THINQ and OutStart Integrate Solutions to Offer the Industry's Most Comprehensive Learning Platform

Business Wire, Sept 24, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

BILLERICA, Mass. & NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2001

New platform combines enterprise-scale management of learners,

courses and resources with modular learning object development and

'just-for-me' delivery

THINQ Learning Solutions and OutStart today announced the companies will deeply integrate THINQ's enterprise learning management system, THINQ TrainingServer(R) Learning Management System (LMS), and OutStart's fully functional learning content management system (LCMS), Evolution(TM), to yield the industry's most advanced e-learning platform. The combination of these two leading learning solutions will provide an unsurpassed learning foundation, capable of creating, managing and delivering reliable prescriptive and adaptive e-learning based on detailed learner profiles across multiple platforms.

Available in the fourth quarter of 2001, the integrated platform will allow customers to convert existing proprietary, instructor-led training into dynamic online learning that can be repurposed quickly and effectively. THINQ customers will also be able to create and deliver courses as sets of reusable content chunks called "learning objects" directly to individual learners just when they need them. With the addition of Evolution's capabilities, the combined system also provides a powerful learning object repository to manage content and foster collaborative authoring.

This integrated solution - to be sold and supported by a single organization, THINQ - makes large-scale corporate learning more cost-effective and accelerates customer progress toward their most important business objectives. Both companies' products are engineered to the AICC standard for content-LMS interoperability, simplifying the integration and supporting existing customer investments in content and vendor relationships.

Through the combined platform, OutStart customers gain access to detailed learner information captured by the THINQ TrainingServer LMS to more precisely customize learning for each learner. Content developers will then know enough about learners - including their specific and collective profiles and preferences - to develop highly tailored courses for individuals and the organization. With added LMS functionality, OutStart customers will also be able to manage learning that takes place in classrooms and through other offline media.

"To maximize the value of proprietary content, an increasing number of companies are trying to transform existing courses into a reusable, online format," said Cushing Anderson, IDC's e-learning services research manager. "Companies seeking to maximize value demand deep integration with their existing learning processes and flexibility to pursue the most appropriate alternatives. Finding that balance can be painful. The THINQ/OutStart partnership will provide their customers with the benefits of an integrated offering along with the advantages and flexibility of two companies who recognize their unique value proposition."

THINQ and OutStart count among their customers some of the world's largest businesses and organizations, including Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Navy and Autodesk. Both companies bring more than 10 years of combined experience managing learners and developing and delivering content, giving customers complementary products that work seamlessly to meet a company's learning and business objectives.

Integration yields powerful new features

The new integrated learning platform will encompass the following capabilities, critical for improving employee performance:

--comprehensive management and measurement of all organizational training objectives;

-- simple and rapid course content creation and assembly;

--collaborative, distributed development;

-- highly customized learning based on a deep understanding of the learner;

--dynamic and secure access to learning through an LMS for employees, partners and channels;

-- cost-effective "author once, deliver many" learning object creation and delivery to multiple media, such as web, CD-ROM, print, presentation and wireless;

-- blended learning plans involving online and classroom education;

-- registrations, scheduling and transcript management; and

-- job and skill profiling for individual empowerment and effective workforce planning

"In the interest of creating value for our customers, the THINQ relationship is exceptional," said OutStart CEO Massood Zarrabian. "By integrating with THINQ, customers now have the choice of easily implementing a solution comprised of best-of-breed products. And THINQ as a company makes a great partner with its broad geographic presence, partner-oriented mindset and keen sense of why enterprise LCMS is a strategic imperative. Customers will reap the benefits with dramatic returns on their learning initiatives."

THINQ evaluated 15 learning content creation and management vendors before choosing OutStart. "While there are many viable LCMS offerings, OutStart came to the top of the list because of its track record, scalability, market approach, culture and organization," said THINQ CEO Hemang Dave. "This partnership is more than just a press release. By offering the best LMS tightly integrated with the most compelling LCMS, customers have a solution that combines robust learning and learner management and delivery with the ability to create and reuse content efficiently and effectively. We now have the kind of enterprise-scale LCMS functionality within our proven LMS that our customers demand."