The Hindu Business Line : Learning management space hotting up

LEARNING Management Solution (LMS) space has taken centre stage in a variety of applications - be it in launching a new product, improving channel partner effectiveness, speeding sales force readiness, increasing customer satisfaction, educating a distributed workforce or even ensuring compliance with financial and legal regulations.

Often seen with a narrow perspective and considered just an eLearning solution, Learning Management Systems has evolved into a distinct stream of business application and has assumed a role similar to that of ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems.

The Senior Vice-President, International Operations of SumTotal Systems, Mr Sudheer Koneru, told Business Line that LMS helped integrate various elements in a distributed environment and help take informed decisions be it for channel sales or other applications all aimed at better returns.

Mr Koneru, who handles the company's global operations out of London, said that the LMS space was fragmented with industry players addressing specific and wide range of products for different applications.

"But not all are able to address the diverse aspects of industry ranging from sales channel effectiveness to regulatory compliance. After the merger of Click2Learn with Docent, which have complementary products and services, we are in a position to provide solutions for the entire gamut of business applications for corporations," said Mr Koneru.

The LMS space is in demand in verticals such as banking and financial services, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and Government sectors and varies from country to country. However, the Government sector is in particular actively considering this solution in Europe to meet the European Union compliance requirements, Mr Koneru said.