Executive Summary

Learning Content Solutions

Over the last several years, the learning technology industry has experienced a remarkable evolution, gaining speed because of employer expectations, worker demands and an elevated focus being placed on ongoing development. As organizations recognize the critical role of continuous learning in driving productivity and employee engagement, the market has responded with a diverse array of solutions. To fully support the demands of employee, customer and partner learning and development needs, multiple solutions are often needed. The software available to businesses to support learning and development strategies have multiplied exponentially. From Learning Management Systems (LMS) to Learning Experience Platforms (LXP), from Learning Content Providers (LCP) and Extended Enterprise (EXE) learning technology, the options are numerous and can be overwhelming.

Learning Content Providers (LCPs) are specialized organizations dedicated to creating, curating and delivering training materials for diverse learning needs across industries and functional domains. These providers offer a wide range of content formats, including courses, modules, videos, simulations, assessments and interactive tools, covering various subjects and skill levels. LCPs traditionally leverage experts, instructional designers and media specialists to develop engaging and effective learning resources designed to be consumed off-the-shelf. By partnering with LCPs, organizations gain access to a vast library of ready-made or customizable learning materials, enabling them to quickly address their training requirements and support continuous learning and development needs for the business. Many LCPs integrate with LMS and LXP offerings to enable access for consumption at the primary point of learner engagement, creating a seamless experience.

Learners today are no longer satisfied with static content or one-size-fits-all approaches. They seek personalized experiences similar to their interactions with technology in their personal life like those with streaming services or social media platforms. Whether it is Gen Z digital natives or digital immigrants made up of prior generations, learners want flexibility, relevance and engaging content. The traditional LMS no longer suffices as a singular learning software component. Learners desire a more intuitive and dynamic learning environment designed to create personalized experiences at scale. Learning paths must adapt to individual preferences, allowing learners to explore topics of interest. The LMS is a critical resource for any organization concerned with productivity, organizational agility and operational excellence. These technologies enable organizations to demonstrate an investment in people, as the LMS not only facilitates regulatory and legal compliance and other forms of cost and risk avoidance but also improves internal mobility, career growth and the employee experience, leading to improved productivity, engagement and retention.

As learner expectations and demands change, so must the supporting software. Imagine an LMS that knows your learning style—like a friendly guide who tailors the journey just for you. It recommends relevant courses, tracks progress and nudges you when it is time to level up. And when you are curious about a new skill, it opens a hidden door to a treasure trove of microlearning modules. Learners today want this magical blend of personalization and convenience.

Organizations have shifted their perspective on learning. It is no longer seen as a cost center, but as a driver of business success. CEOs are now measuring the return on investment (ROI) in terms of employee engagement, productivity and retention. LXPs have gained prominence since they prioritize the learner experience, curating content and fostering social learning. These platforms are masters at making learners feel seen, creating personalized playlists for each learner. They recommend articles, videos and podcasts, ensuring that learning feels less like a chore and more like a delightful exploration. This category focuses on delivering personalized, learner-driven and immersive learning experiences to keep the workforce engaged and productive. This represents a major attitudinal shift in the enterprise learning domain, away from what the organization requires of the individual and toward a more mutually beneficial arrangement that reflects the interests of both the employer and the employee, as well as what each expects from the other.

But it is not just about internal employees anymore. The extended enterprise learning market has experienced somewhat of a renaissance. Extended enterprise learning solutions act as bridges, connecting organizations more closely with their partners, customers and contractors. They allow customization for different audiences—channel partners learn about the latest widgets, franchisees master secret sauce recipes and contractors quickly align to new safety protocols. The path to value lies in consistent training across the entire ecosystem.

The role of the learning and development teams has also evolved as the technology advances and more options are available. Due to the continued expansion of the learning content market, learning teams can deliver more high-quality content for ongoing employee development through the use of 3rd party content libraries. This shift enables teams to comply with the legacy approach of “do more with less” that often befalls the learning function. Numerous content providers and content aggregators have solidified their position as the extension of the learning teams, which makes it more possible for learning to find its new place as a strategic partner with the business, not just the training creation and delivery engine.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the learning landscape even further. AI-powered LXPs recommend personalized content, adapt difficulty levels and provide instant answers through chatbots. Predictive analytics help identify high-potential learners and tailor interventions. AI is not just about efficiency; it is about creating engaging and enriching learning experiences. As organizations adapt to remote work, hybrid models and gig economy dynamics, AI remains a strategic ally. AI has changed the discussion around employee learning and development. It is not just about ticking boxes; it is about empowering individuals to thrive in an evolving world.

