1. Learning: Re-Imagined Getting Learning to Your Learners with OLSA
Gary Hartman
Partner Alliances Manager

2. What LMS’s do our Customers Use?
TPLMS
About 70% of the Skillsoft clients use SkillPort, which is our LMS, to deliver training to their learners. That leaves 30% of our clients who use some other platform. Mostly a TPLMS (to us a “Third Party LMS”). A few clients are using a portal or some other platform as well.
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

3. Which TPLMS? Plateau Saba SumTotal © SkillSoft Corporation 2003
We have over 500 clients using an LMS other than SkillPort.
The Top six are listed here, but realize that “Other” includes more than 250 Customers, using about 125 different learning platforms. It was very important to SkillSoft to create a learning delivery platform that could support our customers desire to deliver training from various platforms.
Saba
SumTotal
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

4. Current Customer Challenges
Catalog Management
Finding Desired Assets
Player Technology Maintenance
Limited Access to certain SkillSoft Assets from within the LMS
Trouble-shooting issues with Content and Players
Maintaining the LMS as the System of Record while still enabling all SkillSoft entitled assets
Other Challenges?

5. Provide Support for other Platforms
Leverage SkillPort functionality
Simple integrations like seamless login from corporate intranets or portals
Basic integrations like pulling reports of user course scores into an HRIS system
Complex integrations where users can access content from multiple places and SkillPort provides backend LMS functionality
Provide support for a variety of customer needs

6. Open Learning Services
GOAL
Increase delivery options, lower costs and simplify deployment of integrated content and services for our customers
APROACH
Deliver content and integrated learning services through open, Web standards based, content services platform
LMS
Portals
Enterprise Apps
Open Learning Services
OLSA is an evolving standards-based architecture. We welcome input to help address some of the problems we are seeing!
Content
Content-Related Learning Services
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

7. Open Learning Services Architecture
SkillSoft
Open Learning Services Architecture
SkillSoft Hosting Services
SkillSoft Courses
Videos
Books
Custom Courses
SkillPort
OLSA
Learners
LMS or ?
Web Services API that simplifies access to SkillSoft content and content-related services hosted by SkillSoft
Targeted applications
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Talent Management Platforms
Portals
Other web-applications
A framework for delivering learning when and where it’s needed--to your LMS, enterprise portal or intranet
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

8. Delivering Content to Learners
SkillSoft Hosting Services
SkillSoft Courses
Videos
Books
CustomCourses
SkillPort
OLSA
Learners
LMS
or ?
SkillSoft Technology Infrastructure
Software as a Service (SaaS) delivering learning to over 10 million learners worldwide
99.97% Average Uptime for 2008
Custom Hosting Services
Easy-to-manage, searchable repository for ALL your learning content
Deployment Options
SkillPort: reliable, secure, scalable, proven
TPLMS: Use OLSA to deliver learning from another LMS
For IT:
Reduced resource burden
SkillSoft has a dedicated team of IT professionals overseeing the hosting operation, 24x7. Servers are located at a Tier 1 service provider with state-of-the-art equipment and high bandwidth connectivity.
Security.
Data is secured through a multi-vendor, multilayer system that affords the highest degree of protection against intrusion. Security of the hardware is ensured by multiple systems: 24x7 security guards, closed-circuit television monitoring, electronic key systems, fire detection and suppression systems, redundant climate control and more.
Reliability.
A highly redundant network infrastructure ensures that SkillSoft provides the highest levels of availability. Comprehensive monitoring ensures that SkillSoft’s Hosting Service is alerted at the earliest opportunity when service is affected.
Scalability.
SkillSoft services customers with hundreds of thousands of active users, and works with customers to ensure the best performance for any size audience.
Benefits of SkillSoft SaaS to Learning
The ability to create effective learning programs, quickly and easily, is greatly enhanced in the following ways:
Discovery.
Because all of the content is searchable using Search-and-Learn, it’s easy for users to find the most relevant resources for a given topic.
Blended Learning.
The creation of blended programs is easier, because all of the assets are in one place.
Integration.
Using OLSA, learning can be delivered into other LMSs or corporate portals, with a minimal amount of technical
Ease of Deployment.
SkillSoft has created automated tools to rapidly deploy content to the hosted environment in a secure manner, or the customer may also make use of SkillSoft experts to format content for deployment. Content can be deployed quickly in the customer’s environment, through our platform or using OLSA to deliver content into another LMS or portal.

9. What’s wrong with the old model?
Traditional Learning Landscape
Simple Content loaded into an LMS
But…
Content trends have added stress to the existing model
Accelerating content inventory growth
Increasing variety of content types
More dynamic, frequently changing content
Interdependent relationships among content objects and content–related services example: mentoring services
There are no standards for integrating today’s richer content into a TPLMS

10. OLSA for Hosting Content
Implementation
SkillSoft manages installation and maintenance of courses on OLSA Content Server
Customer loads AICC files for all assets
Users launch content from within the LMS
TPLMS
OLSA SERVER
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

11. Learning Administrator
OLSA Administrator
Learning Administrator
Perform Various Functions
Open Learning Services
TPLMS
Content
Content-Related Learning Services
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

12. Download Asset Metadata Perform Management Functions
OLSA Administrator
Download Asset Metadata
AICC, SCORM or CSV
Download Catalog
Hierarchies
Run Reports
Perform Management Functions

