as and when they need
to. As we will discuss in more detail later in this paper, it will enable people to
“!
... the emergence of
cloud-based training
access learning when they need it, build their learning around their specific
needs, and chimes in perfectly with the highly mobile and cross-cultural solutions, ... provide
workforces so many organisations are advocating.
platforms for solutions
It also fosters a high sense of autonomy for both employees and L&D that can be created
departments within organisations, with the cloud allowing relevant, tailored
in-house, providing a
content to be created for users without any dependence on IT to update
delivery platforms accordingly. much greater sense
of autonomy and
2.2 A Richer and More Personalised Learning Experience independence for
organisations’ L&D
The open and collaborative nature of the cloud can also enrich the
learning experience opening up the opportunity for more contributions and departments.
applications from other people within the learning environment and from within
the organisation as well as also encouraging an individual dialogue between
trainer and trainee.
With all learning information and modules in a single place, for example, users
”
will be able to link content and create a search platform that enables users to
establish preferences and enter specific search criteria in order to generate
customised results. With the rise of instant messaging, I can also certainly
envisage a time where online tutors can bring in experts from across the
world to enrich the learning experience – something which would work very
effectively in a virtual classroom, for example.
Furthermore, the emergence of cloud-based training solutions, such as
Brainshark and Mindshare, provide platforms for solutions that can be created
in-house, providing a much greater sense of autonomy and independence for
organisations’ L&D departments. This could, for example, usher in a greater
role for subject matter experts within the organisation and training which is
much more focused on that company’s business activities rather than more
‘off the shelf’ solutions.
Finally, the advent of web service providers, such as Live Matrix, where
you can incorporate live and upcoming scheduled events on the Web, and
authoring tools that are hosted in the cloud will enable your cloud-based L&D
to be more closely aligned with day-to-day developments and issues, and
ensure that expert knowledge from multiple sources is made available.
DIY Learning – Brainshark
Brainshark provides the leading cloud-based software for creating,
sharing and tracking online and mobile video presentations. With
Brainshark, you can easily transform static content, such as PowerPoint®
documents, into voice-enriched video presentations that can be
accessed anytime, on-demand. You also have access to extensive
viewing details, enabling you to measure the effectiveness and reach of
your content, so you can follow up accordingly.
8
Thousands of companies – including a third of the Fortune 100 – and
hundreds of thousands of individuals rely on Brainshark to increase the
impact and reduce the cost of their sales, marketing, training, and HR
communications. © Cegos Group, 2011/2012

9. “!
Another key benefit
of cloud computing is
Live Matrix is the first guide to live and upcoming scheduled events on
the Web. Live Matrix links to anything that has a start time and can be that it can dramatically
attended online: audio and video webcasts, live chats, limited-time sales
speed up the
and auctions, conferences, product launches, games and contests,
events in virtual worlds, and much more. implementation of new
learning initiatives ...
Conceived by two veterans of new media, Nova Spivack and Sanjay
Reddy, Live Matrix organizes the real time Web into three time segments
– future, past and present – and enables the birth of the Scheduled Web.
It’s the first schedule of “What’s When on the Web.”™ ”
2.3 Speed of Implementation and More Time Devoted to
Learner Needs
Another key benefit of cloud computing is that it can dramatically speed up
the implementation of new learning initiatives and can free up more time for
the L&D department to focus on learner needs rather than getting bogged
down in discussions with IT.
With the business environment in a constant state of flux, we no longer have
the luxury of months of negotiation with IT and management before a new
learning initiative or platform can be delivered or a new set of e-learning
modules can be incorporated with the existing IT infrastructure.
Cloud computing provides organisations with the opportunity of rolling out
constant, on the job training which can build staff skills quickly and efficiently
without needing to wait for scheduled classroom instruction. The recent
troubles News Corp have found themselves in, for example, could have been
partly alleviated if senior management had had a quick refresher course in
crisis management in the midst of the recent crisis.
2.4 Cost Effective and Lowering the Entry Barriers
One of the most exciting things about cloud computing is that it will make
high quality and innovative training accessible to so many more organisations.
In the words of Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, “the cloud services
companies of all sizes…The cloud is for everyone. The cloud is a democracy.”
If used correctly, correctly cloud is highly cost effective, enabling L&D budgets
to be more competitive and streamlined and not weighed down with IT costs.
In all cases, the organisation will only pay for the server space it uses with the
costs of maintenance and updates normally built in.
