Today, digitising learning processes has become an essential part of digital transformation for many businesses. Working with a Learning Management System (LMS) is one of the directions this digitalisation process can take. It has become fundamental for corporate education, offering scalable and versatile training solutions.

However, security comes to the forefront when your learning curriculum includes highly sensitive data, such as trade secrets, classified information or even state secrets. It becomes specifically important when your company is distributed and you cannot rely on an isolated offline network alone to build a secure solution. 

In this article, we will explore various business requirements and situations that call for heightened security measures when working with an LMS. We will also outline key steps to deploy an LMS in a geographically distributed company in a way that meets modern cybersecurity standards. 

Using secure protocols, robust encryption measures, and protected network architectures can shield against unauthorised access and data breaches.

When are specific cybersecurity measures a must?

Today, cybersecurity is a field that proves its relevance for almost any operation that is performed online. So, the very short answer to that question would be ‘always’. However, there are situations and types of business operations that place specific security demands on every party involved. 

Types of data handled

The most common situation where eLearning can pose a security risk is when the curriculum includes sensitive data. An LMS can process and store various sensitive information types, including personal employee details, proprietary business information, and confidential product data. The level of data sensitivity should dictate the required security measures in this situation.

Regulatory requirements

For businesses that operate globally or internationally, it is important to adhere to various security-related legislation. Examples include the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the U.S., and the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), also in the U.S.

These acts regulate any corporate operations that involve the sharing of information, which definitely is the case with eLearning. 

Risk assessment 

A general corporate risk assessment can define generic security threats, such as cyberattacks, data theft, authentication issues and corporate espionage. eLearning processes are susceptible to all of these, which is why it is crucial to include eLearning workflows in risk assessments. 

The benefits of eLearning can only be fully realised when the system is secure and trusted.

Steps to deploy an LMS to meet security standards

These are only a few general security concerns when selecting an LMS provider for your corporate education. But, there are also some other important things to consider when launching an LMS. Here are a few steps you should keep in mind if you want to observe stricter security roles. 

Decide on a type of LMS installation

Depending on how strict the requirements for data security in your organisation are, there can be two ways to install an LMS securely.

Isolated network installation

The first and most secure is using a closed-loop network. This means that the LMS is installed and deployed on a server within your organisation that only has connections to endpoints and other machines within your company, and where the entire network is not connected to the Internet.

Access to learning materials is only available on premises, to authorised employees, using authorised devices or PCs, connected to this isolated network alone. This measure is viable when there are strict security standards imposed, for instance, if the organisation is dealing with state secrets. 

Installation for a geographically distributed company using a VPN

Custom Virtual Private Networks are a security staple today. A large number of commercial companies that aim to protect trade secrets use VPNs for all of their daily operations and communication. Employees would have to connect to a VPN to access company resources and company communication systems. They are likely to have received training on maintaining corporate security standards during their onboarding and signed a certain security waiver or an NDA.

Integrating an LMS into such an infrastructure is usually a standard set of steps that requires minimal collaboration between an LMS provider and the customer’s security and/or system administrator services.  

We at iSpring had a case where we needed to make our mobile application accessible only through the use of the customer’s VPN to make sure employees use secure connection channels. 

Gather preliminary requirements

You need to survey your potential learners to identify skill and knowledge gaps. You also need to talk to stakeholders and management to make sure that your corporate education goals align with business goals. It is important to gather and analyse this information because it will define the level of security required to launch the LMS. 

Select an LMS provider

You need to define whether the security level and practices of the LMS provider are in line with your security requirements. You also need to gather information about security-related features and other technical characteristics of the LMS provider.

For instance, what type of data storage do they use? Will you be able to keep your data internally? If they rely on a cloud provider, which one? Is it possible to work with them as per your company’s and your country’s security regulations? What type of data will you need to share with the LMS provider? Are there any security guarantees included in the legal documents which the two of you sign? These and other security-related questions need to be addressed before you can make your choice.

Decide on the LMS configuration and infrastructure

This is a step where your system administrators, security and compliance officers work closely together with your LMS provider’s engineers. You will need to decide which connection protocols and authentication types you use, where you store your data, and which access levels and roles you need to have.

LMS providers usually offer a variety of security and access options and will be able to counsel you on which are suitable for your particular needs. Using secure protocols, robust encryption measures, and protected network architectures can shield against unauthorised access and data breaches.

Rollout and configure the LMS

Once again, depending on your choices in previous steps, you will be working closely with the LMS provider specialists. This is where you implement security protocols, configure authentication methods, user rules and various access levels. You may want to choose to adhere to the principle of least privilege when configuring user roles to maintain the highest level of security. 

Conduct regular security audits and updates

It is best if you implement audit practices from the start of the rollout of your LMS of choice. They will help you to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in a timely manner and also provide invaluable information about security practices in your company. Depending on what kind of maintenance and rollout type you chose, you need to implement security patches from the LMS provider. 

Conclusion

Today’s corporate education world is digital-first. It brings about many perks and comfortable new ways of doing things, but it also poses multiple security threats which need to be addressed.

The benefits of eLearning can only be fully realised when the system is secure and trusted, especially when sensitive data and stringent regulatory requirements are involved. Implementing an LMS securely involves much more than choosing the right provider; it requires a deep understanding of your organisation’s specific security needs.

If you treat this process not as a one-time setup but as a continuous commitment and observe the key principles described above, you can make sure that your learning processes are effective and safe. 

Michael Keller, CPO at iSpring solutions is a prominent figure in the e-learning industry, known for his leadership at iSpring, a company specialising in e-learning software and services. Under his guidance, iSpring has developed innovative solutions for online education and training, including its LMS iSpringLearn.