Rogneda Kniazhina

Technical Writer

Technical writer with a natural ability to craft content that’s real and relatable. Rogneda has a passion for translating complex ideas into simple language and a keen eye for detail.

Tech

15 min

Custom LMS Development: How it Can Benefit Your Business

It has been over a decade since digital education platforms were first launched. The rapid development of technology along with the emerging demand for remote education has made the learning management systems’ popularity skyrocket. The main advantage of LMS solutions is that they provide an opportunity to learn anytime and anywhere. So it should come as no surprise that today eLearning is a convenient tool adopted by many organizations: from businesses to non-profit educational institutions. According to Talented Learning, companies prefer ‘agile business’ learning platforms. These LMS solutions are valued for their flexibility and ease of use: many of them have tool kits good enough to provide employees with advanced customizable LMS features, including custom reports (LMS reporting), gamification, social learning capabilities, LMS integrations, and more. However, as a business owner, you’re probably interested in the business side of things. And the question you might be asking yourself right now is: how can I benefit from applying custom learning systems? That’s exactly what we are going to discuss. As a successful LMS development company that cares about its customers, AnyforSoft wants you to learn more about custom LMS development and the value it can bring to your company. So let’s dive deep into it. Types Of Learning Management Systems Before we describe the benefits, we should mention that there are two types of LMSs: server-based solutions and cloud-based solutions. Before opting for custom LMS development services, it would be good to know how they differ. Let us briefly describe each type. 1. Server-Based LMS As the name implies, the server LMS is a system installed on the owner’s server. It interacts with users through the browser. This type of LMS is the very first: it was (and still is) used in universities and colleges. Also, this option is preferred by large corporations that require complete control over their system and care about data security. The main disadvantage of server-based systems is their cost: in order to make your solution stable and ensure that it can handle traffic load, you have to invest in an expensive server. 2. Cloud-Based LMS Cloud-based LMSs are the most widespread solutions for distance learning. Since they are simple and easy to use, many online education organizations and businesses are using them to facilitate the learning of their students/employees. The SaaS LMS is cheaper because you don’t need to buy and administer a server—online courses and learning programs will be stored in the cloud, and all you have to do is simply pay a monthly fee to a cloud service provider. As for the disadvantages, your cloud systems can be targeted by hackers so the data stored in the cloud may be compromised. Besides, if the cloud provider’s server is down, your LMS website/application will also be down. Custom or off-the-shelf solutions: which will fit you best? When choosing a training system for your organization, you will inevitably face a choice between a custom solution (customizable LMS) and a ready-made one. Both approaches have their pros and cons, so we should compare them to help you make the right decision. Off-the-shelf solutions The eLearning market offers many off-the-shelf solutions for various businesses: TalentLMS, Eduflow, iSpring Learn—these are examples of popular LMS solutions available to any business. Such software has multiple advantages: ready-made LMS tools are available right away—simply create your account, and you can use them; all updates, improvements, and maintenance are on the platform provider’s side—you don’t have to spend your money on that; the efficiency of a ready-made LMS software is already checked by other users: you can choose any system that has the functionality and features that meet your requirements; the LMS market offers a huge variety of tools developed for different business industries. Now let’s talk about the disadvantages of ready-made LMSs: the offered options for content or your learning space customization may not be enough (if such an option is offered at all); some of the functions that your employees or students need may not be available; with off-the-shelf solutions you have to pay even for the functions and features you don’t use; you can’t influence updates or changes in the work, interface, or options of the platform—you can only adapt to them; the more students/employees you invite to the platform, the more you will have to pay. Given the above, we can conclude that ready-made solutions will fit businesses that don’t have very specific needs and/or don’t have enough budget for the development of a custom learning management system. Learn more about custom vs off-the-shelf software in our recent blog post. Custom solutions Now let’s talk about custom LMS development. We believe it gives more space for imagination and room for customization. By applying a custom educational platform or management system, you get some extra capabilities and functionality: you get a fully configurable and customizable platform; you control updates and upgrades, choosing the time for them; you are not dependent on third-party providers; you pay only for the set of features you need; given that your LMS won’t have excessive functionality, it will perform faster than a ready-made instrument; no compromises are necessary. You get absolute freedom to create a product in full accordance with your business requirements and needs. However, building your own LMS has its drawbacks: customizable learning management system for online learning will cost more than a ready-made solution in the beginning, as it requires a large upfront investment; maintenance and troubleshooting are entirely your responsibility, which implies ongoing expenses; you may need third-party help to work with the LMS platform (creating guides, hiring and training people in charge); development time is quite long: since a custom LMS solution is complex, it may take at least 6 months to create.