In this way, the cloud can have a great ‘democratising’ effect on the provision
of L&D today, lowering the entry barriers and opening up sophisticated
learning applications to SMEs – SMEs who had originally been put off the
costs of additional IT hardware and software.
In addition, cloud computing can have an enormous impact on the bottom line
through reduced costs from training away-days, greater productivity among
the workforce, and a leveraging of the technology to foster more effective and 9
collaborative means of working together. This can be only good news for all
employees and the L&D sector as a whole.
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

10. 2.5 No More IT Department Dependence
A running theme of all these benefits is the new freedom from the IT
department and it’s important to address this as a key benefit in its own right
as well.
!
Traditionally, IT worked side-by-side with the learning organisation, creating
THE IMPACT
platforms and applications that delivered information and training. While on OF CLOUD
occasions, this has been a harmonious relationship, few could deny that this
has been a source of frustration as well, with delays, roadblocks and simply a
COMPUTING
lack of priority given to L&D by an already overstretched IT department. ON L&D
The cloud has the potential to change all this, enabling L&D departments to Mobile, Decentralised &
bypass IT for the first time – something that IT departments will probably be Just in Time Learning.
grateful for as well!
A Richer & More
2.6 Greater Integration Personalised Learning
Experience.
Too often, in the past, there has been a fragmentation between different
L&D and HR-based systems, whether they are talent management systems, Speed of Implementation
performance management systems, recruitment, learning management & More Time Devoted to
systems or training strategies. With a common data platform, the cloud offers Learner Needs.
a unique opportunity for greater integration and standard methods of data
exchange. Cost Effective & Lowering
the Entry Barriers.
No More IT Dependence.
Greater Integration.
10
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

11. 3. WHAT FORMS OF TRAINING WILL BENEFIT FROM THE
CLOUD? “!
Our survey of European
learners ... found a
We’ve now seen some of the significant potential benefits that L&D can gain
from the cloud today. Let’s take a look at how cloud computing can benefit preference for shorter
some specific learning applications.
face-to-face training
courses with two days
3.1 Mobile Learning being away from the
Mobile learning, for example, has seen considerable growth over the last office considered the
few years. The Cegos survey in May 2011, for example, showed that mobile
optimum length as
learning has now been adopted in 21% of organisations across Europe.
opposed to the week-
Just as the proliferation of hardware, such as smart phones and tablet
long training courses of
computers are facilitating this growth, so is cloud computing, enabling a
large variety of mobile learning activities to take part outside the firewall with the past.
employees calling down the information as and when they need it.
With memory and firewalls no longer issues, cloud computing should make it
that much easier to access learning applications from any device and make
learning that much more immediate. Furthermore, there are also compelling
”
economic arguments for cloud-based mobile learning with no expensive
proprietary tools and data storage and computing power issues.
3.2 Video Content
The cloud is also likely to prove a major enable for video learning content
which has often proved too expensive and memory intensive to be developed
internally.
The cloud will provide the bandwidth for streaming and storing video content
with delivery applications, such as YouTube and Brainshark (see separate
box), likely to become increasingly popular. This information can then be
accessed in the field or when it is most needed – if a sales executive requires
a few refresher sales tips, for example, just before going into an important
meeting.
Furthermore, the rise of Internet TV is also likely to play perfectly with cloud
computing, allowing the learner or L&D department to broadcast live or record
items as if they had their own television channel.
3.3 Social Networks & Informal Training
The rise of informal networks and internet and social networking tools, which
provide the key medium for the dissemination of information, is based on
open communities, collaboration, cross-country and cross-company networks
and the sharing of knowledge information. This philosophy fits closely with the
main elements behind cloud computing with L&D operating outside the firewall
and making it much easier to integrate social networking into L&D strategies
through existing web applications, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Furthermore, providers, such as Yammer (www.yammer.com), who provide
private, cloud-based micro blogging sites, are playing a crucial role in
integrating social networking and the cloud within a structured, environment. 11
In these environments, employees can collaborate with co-workers in real-
time, share information about their work, link to articles of interest, ask
questions, and even create external networks to communicate with partners.
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

12. “!
Nationwide’s Yammer
site grew to over 8500
Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide has grown over the last 80
years from a small mutual auto insurer to one of the largest insurance associates and agents
and financial services companies in the world, with more than $135
in under 10 months
billion in statutory assets. Nationwide chose Yammer as its primary
communication channel in its push toward flattened hierarchy and better and more importantly,
management. The network grew quickly, with adoption from the full
it got more than 40%
spectrum of employees, salespeople to executives. Now, knowledge
isn’t siloed into specific regions or department and associates and of the company’s top
executives are more connected with a better flow of ideas.
leadership into the
Nationwide Social
3.4 Virtual Learning Network.
Cloud computing is also set to have a major impact on virtual learning in the
future.
