Why your business needs an LMS for business in 2025 and when to build it yourself?
Jul 25, 2025・12 min read
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Your people are your company’s greatest asset — but they’re burning out, switching jobs, and struggling to keep up with change. Training manuals are outdated. In-person sessions can’t scale. And managers are overwhelmed trying to onboard, upskill, and retain teams in the middle of a talent crisis. That’s why more organizations are turning to Learning Management Systems (LMS) as a core part of their growth strategy.
Companies investing in LMS (Learning Management System) solutions often observe significant increases in employee productivity and improved retention rates. According to a report by Research and Markets, using LMS systems can increase productivity by as much as 200-250% and improve employee retention by 30-50%, thanks to better tailoring training to team needs and facilitating remote learning.
Organizations are seeking the best LMS systems to meet their unique needs, comparing features, usability, and overall value to ensure the chosen platform supports their training goals.
Now is the time to rethink how your company supports learning and development.
But not all LMS platforms are created equal. In this article, we’ll break down:
Companies face burnout, turnover, and outdated training methods. LMS helps scale learning efficiently.
Using an LMS can increase employee productivity by up to 250% and improve retention by 30–50%.
Corporate LMS platforms focus on job training, tracking, compliance, and integration with business tools.
Boxed LMS offers speed and ease, while custom solutions provide flexibility, control, and long-term value.
Extended LMS platforms train not just employees, but also partners, franchisees, and customers.
What is a corporate LMS?
A corporate Learning Management System is software that helps to deliver online courses and learning content to employees. It also helps to onboard new employees, provide them with the knowledge and skills required to perform their roles and help to progress in their careers faster.
As the name suggests, academic LMS is most useful in an academic setting involving teachers and students. A corporate LMS, on the other hand, is used by corporations for job training. Since academic LMSs are designed for educational institutions they are used to schedule around time intervals like quarters and semesters. They allow students to self-register for classes and facilitate student-teacher communication. Those LMSs tend to put more emphasis on extending the classroom experience into the online world to collaborate and discuss.
Corporate LMS will not have features that are unique to the academic setting nor its language will include terms like:
student,
teacher,
professor,
Corporate LMS includes features useful for job training, emphasizing delivering online courses and tools for designing and completing training process. It will also include features to assign training to different parts of the workplace like individual employees or departments.
Why do you need a corporate learning management system?
There are plenty of benefits of using an LMS for your corporate training and some of them are:
Money savings: Since there are no more travelling, booking accommodation and instructor costs you can save your company money
Freedom: The learning experience is no longer dependent on a classroom. Employees can take a course at their own pace, whenever and wherever they like
Location freedom: You can train your staff from various locations with no extra costs
Free the seniors: You can reduce the workload of senior employees thanks to cutting down face-to-face mentoring
Consistent training: An LMS enables consistent training across teams and locations, ensuring everyone receives the same quality of instruction.
Automate compliance training: Easily automate compliance training to ensure all employees complete mandatory courses efficiently and on time.
Monitor learner progress and track employee progress: LMS platforms help monitor learner progress and track employee progress over time, making it easier to identify skill gaps and measure training effectiveness.
Learning paths: Use learning paths to guide employees through structured and personalized training journeys for better engagement and skill development.
Keep track of progress: Thanks to LMS it is easier to keep track of who has completed a course and how well they are performing
Most businesses use horizontal learning solutions since they are designed to fit a wide range of industries and markets. These platforms are flexible software solutions that can be customized to meet the unique needs of different industries. Here, optimization is achieved by customization and scalability that companies perform on the software.
On the other hand, a vertical learning management system is industry-specific. Those systems are designed with a set of features that are particular to one industry, for example, the education sector. Vertical LMS systems are perfect for legacy companies like governmental organizations.
When selecting between horizontal and vertical LMSs, it is also important to consider the support services offered, as these can impact user experience and ongoing system management.
Extended LMS for enterprises
When discussing the topic of corporate LMS, or enterprise LMS, we should also mention extended enterprise LMS. An extended enterprise LMS is a training program targeted at non-employees like distribution partners, sales representatives, service technicians, franchisees and customers who use the business’ product and services. An extended enterprise LMS can reach multiple audiences through the same platform and give them specialized training experience. It gives an opportunity to make outside employees and customers familiar with your products.
Who uses and should use corporate LMSs?
Learning & Development (L&D) Departments
L&D teams use learning management systems to bring structure and efficiency to employee development.
