computer and cloud storage

Cloud Academy Review

computer and cloud storage

image source: pixabay

 

Cloud platforms have been a lifesaver for many businesses and teams. But with the scope of their abilities growing, managing these platforms is becoming increasingly difficult. There are many things cloud platforms can bring to the table, but understanding what is offered and how to best utilize it can be a tricky hiccup in a team’s success. Cloud Academy is one such platform. If you are looking for some solidifying information on cloud services, then read on. We have compiled the needed information on Cloud Academy as well as its competitors.

What Is Cloud Academy??

First, we want to break down cloud platforms. Working on the cloud, it its simplest form, it being able to have more accessible and safer storage for documents, projects, and more. Cloud platforms have evolved since making their debut in the tech world though. Cloud Academy showcases this evolution with its purpose, as many new cloud-based programs do. 

Technology has forever changed the world we live in. We’re online, in one way or another, all day long. Our phones and computers have become reflections of our personalities, our interests, and our identities. They hold much that is important to us.- James Comey

What Cloud Academy, and others like it, offer is a non-tangible method of communication, training, project management, tests, and more that is based in the cloud, which means it lessens the hassle of scheduling and completely removes the need for location. This new development has been monumental for business, education, and many more fields as well. Moving to Cloud Academy, this program works as a global online training platform. It functions mainly within IT resources and training and focuses on professionals within that field. It aims to fill the gap in skills by identifying gaps and matching professionals and teams with needed projects. These are called skill profiles, and Cloud Academy specializes in them.

Product Specs

screen-1839500_640

Image Source: pixabay

A skill profile utilizes 1,000 points of various aspects and data of each skill. This provides a simple way to see not only where a team may be lacking, but also for each to measure their acute progress in developing a skill.

Beyond mapping skill progress, Cloud Academy also allows employers to see each member’s proficiency, which allows them to easily decide the best fit for a task or project. A Knowledge Graph also predicts skills across users, so employers can see where some team members may be better suited for tasks that parallel their current skills. 

As Cloud Academy puts focus and emphasis on IT, it is furthering the development of not only teams and fields, but also the platform itself. With IT developing at record speeds, having a platform dedicated to its understanding, control, and creative evolution is crucial to its success.

Pricing

woman opening laptop

Image Source: pexels

Like many of the cloud services offered, Cloud Academy operates through a monthly subscription and payment plan. For personal use, it is $80/month. However, for business or enterprise use, the prices change drastically depending on the number of licenses needed. In looking at other similar programs, Cloud Academy is in the high range; overtaking its competitors by around $35/month.

This is a specialized program, so the higher price is expected. However, if you do not need the additional features Cloud Academy offers, then it may be best to look at another platform. If you are looking for that specialization though, the price is not outrageous for the features Cloud Academy has cultivated, and the uniqueness of the system all but guarantees its place on the market.

How it Compares

We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare.     

  • Lynda.com
  • Pluralsight
  • Khan Academy

Cloud Academy

cloud academy

image source: cloudacademy.com

PRICE ?
EASE OF USE

Before purchasing a plan, you could delve into each offered aspect to be sure it was what you needed and to understand what each aspect did. Most of our questions were answered simply by reading through the package. However, while the site offers plenty of information and material, we felt that a helpline in the form of a chat or phone number would be a useful addition.

Product

Before purchasing a plan, you could delve into each offered aspect to be sure it was what you needed and to understand what each aspect did. Most of our questions were answered simply by reading through the package. However, while the site offers plenty of information and material, we felt that a helpline in the form of a chat or phone number would be a useful addition.

Solutions 

In terms or offered solutions, Cloud Academy is very specialized with its skills profile. It is built academically for a professional purpose, and while that works well in that field, it does not offer a lot in terms fo non-IT fields of in building other team aspects.

PROS

  • Unique skills profile      
  • Unique skills profile
  • Lots of material and programs
  • Programs to oversee parallel skills
  • Prepared to aid users in widening skills range

CONS

  • High price
  • Specialized for IT field only
  • No online chat help

In terms or offered solutions, Cloud Academy is very specialized with its skills profile. It is built academically for a professional purpose, and while that works well in that field, it does not offer a lot in terms fo non-IT fields of in building other team aspects.

Lynda.com

Lynda.com-Slider

Image Source: mylpl.info

Lynda offers a similar platform to Cloud Academy. They have a focus on IT; however, they also offer training in photography, business, graphic design, and more. It is a well-rounded platform for medium to large size businesses to use for training purposes. This outreach of programs and training platforms allows nearly every role in a business to be active on the site and to benefit from its programs.

Price (Approximate only)  

As Low As $30/month

While this price will change based on what plan you choose, due to the range of programs offered, we feel this price would work well for those needing it on a large scale.

Ease of Use

The interface of the program is simple to use and easy to pick up after a few toggles and some exploration. However, their website itself seemed counterintuitive to us. There were many layers we had to dig through just to understand pricing and programs. While this may not come into play in the day-to-day, we do feel that the accessibility of the website should mirror their product, especially because users will need to navigate their site if they have questions.

