Challenge
With a dynamic technology product and customers all over the world, Synopsys Software Integrity Group needed a solution to deliver training virtually with fast connection speeds and the ability to quickly adapt to meet new requirements and scale.
Solution
With Skytap, Synopsys Software Integrity Group transformed how it delivers both internal and external training. The company increased the global availability of virtual IT labs to support over 150 customer training courses per year and improved both the instructor and learner experience.
About Synopsys Software Integrity Group
Synopsys Software Integrity Group provides integrated solutions that transform the way development teams build and deliver software, accelerating innovation while addressing business risk. Its industry-leading portfolio of software security products and services is the most comprehensive in the world and interoperates with third-party and open source tools, allowing organizations to leverage existing investments to build the security program that’s best for them. Only Synopsys offers everything you need to build trust in your software. Learn more here.
Challenge
With a dynamic product in a highly competitive industry, Synopsys Software Integrity Group’s customer training material is constantly being updated. Already cloud-committed, the company sought a cloud-based training solution that could quickly adapt to meet new requirements, scale, and solve its need for a global solution with customers in numerous regions.
Prior to Skytap, training was conducted in-person with laptops that the company had to ship to each customer location. Training was limited by the number of laptops available and learners often had to share a laptop with a partner. This process was logistically challenging and limited the amount of training Synopsys Software Integrity Group could conduct. It also resulted in frustration from instructors who had to set up each laptop prior to training and relied on the IT team to update course materials and reset environments.
Skytap Solution
Synopsys Software Integrity Group knew it wanted a cloud-based, virtual training labs solution to eliminate the time consuming and difficult process of configuring and transporting laptops to customer training sessions. In considering a solution, the company selected Skytap Virtual IT Labs due to the following product features and capabilities:
- Scalability and usability
- On-demand delivery and latency globally
- Easy instructor access and controls
- Ability to quickly provision environments
The company quickly implemented Skytap and now dynamically provisions resources around the globe based on the size of the class and hardware requirements of the product. Using a mix of support and self-service portals, instructors can quickly adjust the virtual environments to suit its customer training needs. When the global pandemic hit, Synopsys Software Integrity Group was already prepared with a cloud-based solution to continue delivering customer training without a hitch.
“With Skytap we have the ability to scale training. Previously we were limited by the number of laptops we could ship to students, but now we can spin up as many courses and environments that we need in Skytap.” – Drew Thompson, Director of Training and Enablement, Synopsys Software Integrity Group
With customers all over the world, Synopsys Software Integrity Group utilizes Skytap data centers to deliver strong connection speeds and check latency prior to course start times. There can be up to five courses per week using Skytap at the same time from various locations across the U.S., India, APAC and EMEA.
Outcomes
Skytap assisted Synopsys Software Integrity Group in its goal of improving the training experience for both instructors and trainees. Using a mix of support and self-service portals, the company can quickly adjust the virtual environments to suit its customer training needs. With each learner having their own virtual machine, instructors can easily access each machine on the backend and help an individual learner to provide a personalized learning experience.
A Skytap customer since 2014, Synopsys Software Integrity Group uses Skytap Virtual IT Labs to:
- Support global customers in regions such as EMEA, APAC, the U.S., and India with fast connection speeds for courses
- Conduct internal and external training remotely with minimal setup time
- Deliver over 150 courses per year
- Improve the instructor experience during live classes and make it easier to maintain and update course materials
- Deliver a personalized experience for each learner with their own virtual machines
- Reduce costs, frustrations, and limitations from the prior training method of shipping laptops to training locations globally
- Be self-sufficient in delivering courses and no longer relying on IT to help training administrators and instructors set up for training
“Skytap is such a simple and easy-to-use platform. I’m an OPS person and before Skytap I had to rely on help from an IT person to set up training labs and troubleshoot issues. With Skytap, I no longer need IT help and can do everything myself.” – Larenda Page, Instructor-Led Training Program Manager, Synopsys Software Integrity Group
Using Skytap’s automation tools, Synopsys Software Integrity Group can control costs and provide peace of mind that it only pays for what it needs when it needs it. The company also has access to Skytap support globally to troubleshoot any issues they might have with the platform. “When I need to contact Skytap for support I get a response right away and don’t feel like I’m in a generic helpdesk queue. I know who my support person is and that’s a big differentiator,” Page added.
“My favorite thing about Skytap as an instructor is the ability to troubleshoot quickly. If a student is having issues during a class, I can jump into their VM remotely right away and see what’s going on and help solve the issue.”
Jim McClellan, Senior Instructor, Synopsys Software Integrity Group