As in years past, the LMS still provides easy access to a wide selection of job skill training programs, certifications, and compliance-related written content and assessment. Beyond compliance, many organizations have placed new emphasis on learning, based on a combination of business requirements and workers’ desired career paths, focusing on identifying and closing skills gaps required for career development in alignment with future business needs. Many organizations have abandoned traditional, classroom-style learning in favor of asynchronous, self-paced e-learning. In addition, organizations are increasingly emphasizing learning the way it is actually achieved within business enterprises—informally, socially and within the flow of work. To engage learners more effectively and ensure they retain new information, organizations are embedding social collaboration, knowledge sharing and gamification directly within the tools workers already access regularly, so that learning becomes a cultural norm rather than a separate destination.

Technology providers have made significant advances in how organizations create, curate and deliver content, and AI/ML capabilities have revolutionized how and where content is recommended to the learners consuming it. As a result, organizations can optimize learning outcomes, tie those outcomes to productivity and maximize ROI.

We believe that over the next few years, as capabilities like AI-supported learning coaches, adaptive recommendation engines and embedded social collaboration tools become a requirement, vendors will invest in a variety of product capability advances. These include more user-friendly authoring tools so organizations can create new learning assets from existing ones, as well as adaptive learning. In this learning model, the platform gauges a learner’s mastery of the subject and adapts learning delivery to more efficiently help the learner achieve proficiency or a personal goal. Finally, we expect to see more simulations and other instruments that provide evidence of competency and understanding.

Our continuous research and analysis of the market for business applications and technologies guide our comprehensive approach to this Value Index. For two decades, Ventana Research has conducted market research in learning management as well as HCM disciplines including candidate engagement, continuous payroll, the employee experience, total compensation management and workforce management.

This Learning Content Solutions Buyers Guide evaluates products based on skills, content authoring and curation, types of learning supported, social learning, business process integration, integration with enterprise platforms/tools, mobile support, content libraries, user roles and permissions, learning measurement and reporting, learner-related capabilities, and manager-related capabilities. Enterprise learning strategies are supported by a complex mixture of human and digital resources. To keep up with the speed of change in business and employee needs, learning content solutions become a critical part of today’s modern learning. Leveraging content as a service to supplement your people development team affords the ability to keep pace with learner needs by focusing your learning design and development on content areas unique to your business and organizational culture.

This research evaluates the following software providers that offer products that address key elements of learning content solutions as we define it: BizLibrary, Cornerstone, Coursera, ELB Learning, LinkedIn Learning, OpenSesame, Pluralsight, Skillsoft and Udemy.

Buyers Guide Overview

For over two decades, Ventana Research has conducted market research in a spectrum of areas across business applications, tools and technologies. We have designed the Buyers Guide to provide a balanced perspective of software providers and products that is rooted in an understanding of the business requirements in any enterprise. Utilization of our research methodology and decades of experience enables our Buyers Guide to be an effective method to assess and select software providers and products. The findings of this research undertaking contribute to our comprehensive approach to rating software providers in a manner that is based on the assessments completed by an enterprise.

This Ventana Research Buyers Guide: Learning Content Solutions is the distillation of over a year of market and product research efforts. It is an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings address enterprises’ requirements for learning content solutions software. The index is structured to support a request for information (RFI) that could be used in the request for proposal (RFP) process by incorporating all criteria needed to evaluate, select, utilize and maintain relationships with software providers. An effective product and customer experience with a provider can ensure the best long-term relationship and value achieved from a resource and financial investment.

In this Buyers Guide, Ventana Research evaluates the software in seven key categories that are weighted to reflect buyers’ needs based on our expertise and research. Five are product-experience related: Adaptability, Capability, Manageability, Reliability, and Usability. In addition, we consider two customer-experience categories: Validation, and Total Cost of Ownership/Return on Investment (TCO/ROI). To assess functionality, one of the components of Capability, we applied the Ventana Research Value Index methodology and blueprint, which links the personas and processes for learning content solutions to an enterprise’s requirements.

The structure of the research reflects our understanding that the effective evaluation of software providers and products involves far more than just examining product features, potential revenue or customers generated from a provider’s marketing and sales efforts. We believe it is important to take a comprehensive, research-based approach, since making the wrong choice of learning content solutions technology can raise the total cost of ownership, lower the return on investment and hamper an enterprise’s ability to reach its full performance potential. In addition, this approach can reduce the project’s development and deployment time and eliminate the risk of relying on a short list of software providers that does not represent a best fit for your enterprise.

