Ventana Research Analyst Perspectives

Here are some insights on Skillsoft drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides a balanced perspective of Learning Management Systems (LMS) vendors and products that’s rooted in an understanding of business drivers and needs. Our continuous research and analysis of the market for business applications and technologies guide our comprehensive approach to this Value Index on Learning Management Systems 2020. Organizations can use it to evaluate existing suppliers and potential new technology partners; applying it can shorten the cycle time for an RFP. This approach not only reduces cost and time but also minimizes the risk of making a decision that is bad for the business. Using the Value Index will enable your organization to achieve the levels of efficiency and effectiveness needed to optimize learning management.

We evaluated Skillsoft and 11 other vendors in seven categories, five product-related (adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two concerning the vendor (TCO/ROI and vendor validation). To arrive at the Value Index rating for a given vendor, we weighted each of the seven categories to reflect its relative importance in an RFP process, with the weightings based on data derived from our benchmark research on LMS.

Skillsoft ranks eighth in this Value Index on LMS and is a Value Index leader (top three) in TCO/ROI and Validation categories as well as our aggregated Customer Assurance category. The vendor markets its product Percipio as a learning management system, but the offering is a learning content provider used in conjunction with other LMS platforms.

Percipio excels in TCO/ROI and Validation due to customer references that are stellar in both quantity and quality, superior business case and ROI tool support and compelling case studies for customers and prospects. The vendor demonstrates impressive market momentum.

Skillsoft’s lowest scores are in the Capability category. Perhaps owing to its focus on providing content, the product lacks an AI-powered recommendations engine. It also offers limited adaptive and observational learning capabilities. Performance would improve with better social collaboration and career management functionality.

This research-based index is the most comprehensive assessment of the value of learning management systems (LMS) software in the industry. You can learn more about our Value Index as an effective vendor selection and RFI/RFP tool here and participating vendors can learn more about how to use the Value Index here.