In organizations where training happens across departments and locations, consistency is often hard to achieve.
LMSs provide a centralized platform where learning materials are organized, accessible, and aligned with company goals.
They enable L&D professionals to:
create guided learning paths for onboarding,
upskilling,
leadership training, or compliance.
Progress tracking,
Certification management and learner analytics help measure impact and identify skill gaps.
The LMS becomes a strategic tool for ensuring employees are continuously learning and contributing effectively to business performance.
Human Resources (HR) Departments & HRTech Providers
HR departments rely on LMSs to support and automate learning throughout the employee lifecycle. From preboarding to internal promotions, HR teams need scalable systems to deliver mandatory and developmental training.
An LMS ensures:
consistent onboarding,
assigns compliance modules, and supports initiatives like diversity training or role-based development.
It integrates with performance management systems to link training with career goals, and helps reduce risks by maintaining audit-ready compliance records. For HRTech vendors, LMS functionality is often embedded into broader talent management platforms to enhance employee experience and organizational readiness.
EdTech Companies and Educational Teams
For EdTech companies, LMSs are essential to delivering structured, scalable digital education. They serve:
as the core platform for hosting courses,
tracking learner activity,
issuing certificates, and providing personalized learning experiences.
EdTech providers use LMSs to power online academies, certification programs, and learning portals, often for both internal staff and external users. Educational teams within enterprises also apply LMS tools to train clients, partners, or resellers on new products, systems, or services. These platforms support continuous learning, help standardize knowledge transfer, and enable measurable educational outcomes.
Fintech Industry
Fintech is a $109.8 million market so it leverages technology to offer quick financial solutions. Employees have to be aligned with the most recent regulations. Making use of LMS ensures every person is quickly informed about law changes and the coordination of training is much easier.
Healthcare Industry
Healthcare is also making great use of learning management systems since providing training to millions of healthcare employees is a real challenge. LMS solutions are especially useful for always-busy health professionals, They are used to teach doctors and nurses new languages, protocols or provide cultural training remotely, easily and efficiently.
Want to create your own e-learning system?Fill out the form to get a quote.
7 Must-have advanced features of a good learning platform
A powerful training platform must manage complex workplaces, work teams and reporting demands. Let’s discuss some major feature of a corporate training LMS:
Content creation and customization: Your corporate training system must have the ability to create new content and customize the existing ones to fit them to the personal needs of learners. Models should also be available in multiple languages. The platform should support a variety of training types, including soft skills development, to ensure well-rounded employee growth.
Progress assessment: LMS should have tools to measure progress and comprehension through, for example, check-in quizzes, formal tests, interactive quizzes, or group assignments. Interactive quizzes are especially effective for engaging learners and assessing their understanding in real time.
Multiple media capabilities: The platform should provide flexibility with regards to the content. Businesses often incorporate learning materials like videos, text, photos or audio, so they must be able to link to external sources.
Successful implementation and integration with Corporate Systems: A good corporate LMS should seamlessly integrate with existing business systems such as HR management systems, CRM software, and workforce analytics platforms. This integration allows for streamlined data flow, simplifying user management, and aligning learning outcomes with business objectives..
User feedback: User feedback is a powerful tool to assess the effectiveness of training programs, provide insights on how to improve the content and its delivery. This creates a sense of being valued in employees.
Compliance and certification management: In many industries, keeping up with compliance and certification is a necessity. An LMS for corporate use should be equipped to manage and track certification renewals, compliance training, and mandatory assessments. This feature ensures that the organisation remains compliant with industry regulations and standards, and reduces the administrative burden of manually tracking these requirements.
Advanced reporting and analytics: For corporate training, it’s crucial to measure the effectiveness of learning programs. Advanced analytics capabilities in an LMS can provide insights into employee performance, training impact, and ROI. Detailed reports can help managers make informed decisions about future training needs and adjustments to existing programs.
Ongoing maintenance is essential to ensure your LMS remains effective and up-to-date. Budgeting for ongoing maintenance, including support, upgrades, and regular system upkeep, helps maintain functionality and adapt to evolving business needs.
By incorporating these advanced features, organizations can deliver business impact by improving training outcomes and overall organizational performance.
Buy vs. build a custom LMS? What’s better?
