Information security training provider gains competitive edge with multi-tenancy Totara Learn solution

Yellow Room Learning (YRL) delivers information security awareness training that empowers employees with the knowledge to recognise and prevent cyber-attacks. Starting-up in 2015, YRL has clients globally and needed a system that would make them stand out in the Security Awareness training market.

The Challenge

The company had previously experimented with Moodle but lacked the time and knowledge to customise it effectively. This led to the adoption of a basic multi-tenancy LMS that didn’t work well with mobile devices. With continuing growth, client demands and the need for a fully mobile-responsive platform, YRL needed a more customised solution that was unique to Yellow Room Learning.

While the primary objective was to have a unique, customised solution to deliver their training to smaller clients, YRL also needed to provide a separate instance of the LMS to their larger clients that needed a unique, personalised eLearning environment for their organisation. Additional requirements from these objectives were;

• Visually appealing and easy to use. The platform needed to be engaging and accessible to sell to prospective clients.
• Mobile responsive. Designing training solutions for mobile workforces meant YRL needed a platform that was mobile-friendly.
• Clear and tailored reporting for each manager. The solution needed to provide an effective reporting tool for different clients to easily track their team’s progress.
• Active Directory integration. Ease of access was integral to the project so YRL needed Active Directory integration to ensure a shared-login experience for its clients.

The Solution

YRL contacted HowToMoodle* and instantly liked the solution on offer. Commenting on the initial contact, Ben Hancock, Managing Director at Yellow Room Learning said “Although we were very pleased with Totara Learn and the features it provides, it was more than just the LMS itself that ‘sold it’ to us – the service that HowToMoodle offered was key – with a custom theme, admin support and the technical capabilities, all priced at the right level”.

On choosing Totara Learn and HowToMoodle, Yellow Room Learning’s site was launched within 6 weeks from the start of implementation.

Within this 6-week implementation period HowToMoodle worked with YRL to create their successful eLearning platform and reach their objectives. This consisted of providing a secure, managed hosting solution, administrator support, a fully customised theme (with a responsive element to work effectively on mobile and tablet devices) and expert site configuration.

“From the first contact with HowToMoodle, everything was straightforward. The design team listened carefully to our requirements and the look and feel that we wanted, and they came back with the design straight away. In fact, there were no revisions to it – it was spot on first time which was great. Implementation was really straightforward.”

HowToMoodle’s flexible configuration service was tailored to YRL’s requirements, with a blend of both site configuration and knowledge transfer. This enabled YRL to benefit from a soft multi-tenancy using Totara Learn’s Hierarchies and Audiences to create each client as a separate organisation, with access to their own training on the platform.

“The configuration day was a massive help because we got it to a state that we were happy with from day one. We didn’t have to spend a lot of time customising all of the features ourselves which was great.”

Consultative support continued after the site was live and an online workshop was held to assist YRL in configuring the platform to meet additional specific client needs.

“The workshop we took was also really useful. If you’re ever stuck, rather than spending hours trying to find the solution, for a small fee you can have a couple of hours of expert knowledge.”

The Results

Yellow Room Learning have been using Totara Learn for 12 months and have been extremely impressed with its capabilities when it comes to meeting their objectives. The team have found the solution to be easy to use, and it was a simple learning curve following their configuration workshops from HowToMoodle.

Ben comments on the system;

“It’s a very important tool for us – it fits in easily to ‘business as usual’. We simply couldn’t do what we are doing without it.”

While the company manages their own Totara Learn LMS for their smaller clients, they also use the system to support sales to larger clients.

As an example, a typical client using the platform for mandatory training for 4,000 users has been delighted with ease of use and strong reporting capabilities.

Additional Totara Learn and HowToMoodle service features that have helped YRL achieve their objectives include:

Client expansion/Supporting demonstrations to clients:

The creation of a fully customised theme has made the platform visually appealing and engaging to sell to prospective clients, while the responsive aspect heightens the platform appeal.

The use of a staging site included in HowToMoodle’s hosting service has allowed YRL to deliver effective sales demonstrations of Totara Learn to prospective clients.

Time savings through Active Directory integration:

A seamless link to Active Directory enables YRL clients to manage large numbers of learner accounts efficiently.

Improved user engagement:

YRL’s bespoke responsive theme makes a significant impact on the look of the site, ease of navigation and improved user engagement, allowing learners to instantly find the right level of courses.

In addition, the Program feature has been utilised so automatic notifications and reminders are sent to learners when a course is due to be completed, which has resulted in increased learner engagement levels for their mandatory courses.

Future goals

Yellow Room Learning have ambitious growth plans and are confident that Totara Learn is the perfect system to support their expansion.

The company will also be reviewing HowToMoodle’s eCommerce solution, PayForCourses, to further enhance their client offering.

The organisation also plans to develop an app for mobile use.

Reflecting on the past 12 months, Ben offers advice to similar organisations;

“Go for a custom theme – this sets you apart from your competitors. It’s also vital to take up the configuration training. Time and plan it well ahead so you know what you need to ask. You can speak to an existing client so you can find out what you need to know at the configuration session – ‘I didn’t know what I didn’t know’ before the configuration. I would also advise on being involved in the Totara community. The forums here are really useful in sharing ideas and problem solving.”

*HowtoMoodle rebranded as Hubken Group in 2019.