Multi-Tenancy Moodle

Multi-tenancy or ‘corporate’ Moodle isn’t just for a bigger LMS – the devolved administration, course sharing features and advanced reporting functions make it a highly efficient way to organise access on a scalable, role/per-company basis no matter the size of your site. But how do you compare multi-tenancy software features?  Which one should you choose if you have a specific type or number of users you need to accommodate? Here’s how the various softwares stack up…

A subscription model charges for access based on how many people are using it, while open-source software can be downloaded and used for free. e-Learn Design uses a resource-based pricing model, so you only pay for your IOMAD hosting (if you want it) or IOMAD support (if you need it) – IOMAD itself is free.

Multi-tenancy software allows you to create multiple companies, providing a space where users and courses can be precisely assigned. Users from one company can’t see users from another, and additional devolved administration, course sharing, individual branding and company-specific capabilities are offered.

The licensing function is essentially a subscription model, but this time weighted in your favour. Within multi-tenancy software, it’s a way for you to sell courses to your clients – or control resources within your organisation – and is separate from the fee you pay for the software itself. Which, if it’s IOMAD, is nothing.

In terms of perception, consolidated branding is key. So, while user experience obviously needs all the bits behind the scenes to work properly, first impressions also count for a lot. From tenant-branded log-ons to customised menus, corporate Moodle allows you to individualise multiple virtual environments.

Moodle core already offers multiple enrolment options, but multi-tenancy Moodle gives you more. Organise and automate your courses to your exact specifications, including, but not limited to, certification/re-certification lifecycle management, competency-based enrolment and periodic activity release.

If you’re selling your courses to clients, you need an easy way to charge for them. Corporate Moodle lets you customise prices and products per tenant, creating a shopping cart consumer experience when purchasing access. Even better? It’s more flexible and pluggable than the standard Moodle methods.

Want to offload some of your administrative tasks? With multi-tenancy Moodle, you can fine-tune access in a tenant-specific, company and role-based way. Managers have full control over users, courses and programs, as well as being able to use the reporting functionalities in a hierarchical manner.

CPD training often uses hybrid models for delivery. So as well as access to online materials and courseware, corporate and workplace Moodle offers the ability to customise face-to-face or virtual online training events too. Decide what you want, when you want it, and manage attendees – from start to finish.

With corporate Moodle, multi-tenancy and hierarchical divisions are individually defined in each site, so the devolved administration functionality follows the same rules. Because of this, you can fine-tune access to report information so that only information appropriate to the assigned manager is visible.