Product  

The interface of the program is simple to use and easy to pick up after a few toggles and some exploration. However, their website itself seemed counterintuitive to us. There were many layers we had to dig through just to understand pricing and programs. While this may not come into play in the day-to-day, we do feel that the accessibility of the website should mirror their product, especially because users will need to navigate their site if they have questions.

Solutions     

There are plenty of areas to choose from, but there is not a deep dive into any of them. This means that while you may learn a basic to intermediate understanding, and while there may be thousands of courses to take on a subject, there is nothing in place to really focus your learning. This will generally create a team of well-educated members, but not a team of experts.

PROS

  • Thousands of courses
  • Variety in fields
  • Low price

CONS

  • Lack of measurement programs
  • No system to broaden fields
  • Not structured for expert learning

Pluralsight

1_NsPZ3RQQY_sDr1RSvv7csg

Image Source: medium.com

Pluralsight offers a similar experience to Lynda with thousands of courses, but as a nod to Cloud Academy, they have a heavy focus on IT, along with cybersecurity and coding. They profess thousands of courses and almost as many daily training videos and exercises. They also offer paths, assessments, and team certifications, along with many more.

Price (Approximate only)  

As Low As $25/month

If this is the field you are specializing in, then look no further. This is a great price for the programs offered and the system they have created for managing success and development. 

Ease of Use

Though Pluralsight claims to be simple enough for all levels, we did find it hard to come into the program as a brand new user in any of the fields. The site works wonderfully but can be overwhelming without some preparation or practice.

Product  

While this is a great option for those looking into coding, IT, or cybersecurity and the like, it leaves some space some users may feel cheated by. There are few team analytic tools or business development tools, which leaves this program a little one dimensional. 

Solutions     

This program solves one issue very well: learning about coding and similar areas. It does not, however, train on team functions, educate on the business aspect of running a team or provide suggestions on solving team or learning issues.

PROS

  • Very specialized in-depth coverage
  • Thousands of courses
  • Low price

CONS

  • Few field options
  • No business/team learning
  • Can be overwhelming

Khan Academy

tumblr_inline_p7n4p8vqOb1r8ovh1_540 (1)

Image Source: www.khanacademy

Separate from the previous three, Khan Academy focuses solely on education. Its goal is to provide step-by-step learning to students, as well as program help to teachers, or a little bit of both for parents. Khan offers information, education, and learning tools on a variety of subjects ranging from math to test prep, to art to colleges. Because of its educational focus, there is a heavy emphasis on tracking learning and development. As such, Khan has developed tools for pathway tracking and assessment.

Price (Approximate only)  

As Low As $50/month

Placed almost in the middle of our competitors between Cloud Academy and Lynda, this may seem like a slightly high price. The important thing to understand is the test prep and college aiding aspect of Khan, as this is most likely why the price is on the higher end of the scale. 

Ease of Use

While each user may have different feelings about Khan, overall we found this platform to be simple to use. It is built for students as well as teachers, which means there needs to be easy to translate and easy to understand platform and system. Khan also offers a help center as well as a help community, both of which are designed for every level of user to understand the program and get help when needed.

Product  

There are plenty of course options available on this platform, however, what we feel Khan is missing is a way to broaden interests. Being able to cross-reference skills or proficiencies could be invaluable to students especially, but as it stands, there are no programs in place. Overall, the product performs well and as it is intended, and many users have formed loyalty to the platform due to its deliverable promises and pertinent results. We do feel that it is time for Khan to join the ranks of the more innovative platforms though. There is a lot more available for platforms like Khan. It would be great to see them integrating some of the new technology.

Solutions     

While this program works well, it is only designed to work in a specific field. Bringing the resources and systems, Khan has to be accessible to those who are not students would be appreciated by many.In its chosen field though, Khan performs well and offers needed systems and solutions to its users and has built a community to support them throughout it as well.

PROS

  • Specialized field
  • Options for those in any level of education
  • Good help center and community

CONS

  • Not as innovative as its competitors
  • On the pricier end of the scale
  • No cross-over skill matching

Conclusion

cloud storage

image source: pixabay

As we wrap up, we want to go back to Cloud Academy. In looking at some of its competitors, it is easy to see that cloud platforms as a whole have evolved in different directions. What this means is that there may not be a single platform that can fill all of your learning, developing, and cultivating needs. The closest option here would be the Lynda platform, though as we discussed, it does not do well in diving deep into any of the fields it offers.As IT has become a crucial role in innovating technology and society as a whole though, we can understand why Cloud Academy has decided to put the entirety of their focus there. This pin-point focus allows them to dive into each area, which makes the added programs, pathways, and assessments crucial in surviving that dive.In looking through their flaws and areas to improve, and considering their attention to innovative updates and systems, we feel that Cloud Academy is deserving of 5 out of 5 stars. Not because they have perfected the art of online cloud platforms, but because it is obvious that that have made and continue to make strides to achieve just that.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share This