13. Download Asset Metadata
...call your AE

14. AICC Metadata

15. Course Catalog Hierarchy
A structured list of all entitled course assets and where they sit within the SkillSoft defined catalog
How might it be used?
Rebuild the hierarchy within a LMS
Post to an Excel File for Review

16. Catalog Hierarchy – HTML Format

17. Catalog Hierarchy – CSV Format – Detail

18. Run Reports – Asset Launch Report
Useful if in “Track to TPLMS” mode

19. Tracking Passive Objects
Job Aids, SkillBriefs, KnowledgeCenters, Learning Programs and Dialogue Sessions

20. OLSA Web Services API Standards-based Web Services, SCORM, AICC
Core services
Asset Integration
Catalog Synchronization
Search across all content and services
On-demand Communication
Tools to get started
Growing developer community
Online Knowledge Base
Code samples, documentation, etc.
Application Engineer Support
Goals
Simplify LMS integration
Reduce resources and time
Remove barriers to innovation
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

21. What can you do with OLSA?
Automate course loading
Automatically keep course entitlements up-to-date (OLSA Asset Integration)
Organize SkillSoft assets according to the SkillSoft defined curricula structure (OLSA Catalog Synch)
Integrate SkillSoft Search Capabilities Present a single view of ALL available resources within the LMS
Supports direct launch of topics, SkillBriefs, Job Aids, books, and videos (Leadership Development Channel) (OLSA Search)

22. What can you do with OLSA?
Provide direct access to additional assets from within the LMS
Books, SkillBriefs, Job Aids, Mentoring Services, etc. (OLSA Search)
Manipulate more SkillSoft assets within the LMS Catalog
Can add Books, Mentored Assets, etc. to a user’s Learning Plan (OLSA Search, then Asset Integration)
Support SkillSoft Advanced Content Structures
KnowledgeCenters, Learning Programs, Offline Play of Courses (OLSA On-demand Communication)
Support access to SkillSoft content from outside the LMS while still maintaining system of record for data (OLSA On-demand Communication)

23. SuccessFactors – OLSA One-Click Learning Asset Access
SuccessFactors and SkillPort secure, Single Sign-On capabilities give instant access to the SkillPort Home Page.
One-Click Learning Asset Access provides a seamless login to SkillPort from a tab in the Career Development Planning module. It’s a Single Sign-On implementation, so users will not need to log in separately to SkillPort.
(CLICK)
The user can simply click the “SkillPort” tab to seamlessly log in to SkillPort. And note that if you’ve renamed or re-branded your SkillPort site, you can easily change the name of this tab.

24. SuccessFactors – OLSA Interactive Knowledge Exploration
Secure “deep linking” from SuccessFactors to SkillSoft and Books24x7® content lets employees quickly preview manifests, launch assets, and add them to their development plan.
SuccessFactors also offers the ability for clients to easily add links to appropriate learning content while the user, or their manager, is setting development goals. After the goals are defined, the user can browse or search for learning activities that will help them reach their goals.
(CLICK)
These learning activities can be courses, job aids, SkillBriefs or Books assets that are available to the user in SkillPort.
In this screen you can see that the user can either (CLICK) launch the content from SkillPort, or (CLICK) quickly launch directly to the content.

25. SumTotal Federated Search
Search also uses OLSA Search
To find additional learning assets
Here’s an example of Federated Search in TotalLMS.
First, note that courses have been loaded into the LMS using Asset Integration.
When a learner searches for content within TotalLMS by entering a keyword in the search box, TotalLMS searches across all content assigned to the learner within the LMS, and, at the same time, a searches the OLSA Server to find other learning assets available to this learner.
From the search results screen, the learner has direct access to Job Aids, SkillBriefs, Books24x7 assets, and Leadership Development videos.
Search finds courses assigned to learner
Courses are loaded into SumTotal Using Asset Integration

26. OLSA Addresses Key Pain Points
Initial bulk load, periodic updating of LMS catalog
Launch & track any type of content: static, dynamic, or advanced
Backwards compatible to AICC and SCORM standards
Course Structure and Communication data model neutral
Allow for additional independent services
Address cross-domain problem. LMS does not need to be visible on public Internet.
Leverages Content-As-A-Service trend
Suitable security & authentication
Provide for better Customer Support

27. Momentum in the Industry

28. Key Points to remember!
Each client should have their own OLSA Content Server
All content is hosted by SkillSoft
Course Libraries are automatically updated
Players automatically updated
Results for courses launched from TPLMS can be directed to LMS or OLSA Server
Results for Advanced Learning Structures must return to OLSA Server

29. OLSA Refresher
...call your AE

30. Discussion Points during Planning
Course Launching - AICC, SCORM, Web Services, Search
Tracking - What is the system of record?
Reporting - In some circumstances, reporting from both OLSA & TPLMS may be required (KCs)
Development proficiency - OLSA = Web Services (.Net or Java)
© SkillSoft Corporation 2003

31. Plan, Execute and Deliver
Contact your SkillSoft Account Team Discuss what you want to do
Contact your LMS Vendor Ask them how they can help
Development Project ? Find internal or external resource
Create a Project Team You, SkillSoft, LMS Vendor
Plan / Execute / Deliver

32. Thank you
Questions & Discussion