# The Costs Associated with an Open Source LMS

- Link: https://www.jlm.ec/learning-management-system-news/
- Published: 2017-07-08T12:15:50-05:00
- Author: Juan Lasso

The iceberg analogy is one we use often when discussing implementations. Buyers 
spend a great deal of time looking for the LMS features that they want, but rarely
stop to think about the aspects under the surface – like training, or support. These“
hidden” aspects are important to consider, and to know upfront when assessing a 
potential LMS, because they give you an understanding of where your money is going.

## ![Screen Shot 2016-12-30 at 11.35.56 AM.png](http://blog.lambdasolutions.net/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202016-12-30%20at%2011.35.56%20AM.png?t=1499382313479&width=472&name=Screen%20Shot%202016-12-30%20at%2011.35.56%20AM.png "Screen Shot 2016-12-30 at 11.35.56 AM.png")

## Services

**LMS Support**

The first service to consider is Support. Learning management systems are sophisticated
applications that tie into your internal systems and are used in extensive ways.
With so many features and moving parts, it can be daunting to be thrown into your
LMS with no manual, so having a dedicated training team to guide you through the
system, through setup and deployment, and even mapping your requirements into the
system, will be crucial to your LMS success.

**LMS Training**

Training is typically divided into a few distinct sections. You can usually break
it down into the administrative roles – how you’re getting learners into the system,
how you’re enrolling them in courses, how you’re building the content and administrating
it. There will be distinct categories for training (and you might even have different
audiences for each session), with different ways to target each category. Make sure
you select a vendor who can meet your requirements and guide you through the onboarding
process, and get you properly familiarized with the system.

**Setup & Configuration**

While training is focussed on learning the operation (how the LMS works), Setup 
and Configuration is much more nuanced – it is about working with the vendor to 
understand how your system operates in the ecosystem of your organization – i.e.
where it fits in, how it’s going to interact with other systems you’re using, and
how you’re expecting the system to notify users. This process can pull in a number
of different elements, such as reporting or enrollments, and will, overall, be much
more focussed than just the training. It is something that is going to be unique
to your organization, so having someone to help you work through those scenarios,
help you see vision in your LMS, and build that into your system is going to make
your deployment process simpler and easier.

**Ongoing Support**

The final part of services, is Ongoing Support. This can be training, it can go 
back to the setup and configuration phase, but it will also be making sure your 
system is performing to 100% of its ability, making sure it’s available to all your
users, and ensuring you have ongoing support throughout your LMS process, as you
need it. Depending on the vendor you have chosen, your access to ongoing support
will vary. Some vendors provide support time that you buy in batches, some bundle
unlimited training into your hosting package, and some offer different tiers of 
support.

## Extended Features

Extended features are what your system has to offer outside of its base functions.
This can mean bringing in features that compliment the LMS system, that add different
workflows to how it all operates, and that extracts the best functionalities available.

**LMSReporting**

One of the core extended features, is Reporting. The LMS generates a lot of data,
and is designed to store and hold a lot of user information, so having an effective
way to access your data is beneficial – either out-of-the-box, or through customization.
All LMS applications have some sort of reporting functionality that can show data
around grade or completion information – you just need to know whether the built-
in features are enough to meet your requirements. If you’re needing to show specific
data such as completions and statuses, or demonstrate wider usage metrics, it’s 
good to identify right away whether your application can do this, either through
native functionality or built-in features. Making sure you have the reports you 
need is important, especially when justifying the LMS in your organization, and 
the costs associated with it.

**LMS Theming**

Your LMS is a reflection of your organization and brand, so you want it to look 
good. It’s not realistic to think of your LMS as isolated from your system and site,
so having it logically and aesthetically tied into your organization is going to
be important. Your system has different styling options, whether these are customizable,
or out-of-the-box. This is where open source solutions are beneficial – they allow
you to tailor your system to your needs.

Extended features come up a lot, and they can often make or break a decision. These
are just a few extended features that work around the outside of your LMS. Maybe
you need to deliver webinars, or sell your courses through a LMS shopping cart. 
Find out what features are most important to you, so you can find a LMS that provides
all of your requirements. These might be available out of the box, or it might be
available through plugins and integrations. When it comes to open source, there 
are so many options available that allow access to all these features.

_Stay tuned for Part Two of this blog post! If you’re in the process of looking 
for a LMS, and want to know more about features and functionality, register for 
our upcoming webinar – Costs Associated with Buying an LMS._

**FUENTE**: http://blog.lambdasolutions.net/the-costs-associated-with-an-open-source-
lms-1