Cloud computing, for example, can be used to create a flexible classroom
environment accessible to instructors and students over the Internet with
”
Srinivas Koushik, Chief
Technology Officer, Nationwide
cloud-led training going directly to people’s computers. Other delivery
methods, such as e-learning and serious games, will all benefit
In the 2011 Corporate Factbook by Bersin Associates, it was noted that
“over the past two years, more companies have turned to virtual classroom
instruction”, and yet “transition is not always an easy one, as organisations
often find it difficult to attain a truly interactive and engaging experience with a
group of remote, widely dispersed learners.” Cloud-computing should address
these transition difficulties.
3.5 E-Learning
Cloud computing will also have important applications for the deployment
and effectiveness of e-learning modules. For example, all supporting module
materials can be stored in the cloud as can all record keeping and login
details. There are also no scalability issues; availability is 24/7; and there are
increased options for design, such as more simulation.
Whether it be sharing videos and documents, participating in a virtual
classroom or engaging in e-learning tools using cloud-based applications,
cloud computing helps improve the ways companies can support their people
by bringing together a plethora of different learning methods onto a single
platform and ensuring the integration of formal and informal learning.
12
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

13. 4. THE CLOUD AND AN ORGANISATION’S CULTURE
It’s my view, however, that not only can cloud computing have a significant
impact on L&D, it also has the potential to dramatically transform company
“!
... take advantage of
cloud computing to
cultures today, particularly in regard to the delivery of information.
run leaner, more agile
How? The cloud allows organisations to be no longer dependent on their
operations and expand
IT departments and corporate bureaucracies. What this means is that it
enables individuals to access information and specific technologies wherever their businesses.
and whenever they need it. In this way, it is a strongly democratic and
decentralized approach to existing company values with employees no longer
dependent on the internal IT department deciding that their line of business is
a priority. ”
This change in company values is well illustrated in the world of software
developers who have traditionally broken away from narrow company
confinements to deliver software through self-organising, collaborative and
cross-functional teams. The values they came up with were formalised in The
Agile Manifesto. The illustration on this page shows how the Agile Manifesto
values:
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
• Collaborative technology over documentation
• Collaboration with the customer – the end user – over contract
negotiations; and
• The ability to respond to change rather than adhering rigidly to an
existing plan.
While initially developed for the world of software developers, this approach
and these values can have a significant impact on the company culture and
L&D today as well.
Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools
Leveraging Collaborative
over Comprehensive Documentation
Technology
Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
Responding to Change over Following a Plan/Existing Path
In the words of Accenture and their recent report, already cited in this paper,
executives will “take advantage of cloud computing to run leaner, more agile
operations and expand their businesses. And while not every company can
be a leader in providing cloud services like Google, Amazon or Apple, clouds
will undoubtedly change not just companies but entire industries as executives
better understand how they can use this powerful technology.”
And the same report found that 60% of executives think that “speed, flexibility
and responsiveness will be one of the cloud’s greatest benefits to their 13
organisation over the next five years.”
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

14. 5. THE POTENTIAL THREATS
So far, in this paper, we have just looked at the potential benefits and
applications of cloud computing. With all emerging technologies, however,
“!
Probably the single
biggest issue holding
there are always issues to be aware of. This section will look at some of these.
back cloud computing
today is that of data
5.1 Data Security
security.
Probably the single biggest issue holding back cloud computing today is
that of data security. The very nature of cloud computing and SaaS is that
information is stored online outside company firewalls and protection networks
with potentially highly confidential information at risk. In addition, it is also that
risk of entering the unknown that makes organisations concerned about the
”
security issues.
However, just as external providers have been privy to confidential HR
information in the past, cloud vendors are acutely aware of perceived
concerns and are continuing to bolster security measures. Organisations,
such as the Cloud Security Alliance, have also developed a CSA Certificate of
Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) to ensure best practices are shared among
providers and to help users make their selections.
There is also a lot that can be done internally to strengthen security. For
example, it is important to ensure that security is a key element of any
contract or service level agreement with a cloud-based service provider and
that you – the user – are aware of their security policies (see questions to ask
in separate box).
Many of the same physical assets of a company’s internal IT infrastructure,
such as firewalls, can also be applied in the cloud environment and a number
of companies are also maintaining an internal cloud using virtual infrastructure
for what they consider to be business critical processes. Assigning value to
specific assets can also help you in formulating your security policy.
