SKYTAP

Training and Education Solution

The Challenge

Virtual training labs offer significant advantages for training organizations: ability to offer Web-based distance learning courses, faster classroom set-up and deployment, and an improved student learning experience.

However, adopting virtual lab capabilities for a training organization is often difficult to justify given the required investment. Purchasing sufficient lab hardware to meet peak demand, hiring IT staff, implementing an eLearning solution, and managing virtual machine images can be cost prohibitive due to the fluctuating nature of class attendance.

The Solution

Skytap Virtual Lab is a complete virtual training solution available as a secure, on-demand service over the Web. Because it’s a service, it enables training organizations to scale up and down classroom resources as needed from Skytap's virtual infrastructure pool and pay only for what they use. Organizations, regardless of size, can now align their costs with demand and provide Web-based access to students wherever they are located.

A designated training lab administrator can create classrooms and assign classroom access rights to students and instructors. Once logged in, instructors can rapidly provision training labs as needed and deploy student images with a click of a button.

Multi-machine student configurations deployed in the training classroom can be accessed through a high quality Web-based console. If the student has an issue, an instructor can take control or "view over the shoulder" to support and guide the student. Furthermore, as a student progresses through exercises, the instructor can snapshot and clone the environment to save progress. After the formal class is over, students can continue to work on exercises at home if the instructor enables continued private access.