There are two ways to have a corporate LMS for your business: buy it or build it. LMS solutions can be purchased at a certain, usually recurring, cost. For example, Absorb LMS is a leading cloud-based platform that offers robust features such as content libraries, e-commerce, mobile access, and integrations with third-party tools. It is an instant solution. However, a custom-build solution will give you more flexibility and scalability. Regardless of the approach, it's crucial to develop a strong LMS business case to justify the investment and secure organizational approval.
Boxed LMS vs Custom LMS
Let’s take a look at the advantages of having a custom LMS. Also check what is better: Moodle vs Custom Software.
As stated above, a custom solution will allow you to have a simplified LMS with only the features that your business requires. It is a one-time investment so better long-term value. In the long run, a custom-made solution is cheaper than a ready-made one.
You have total control over the feature set and content. With a custom LMS, you can design unique training scenarios tailored to your organization's needs, enhancing learner engagement and simulating real-world situations for comprehensive skill development. No outside force will have an influence on your product. What is more, having a unique system means better security and lowers the chances of a possible cyber attack. No to mention that a custom LMS is a piece of intellectual property that increases the market worth of your business.
However, a custom LMS means higher upfront costs. It is a certain investment to develop a new product. You will also be lacking the community support you are getting with boxed systems. Going with boxed solutions means getting it instantly. The only thing you need to do is find the one that fits your company requirements and has a great reputation for its capabilities and support.
Need help with your custom project? Schedule a consultation with an Expert Team.
Our LMS business case studies for corporate business
1. Northpass - an innovative learning management system for online training
When Northpass (formerly SchoolKeep) approached us, they aimed to build a new category of Learning Management System — one that goes beyond internal training to support customers, contractors, and partners in a unified platform.
Challenge: Northpass needed a scalable, intuitive solution that could:
Create engaging contractor training experiences
Guide customers through product education at each lifecycle stage
Equip channel partners with performance-driving knowledge
Our Solution: We partnered with their product team to design and develop key LMS components:
Drag-and-drop course builder with rich media support
Centralized asset libraries for videos, documents, and SCORM files
Real-time learner analytics and reporting dashboards
Role-based access control and user management
Impact:
The platform now supports global teams at Airbnb, Uber, and Zendesk, enabling seamless, measurable training across industries.
2. Datagame - a flexible and adaptable platform that provides users with a gamified
When Datagame approached us, they had a clear vision: to reinvent the way researchers collect data by making surveys more engaging, interactive, and fun. Their goal was to build a flexible, cross-platform solution that could work both as a standalone experience and integrate with major survey platforms like Qualtrics or Alchemer.
Our Approach:
From the outset, we collaborated closely with the Datagame team to understand their product, user flow, and goals. We started by designing a scalable system architecture and conducting user-path research to define a seamless and intuitive experience.
Our UX/UI designers built a consistent design system, complete with style guides, typography, color palettes, and component libraries. This foundation ensured that the interface would be visually cohesive and adaptable across web and mobile devices.
On the development side, we implemented:
A web-based game configurator that allows researchers to create modules like Swiper, QuickRank, and Rankifier
Embedding support for external platforms
Exportable dashboards, public share links, and Excel-compatible outputs
We also made it easy to apply custom branding—fonts, colors, splash screens, and messaging—ensuring that every game or survey could feel like a natural extension of the client’s identity.
The Outcome:
The result is a modern, gamified survey platform that helps researchers capture better data while delivering a superior user experience. Thanks to our collaboration, Datagame now enables:
Faster setup and launch of survey-based games
Higher completion rates—up to 15–20% increases in some A/B tests
More accurate and reliable responses due to reduced respondent fatigue
For example, the Rankifier module replaces traditional ranking questions with a MaxDiff-style game using cards. Respondents enjoy the format more and are more likely to complete the experience without disengaging. In fact, users have described it as “fun,” “unique,” and “refreshing”—a far cry from how people usually feel about market research surveys.
Key Features We Delivered:
Modular game engine for Swiper, QuickRank, and Rankifier
Responsive, brandable UI for web and mobile
Dashboard with visual summaries and raw data export
Embedding tools for use with Qualtrics, Alchemer, and others
Custom theming for fonts, colors, and splash screens
What Made It Work
By blending strong UX design with robust technical development, we helped Datagame turn static survey interactions into dynamic, memorable experiences. We didn’t just build features—we built tools that make researchers’ work easier and more impactful.
Together, we created a platform that engages users, improves data quality, and helps companies make smarter, faster decisions.