Top Security Questions to Ask Your Cloud Service Provider
1. How will you be managing my data?
2. Is my data encrypted?
3. What recent external audits have been conducted?
4. What back-up and recovery measures do you have in place?
Where will my data be replicated to if your primary data centre
suffers an outage?
5. Where is my data being hold? In what jurisdictions, for example?
6. What’s the level of physical security in your facilities?
7. How will you deliver your agreed service levels? It’s all very well
saying that your service will have 99.9999% uptime but how can
you back this up?
8. What happens if something goes wrong? What support will I
receive?
9. Can you isolate my virtual machines from those of other
customers? Is there a danger of infections from other customers?
How am I protected?
10. How can I ensure global consistency if I’m using other cloud
providers as well?
Just as shopping and using credit card details online was greeted with
considerable scepticism a few years ago, security will only improve over the 14
coming years with greater levels of reassurance.
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

15. 5.2 A Loss of Control?
These concerns over data security are also linked to a perceived lack of
control over L&D.
“!
The advent of the cloud
has potential to blur the
While a certain a degree of autonomy and personalisation is considered relationship between
to be a good thing in L&D today, this should not be at the expense of L&D
the L&D department
relinquishing control over the general framework of L&D and ushering in a
potential L&D ‘free for all’. Cloud computing, as for any L&D development, and external training
needs to be managed.
or managed service
providers.
5.3 The Future Roles of Managed Service Provider and Training
Provider
The advent of the cloud has potential to blur the relationship between the L&D
”
department and external training or managed service providers.
While many such organisations are adapting and evolving their products to
support cloud computing (as Cegos is doing) and while organisations will
still need external providers to generate content for e-learning modules, for
example, it’s clear that the boundaries of the relationship are likely to change.
In these instances, it’s important that such transitions are handled carefully to
avoid jeopardising relationships that, in many cases, have been built up over
years.
5.4 Transition Difficulties
This plays in to more general concerns over the transition to the cloud with
some tips to managing a cloud-based strategy addressed in section six.
What is clear is that it is important not to follow the path of cloud computing at
the expense of existing processes which have often been built up over years.
It’s also important to ensure that training efficiencies aren’t affected as the
transition takes place and people adapt to changing processes.
15
© Cegos Group, 2011/2012

16. 6. TOP TIPS TOWARDS A CLOUD-BASED L&D STRATEGY
In this paper, we have examined the potential benefits of cloud computing
to L&D and the enormous effect it can have on the organisation as a whole.
“!
What you want to avoid
is having a fragmented
Yet, what is the difference between a successful and failed cloud deployment.
In this final section, we look at a number of tips towards a successful cloud- strategy where some
based strategy in L&D.
applications are cloud-
based and others aren’t ...
6.1 Always Keep the Cloud in Mind
Once you have made that decision to embrace cloud computing, it’s
important that every L&D-based decision is assessed in a cloud-computing
context.
”
In some instances, you might decide to keep some systems in-house, it’s
important, however, that you keep the cloud in mind for any new piece of
L&D software you launch. What you want to avoid is having a fragmented
strategy where some applications are cloud-based and others aren’t without a
strategic reason for this.
6.2 Don’t be Over Hasty... Don’t Give Up on Processes within
the Firewall
It’s important to understand that cloud-based L&D is about the delivery of
new L&D services rather than simply the replacement of existing ones. It’s
important to still keep faith with many of the L&D services that are often
operating very effectively within the firewall rather than placing your entire
future L&D strategy on the failure or success of the cloud. This being said,
however, there’s no reason why many of your internal L&D processes can’t be
transferred to the cloud.
6.3 Never Underestimate the Personal Touch
It’s often easy to get dazzled by the latest technologies but this should never
happen at the expense of the personal touch in L&D today. Cloud-computing
can only really work if individuals are actively involved in the process, making
those important decisions as to how to manage the transition and foster
collaboration – through the creation of forums, for example.
6.4 Make Sure you Pass the ‘So What’ Test
It’s important to not get so caught up by the latest cloud-based applications
that you end up following the latest ‘fad’ at the expense of a longer term
strategy.
It’s very important that every cloud-based applications incorporated into your
L&D processes passes the ‘so what’ test. What use can my organisation
make of this feature? How can it improve the performance of my employees?
etc..