Ventana Research believes that an objective review of software providers and products is a critical business strategy for the adoption and implementation of learning content solutions software and applications. An enterprise’s review should include a thorough analysis of both what is possible and what is relevant. We urge enterprises to do a thorough job of evaluating learning content solutions systems and tools and offer this Buyers Guide as both the results of our in-depth analysis of these providers and as an evaluation methodology.

How To Use This Buyers Guide

Evaluating Software Providers: The Process

We recommend using the Buyers Guide to assess and evaluate new or existing software providers for your enterprise. The market research can be used as an evaluation framework to establish a formal request for information from providers on products and customer experience and will shorten the cycle time when creating an RFI. The steps listed below provide a process that can facilitate best possible outcomes.

1. Define the business case and goals.
   Define the mission and business case for investment and the expected outcomes from your organizational and technology efforts. 
2. Specify the business needs.
   Defining the business requirements helps identify what specific capabilities are required with respect to people, processes, information and technology.
3. Assess the required roles and responsibilities.
Identify the individuals required for success at every level of the organization from executives to front line workers and determine the needs of each. 
4. Outline the project’s critical path.
What needs to be done, in what order and who will do it? This outline should make clear the prior dependencies at each step of the project plan. 
5. Ascertain the technology approach.
Determine the business and technology approach that most closely aligns to your organization’s requirements. 
6. Establish technology vendor evaluation criteria.
Utilize the product experience: Adaptability, Capability, Manageability, Reliability and Usability, and the customer experience in TCO/ROI and Validation. 
7. Evaluate and select the technology properly.
Weight the categories in the technology evaluation criteria to reflect your organization’s priorities to determine the short list of vendors and products.
8. Establish the business initiative team to start the project.
Identify who will lead the project and the members of the team needed to plan and execute it with timelines, priorities and resources. 
   
   

The Findings

All of the products we evaluated are feature-rich, but not all the capabilities offered by a software provider are equally valuable to types of workers or support everything needed to manage products on a continuous basis. Moreover, the existence of too many capabilities may be a negative factor for an enterprise if it introduces unnecessary complexity. Nonetheless, you may decide that a larger number of features in the product is a plus, especially if some of them match your enterprise’s established practices or support an initiative that is driving the purchase of new software.

Factors beyond features and functions or software provider assessments may become a deciding factor. For example, an enterprise may face budget constraints such that the TCO evaluation can tip the balance to one provider or another. This is where the Value Index methodology and the appropriate category weighting can be applied to determine the best fit of software providers and products to your specific needs.

Overall Scoring of Software Providers Across Categories

The research finds Udemy atop the list, followed by Cornerstone and ELB Learning. Companies that place in the top three of a category earn the designation of Leader. Udemy has done so in seven of the seven categories; Cornerstone and LinkedIn Learning in three; ELB Learning and OpenSesame in two; and Skillsoft, BizLibrary and Pluralsight in one category.

The overall representation of the research below places the rating of the Product Experience and Customer Experience on the x and y axes, respectively, to provide a visual representation and classification of the software providers. Those providers whose Product Experience have a higher weighted performance to the axis in aggregate of the five product categories place farther to the right, while the performance and weighting for the two Customer Experience categories determines placement on the vertical axis. In short, software providers that place closer to the upper-right on this chart performed better than those closer to the lower-left.

The research places software providers into one of four overall categories: Assurance, Exemplary, Merit or Innovative. This representation classifies providers’ overall weighted performance.

Exemplary: The categorization and placement of software providers in Exemplary (upper right) represent those that performed the best in meeting the overall Product and Customer Experience requirements. The providers rated Exemplary are: Cornerstone, ELB Learning and Udemy.

Innovative: The categorization and placement of software providers in Innovative (lower right) represent those that performed the best in meeting the overall Product Experience requirements but did not achieve the highest levels of requirements in Customer Experience. The providers rated Innovative are: OpenSesame and Skillsoft.

Assurance: The categorization and placement of software providers in Assurance (upper left) represent those that achieved the highest levels in the overall Customer Experience requirements but did not achieve the highest levels of Product Experience. The providers rated Assurance are: LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight.