3. Defined Careers - an e-learning platform dedicated to students and teachers
When Defined Learning approached us, they had a vision: creating an online learning platform that would enable students and teachers to connect classroom learning with real-world career readiness. The student website offers a portfolio of career-aligned courses, and the teacher portal supports teacher training and project-based learning tools.
The Challenge:
Defined Learning needed a robust e-learning solution that would:
engage students through career-focused project learning,
deliver assessments to help students uncover best-fit future paths,
support educators with content and tools tailored for classroom application.
It wasn’t enough to deliver content—they wanted to inspire critical thinking, self-discovery, and future readiness.
Our Approach:
From day one, we collaborated closely with the Defined Learning team to understand their educational objectives, user personas, and ideal user flows.
Our UX/UI team built a comprehensive design system and style guide, with consistent typography (#454C66, #6A6E7C), color palette (#06508F primary, #ED7700 secondary), and reusable components for web use.
On the technical side, we implemented:
a student-facing learning module with self-paced, project-based course content,
an assessment flow designed to guide students toward career-appropriate paths,
admin tools for educators and platform administrators to manage courses, users, and outcomes,
role-based access: student, teacher, and admin interfaces.
We used an iterative process—combining prototypes, feedback loops, and quality assurance—to ensure the platform was intuitive, responsive, and scalable.
The Outcome:
The result is a modern e-learning platform that helps students discover their professional interests while empowering educators to facilitate impactful lessons. Key outcomes include:
a polished learning environment where students navigate course modules and assessments tailored to their potential career interests,
tools for teachers to manage content, review student progress, and guide classroom collaboration,
a flexible architecture that supports future enhancements and integrations.
This platform is now actively helping students explore paths toward meaningful careers—and enabling educators to deliver future-ready lessons
Key Features We Delivered:
Career assessment and learning flow guiding students through personalized recommendations.
Role-specific dashboards for students, educators, and admins.
Full design system and style guide ensuring consistency and extensibility.
Responsive, scalable interface optimized for web delivery.
Backend architecture supporting secure user roles and course management.
What Made It Work:
By blending thoughtful UX design with reliable engineering, we transformed Defined Careers into more than just an e-learning platform—it became a tool for educational empowerment.
We didn’t just build features; we built a foundation for lifelong learning and career exploration that supports students, educators, and administrators alike.
Having a learning management system for your company is an amazing way to automate employee training, sharing online training materials, onboarding and simplify the training cycle. An LMS enables organizations to deliver comprehensive training programs and ensure consistent training across all teams, supporting scalable and effective employee development.
The concept of LMS is widely adopted by large enterprises where it helps the resellers, franchises and sales channels to stay up to date about new updates on product release, compliance requirements and more. By using LMS companies save on training costs and empower their people to grow and adapt to the constantly changing market.
faq
A corporate Learning Management System (LMS) is a software platform used by organizations to manage, deliver, and track employee training and development programs from a centralized hub. It organizes courses, resources, and reporting tools to oversee compliance, onboarding, and professional growth training efficiently. Corporate LMS platforms are tailored for large businesses, offering features like customizable learning paths, analytics, integration with HR and other systems, and mobile accessibility to support scalable and flexible training. These systems replace traditional in-person training with virtual learning that fits employee schedules and supports continuous skill development.
Building your own LMS makes sense when:
Customization is key: You need features, workflows, or branding that off-the-shelf tools don’t offer.
Scalability matters: You expect growth and want to avoid per-user fees or feature limits.
Security and control are priorities: You want full ownership of content, data, and infrastructure.
Integration is critical: You need tight connections with your existing tools (HR, CRM, comms).
Learning is strategic: You see training as a competitive advantage and want a system that evolves with you.
It’s ideal for businesses with unique processes, high compliance needs, or long-term L&D goals.
Self-Hosted LMS:
Installed on your own servers (or private cloud).
Full control over data, customization, and security.
Requires in-house IT resources for maintenance, updates, and hosting.
One-time or open-source licensing costs (but higher setup and support needs).
SaaS LMS (Software as a Service):
Hosted by the provider, accessed via browser.
Quick to set up, with regular updates and support included.
Limited customization; you're tied to the vendor’s roadmap.
Subscription-based pricing, often per user/month.
Choose self-hosted if you need control, compliance, or deep customization. Choose SaaS if you want speed, simplicity, and low-maintenance setup.
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