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17. 6.5 Commit Resources
It’s also important to commit the appropriate resources to any company-wide
transition to cloud-based L&D. Don’t allow everything to grind to a standstill
as you start to deploy some applications on the cloud with a subsequent
!
effect on training efficiencies. Don’t simply see transition to the cloud as an
immediate cost savings measure.
TOP TIPS TO A
SUCCESSFUL
6.6 Give Yourself Room for Manoeuvre
CLOUD-BASED
STRATEGY
It’s also important to give yourself maximum flexibility when choosing a cloud
solutions vendor. What can I do if the platform doesn’t live up to expectations Always keep the cloud in
and how easily can I migrate? How easy will it be to transfer the information mind.
and how much will it cost? You need to continue to have flexibility in your L&D
operations. Don’t be overhasty.
Never underestimate the
personal touch.
Make sure you pass the
so what test.
Commit resources.
Give yourself room for
manoeuvre.
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18. 7. CONCLUSIONS
There’s little doubt that cloud computing has the potential to have a huge
impact on L&D over the next few years – probably more so than any
technology innovation that has come previously.
Cloud computing offers learning organisations an opportunity to create,
implement and deliver user-specific applications anytime, anywhere and it
enables users to have much greater input into their training paths. While
concerns remain as to its implementation, it’s clear to me that the huge
potential of the cloud has already been unleashed, delivering training more
efficiently and effectively than ever before.
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19. 8. REFERENCES
Accenture Cloudrise: Rewards and Risks at the Dawn of Cloud Computing
(2010)
Agile Manifesto, www.agilemanifesto.org
Brainshark, www.brainshark.com
Cegos Group Survey, May 2010 www.cegos.com
Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, www.c4lpt.co.uk
Cloud Security Alliance, https://cloudsecurityalliance.org
Corporate Learning Factbook 2011, Bersin & Associates www.bersin.com
Forrester Research, www.forrester.com
International Data Corporation, IT Cloud Services Forecast 2009-2013,
www.idc.com
Live Matrix, www.livematrix.com
Mindshare, www.mindshareworld.com
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, www.nist.gov
Salesforce.com, www.salesforce.com
Training Journal, www.trainingjournal.com
Workday, www.workday.com
Yammer, www.yammer.com
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20. 9. ABOUT CEGOS GROUP
Cegos Group, established in 1926 is today the European leader in professional
education and one of the major global players. Its consultants have expertise
across all subject areas in management and developing competencies: human
resources, management and leadership, performance and organisational
skills, individual and team performance, marketing and commercial, project
management, deployment of large training systems internationally.
In 2010, Cegos Group achieved sales of 180 M€ and trained more than
200,000 staff in Europe and internationally. Cegos employs 1,200 consultants
and works in 30 countries across the globe.
www.cegos.com
www.elearning-cegos.com
www.global-learning-cegos.com
For more details, debate or discussion, please contact: jeremy.blain@cegos.
co.uk or + 44 (0)7714 521045
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21. 10. ABOUT JEREMY BLAIN
Jeremy Blain is a Director of Cegos SA, and is responsible for Cegos’ strategy
for international expansion through a value adding Global Distribution Partners
Network.
An L&D entrepreneur responsible for growing Cegos’ business worldwide
through a network of distribution partners, Jeremy has 10 years experience
in the industry as a managing director, partner, trainer, coach and programme
author. In previous roles at Procter and Gamble, Pepsico and as CEO of his
own business, Jeremy’s background includes marketing, sales, operations
and account management.
Jeremy is a frequent international conference speaker and media
commentator on topics related to the global L&D market. Themes include: the
integration of emerging and informal learning technologies; the importance
of performance measurement and proving ROI; developing ‘core’ leadership,
management and commercial skills to achieve competitive business
advantage; and change management and how to implement successful
international training strategies.
For more details, debate or discussion, you can find Jeremy on LinkedIn
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeremyblain and also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/
learntheplanet
Jeremy has also published a series of white papers on issues relevant to L&D.
These are still current and available, and include:
• Cegos/ASTD global learning trends research: A comparison between
what is happening among learners today and the perceptions of
learning professionals, July 2011
• ‘Training Today, Training Tomorrow - An Analysis of Learning Trends
Across Europe and Global Comparisons’, May 2011.
• Helping to Make an Impact’, May 2011
• ‘The Rise of Virtual Learning’, April 2011
• ‘What has L&D Learned from the Economic Slowdown’, March 2011
• ‘Informal Networks – How They Are Changing the World of Work’,
December 2010
• ‘Exploring and Interpreting the Most Important Learning Trends across
the Globe’, May 2010
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