Overcoming Tech Stack Fatigue In Software Training
It seems not so long ago that new technical innovations were heralded with great fanfare. The first-generation iPhone was a marvel, fundamentally changing the way we communicate and get things done. But now, we walk into an Apple store and are confronted with 16 different models, each with slightly different features and widely varying prices. It’s easy for your eyes to glaze over and be paralyzed with indecision from too many choices.
This phenomenon has found its way into the workplace. There has been an explosion in the number of cloud services and applications adopted, and tech stack fatigue has set in. According to research by Netskope, the typical enterprise human resource department alone now has 90 different cloud services, while financing/accounting has 60.
There are so many solutions in the average company today that it’s easy to be overwhelmed and confused. Let’s face it, haven’t we all experienced looking for a document but not remembering whether it was shared in Gmail, Slack, Trello, or any other of a dozen different solutions?
Overcoming The Software Training Tech Stack Epidemic
Tech stack fatigue is an increasing concern for corporate software training teams. Your company most likely uses multiple systems for training, including a standard Learning Management System (LMS), a separate solution for hands-on scenarios, possibly more for communicating, tracking and reporting purposes.
Software training teams can make the process more streamlined to fulfill their primary goal of improving performance. The key to simplifying the training stack is integrating separate elements of the learning environment for a consolidated solution that performs multiple functions.
There are a number of options for doing so, but one that holds promise—while adding a great deal more power to training itself—is virtual IT labs. And, these are also particularly effective for training partners, clients and users because they can simulate complex software products, networks and more.
Taking Your Software Training To The Cloud
Deploying a cloud-based virtual IT lab brings all the capabilities of discrete learning solutions into a single solution. Here are a few ways a virtual lab can contribute to a more streamlined training process.
- Reduces unused features
Deploying multiple solutions also comes with too many features that employees won’t use, increasing stack fatigue rather than productivity. A virtual IT lab with an integrated LMS focuses on the core functions users need most in their everyday responsibilities. - Improves engagement
Today’s workforce is increasingly made up of digital natives who have a different learning style from previous generations. Foremost, they desire hands-on experience with access from multiple locations. Virtual IT labs can be accessed through web portals anywhere with an internet connection, at any time. - Enables self-paced learning
One of the challenges of in-person training is that each learner moves at a different pace. Instructors have to slow down courses to avoid leaving anyone behind. Virtualized training, however, can be provided on-demand, allowing the user to work at their own pace to optimize results and improve retention. - Provides versatility
Virtual labs can be particularly useful for giving customers and partners real-world, hands-on experience with your solutions. It’s simple to create different resources and courses for different people, whether in your organization or outside of it. And, control of the instruction remains centralized. - Reduces costs
One of the most significant benefits of virtual IT labs is cost savings. On-site training for distributed organizations requires travel and time commitments that can impact productivity, in addition to other considerations such as space and equipment needs. Virtual IT labs can be accessed via a web portal anywhere in the world, eliminating travel while preserving the interactive relationship between learner and instructor.
Finding The Right Solution
Business owners are often forced to use tools that are not strategic in the long-term, settling for ones that will work with other items in their stack. Virtual IT labs are designed for long-term benefits, for instance, enhancing the stickiness of software training and learning retention via hands-on experiences. Plus, taking steps to deploy a functional, scalable solution that is actually used will reduce tech-tire.
As businesses seek out the right virtual IT lab partner, it’s important to understand what to look for. The right solution will minimize tech fatigue while providing the greatest degree of freedom for software training teams. Here are some important criteria to consider:
- Easy setup, reusable templates
Training teams shouldn’t have to rely on IT every time they want to deploy a course—creating environments should be fast and simple. Further, the ideal solution should use simple templates that are easily duplicated and modified. - Hands-on learning
One of the most important ways to ensure effective learning is deploying a solution that simulates a real-world user environment. An effective virtual IT lab will give users a consequence-free simulated experience that mirrors their everyday working environment and allows them to solve real on-the-job challenges. - Scalable and updateable
One of the main drivers in stack fatigue is the constant need to add new functionality and support more users as the company grows, which means purchasing more solutions. A virtual IT lab should help future-proof your training strategy with scalability and easy updates. - Easy transparency
With instructors and learners in different geographic locations, the ideal virtual IT lab will have robust visibility that gives instructors the ability to check in on each user to intervene and offer support when it’s needed most. - Advanced reporting abilities
Tracking the success of training is always a challenge. Separate solutions that require manual export and data compilation add time to the process and make it more challenging to share results with management. A virtual lab that can also report training program efficiency, costs, and more allows instructors to collect and share results more quickly.
Businesses today often rely on purchasing more software to meet growing productivity needs, resulting in too many tools, but with productivity lower than expected. Corporate software training departments can significantly reduce this stack fatigue by adding a virtual IT lab. The result is more engaged users and partners who continuously learn new skills, improve productivity, experience greater satisfaction and gain the ability to accomplish more.