Merit: The categorization of software providers in Merit (lower left) represents those that did not exceed the median of performance in Customer or Product Experience or surpass the threshold for the other three categories. The providers rated Merit are: Coursera and BizLibrary.

We warn that close provider placement proximity should not be taken to imply that the packages evaluated are functionally identical or equally well suited for use by every enterprise or for a specific process. Although there is a high degree of commonality in how enterprises handle learning content solutions, there are many idiosyncrasies and differences in how they do these functions that can make one software provider’s offering a better fit than another’s for a particular enterprise’s needs.

We advise enterprises to assess and evaluate software providers based on organizational requirements and use this research as a supplement to internal evaluation of a provider and products.

Product Experience

The process of researching products to address an enterprise’s needs should be comprehensive. Our Value Index methodology examines Product Experience and how it aligns with an enterprise’s life cycle of onboarding, configuration, operations, usage and maintenance. Too often, software providers are not evaluated for the entirety of the product; instead, they are evaluated on market execution and vision of the future, which are flawed since they do not represent an enterprise’s requirements but how the provider operates. As more software providers orient to a complete product experience, evaluations will be more robust.

The research results in Product Experience are ranked at 80%, or four-fifths, of the overall rating using the specific underlying weighted category performance. Importance was placed on the categories as follows: Usability (10%), Capability (35%), Reliability (10%), Adaptability (15%) and Manageability (10%). This weighting impacted the resulting overall ratings in this research. Udemy, Cornerstone and ELB Learning were designated Product Experience Leaders.

Many enterprises will only evaluate capabilities for workers in IT or administration, but the research identified the criticality of Usability (10% weighting) across a broader set of usage personas that should participate in learning content solutions.

Customer Experience

The importance of a customer relationship with a software provider is essential to the actual success of the products and technology. The advancement of the Customer Experience and the entire life cycle an enterprise has with its software provider is critical for ensuring satisfaction in working with that provider. Technology providers that have chief customer officers are more likely to have greater investments in the customer relationship and focus more on their success. These leaders also need to take responsibility for ensuring this commitment is made abundantly clear on the website and in the buying process and customer journey.

The research results in Customer Experience are ranked at 20%, or one-fifth, using the specific underlying weighted category performance as it relates to the framework of commitment and value to the software provider-customer relationship. The two evaluation categories are Validation (10%) and TCO/ROI (10%), which are weighted to represent their importance to the overall research.

The software providers that evaluated the highest overall in the aggregated and weighted Customer Experience categories are Cornerstone, Udemy and LinkedIn Learning. These category leaders best communicate commitment and dedication to customer needs. While not Leaders, ELB Learning, Pluralsight, and OpenSesame were also found to meet a broad range of enterprise learning content solutions requirements.

Many software providers we evaluated have sufficient information about the customer experience available through the website and presentations. While several have customer case studies to promote success, some lack depth in articulating the commitment to customer experience and an enterprise’s learning content solutions journey. As the commitment to a software provider is a continuous investment, the importance of supporting customer experience in a holistic evaluation should be included and not underestimated.

Appendix: Software Provider Inclusion

For inclusion in the Ventana Research Learning Content Solutions Buyers Guide for 2024, a software provider must be in good standing financially and ethically, have at least $10 million in annual or projected revenue verified using independent sources and have at least 100 customers. The principal source of the relevant business unit’s revenue must be software-related, and there must have been at least one major software release in the last 18 months. The product must provide learner-specific, analytics and administrative capabilities or support in standalone form or as part of a suite of applications.

The research is designed to be independent of the specifics of software provider packaging and pricing. To represent the real-world environment in which businesses operate, we include providers that offer suites or packages of products that may include relevant individual modules or applications. If a software provider is actively marketing, selling and developing a product for the general market and it is reflected on the provider’s website that the product is within the scope of the research, that provider is automatically evaluated for inclusion. We have adopted this approach because we view it as our responsibility to assess all relevant vendors, whether or not they choose to participate.

All software providers that offer relevant learning content solutions products and meet the inclusion requirements were invited to participate in the evaluation process at no cost to them.

Software providers that meet our inclusion criteria but did not completely participate in our Buyers Guide were assessed solely on publicly available information. As this could have a significant impact on classification and ratings, we recommend additional scrutiny when evaluating those providers.

Products Evaluated

Providers of Promise

We did not include software providers that, as a result of our research and analysis, did not satisfy the criteria for inclusion in this Buyers Guide. These are listed below as “Providers of Promise.”