It is not only numbers that speak the scale of SaaS adoption, this paradigm shift is enabled by numerous advantages that SaaS-based enterprise training and collaboration applications offer.

Why Use SaaS Applications in Enterprise Training?

• SaaS is available in multi-tenancy, single private cloud, or hybrid models. These choices give enterprise flexibility to experiments that are not easy cases for legacy enterprise application models. Enterprises can start with shared training services for a smaller group or division before moving on to a virtual private cloud for enterprise-wide adoption. This flexibility can empower enterprises to test business use cases with fewer risks and move on to complex training use cases to reap larger rewards.
• No Physical infrastructure: SaaS resides in the cloud giving an advantage of using applications on web browser. Training apps can be used from remote and have no need for server rooms, hardware, cooling equipment, etc. Scaling of training applications does not need weeks of planning, months of upgrades of physical infrastructure, and expensive finance.
• Pay-as-you-go: SaaS gives an advantage of scaling as pay-as-you-go along based on enterprise business requirements and budget availability. Any enterprise can start with a minimum budget and, as adoption grows, they can turn the throttle up to increase the number of users and data storage. The biggest cost saving comes from the elasticity of the user demands, scale up and down based on usage, which gives flexibility to enterprises to deploy the saved cash to be deployed for business purposes and be competitive in a dynamic business environment.
• Amplified security with levels of data protection and user control: SaaS data is stored in the cloud with access control to authorized personnel. It is quite helpful as cloud architecture enables the scaling of data storage easily. There is no movement of data in physical drives. The archiving and retrieval of data are seamless and available any the time. The system of time stamping and user linkage to modification of data, versioning, etc, helps to fix accountability in case of mishaps.

Benefits of SaaS enterprise application model

1. Low Initial Investment: There are very low upfront fees with no additional burden of hefty IT infrastructure.  The pay-as-you-go makes it easier to enter into a business relationship and invest in a SaaS plan when you expect quick business growth or try out an idea.
2. Lower cost of ownership: The primary reason for low cost is that the enterprise will not incur any investment cost in buying new IT hardware or training and hiring resources to maintain the expensive hardware locally. Thus, in the long run, the SaaS application proves to be much cheaper. The application license is applied to only users and there is minimum wastage of budget on unutilized assets or licenses.
3. Comprehensive Coverage: With SaaS, enterprises can efficiently perform business activities across multiple devices, from remote or premise, and at any given point in time. Moreover, SaaS has high uptime, and the only requirement is an internet connection and a web browser.
4. Less Headache for IT: The in-house IT team will save hours and budget expenses because of the on-the-cloud SaaS operating model. In addition, this takes regular maintenance fees, routine backup issues, updating schedules, etc., out of the picture. The SaaS application development services provider takes on the challenge of maintaining the hardware, avoiding the risk of downtime or system failures, training and recruiting the staff, etc. This leaves the enterprise IT team with enough time to focus on planning and budgeting the infrastructure of the core of their business. All one has to do is procure a good internet connection and install a standard web browser.
5. OTA Updates: In the SaaS model there is no need to install updates on an individual machine, the applications are always available to the latest version with the latest features.
6. Easy Integration: API-based integration of SaaS with legacy systems can bring data portability and workflow integration to the enterprise applications.

iQ3Connect XR SaaS training platform is today used by well-known brands. If you be interested to explore more about it, feel free to reach us.

People are the strength of an organization. Industrial enterprises spend a massive amount on employee training to stay competitive. The industrial workforce is still acknowledged as the most important resource of any engineering enterprise. This article will introduce the importance of upskilling the industrial workforce and highlight the challenges and expectations of a successful training process. That digital future has arrived but are your employees ready and able to embrace it? What are the key challenges in upskilling your Industrial workforce to effectively utilize these new tools?

Digitization will reshape the Industrial jobs skillset

Industry 4.0 is already set in motion on many industrial shop floors. This is driven by the need for productivity, cost efficiency, and globalization. The implementation of robotics and automated systems is currently taking shape in Giga factories. These implementations of new technologies require immediate retooling of the skill sets of your workforce. Does your company own an operational plan for implementing this upskilling process?  

A study conducted by Deloitte & the Manufacturing Institute estimated that the rate of unfilled jobs is set to reach 2 million from 2015–to 2025 due to skill gaps (Deloitte Study). Recent studies indicate the skills shortage will be on an even larger scale since the demand for workers trained to work alongside robots already exceeds the supply. And the situation can go from bad to worse owing to the lack of digital tools available to achieve the goals of reskilling or upskilling employees.

Hands-on training for upskilling the industrial workforce for the new-age industrial equipment

As the industrial workspace becomes increasingly digital, the skill profiles of the workforce are inconsistent across the organization. Today’s modern industrial organizations must interact with stakeholders across the globe. Corporate trainers have been handed the task of critical retraining the enterprise workforce across multiple locations rapidly at low cost. Operating such industrial equipment requires a solid knowledge base and hands-on skills. There is increasing demand for this kind of training using costly new equipment that typically must be taken offline for training purposes. As a result, content management platforms with training models, quick modes of communication, and collaboration tools should be the norm across the enterprise network. The lack of such tools can impact an organization severely resulting in failures to meet demand and unpredictable supply gaps in the workforce.

Workforce transformation imperatives for the digital age

The question is NOT whether to train or upskill but how to deliver training that is time efficient, cost effective, and consistently successful.  Careful analysis is necessary to assess the costs, objectives, and quality of any reskilling process. To what extent do your legacy training modules meet the demand of syncing new digital technology to your existing technology and processes. Can your existing workforce manage the learning curve that these new technologies require?  Can the company afford to take machinery off-line to be used as training tools?  Are there other ways to provide a thorough hands-on training experience that doesn’t use the production line?

What are some of the must-have features of the technology stack for upskilling the industrial workforce in this digital era?

1. Build a scalable interactive accessible training system
   1. Demand-based scaling up and down training network
   2. Enterprise-wide easy accessibility with access option from enterprise id
2. Content security
   1. Serve content from a centralized repository with no option to download
   2. Role-based content availability & management options
   3. Ease of use with flexible options for increased adoption
3. Integration option with the current enterprise technology stack
4. The technology stack should be low code or no code for quick implementation
5. Reuse, conversion of existing content, and ability to integrate with multiple formats.

What are the benefits of a re-skilled and smarter workforce for engineering enterprises?

• Enterprise can bridge the gap between demand and supply of trained workforce
• Increase the business responsiveness
• Reduced defects, less downtime, and increased worker satisfaction
• Reduced workforce hiring expenses
• Increased employee engagement
• Increased productivity and availability of training managers

How does one prepare to implement a digital 3D training studio?

1. Share your vision and reasons to implement the tech solution
2. Equip your training managers and give an organizational mandate
3. Implement a digital tool that doesn’t disrupt the existing way of working
4. Create a solution that aids the daily work routine and decreases the hassle.
5. Start in small pockets and drive the adoption slowly
6. Establish the metrics for success, reward the early success and efforts