New Acquisition Expands IBS Product Portfolio
Moscow (RU), March 2008 - IBS, Russia's leader in the IT and consulting market, has announced the purchase of 51 per cent of Learnware Company Limited, one of Russia's major developers of systems for distance learning and the producer of the HyperMethod brand of software and services. This deal is a logical step forward based on the relationship between the two companies in a number of projects that involve building distance-learning systems for Russian higher education institutions. The new acquisition complements the IBS product portfolio by adding state-of-the-art eLearning systems.
HyperMethod brand products are highly valued in the learning systems market and regarded as being high quality, in line with the current IT trends, user friendly, and feature rich. eLearning Server and eAuthor CBT, the company's core products, have been recognized by the experts at eLearning World magazine as the best in Russia.
The HyperMethod line of distance-learning products includes:
- eLearning Server - a distance-learning system providing the capability for remote training, retraining, and further professional training for a broad range of users over the internet. Distance learning reduces the cost of training and boosts availability of quality education services to students regardless of their location.
- eAuthor CBT - a set of tools that enable teachers, trainers, training center staff, developers, and authors of training materials to produce distance courses, tests, and exercises.
- Assessment Tools - a module that provides automation of core processes of staff management, planning and holding appraisals, and reviewing results.
- eLearning CMS - a structured warehouse used for managing processes of developing, searching for, and using various training materials.
According to expert assessments, the Russian market for eLearning systems is growing at an annual pace of forty to fifty per cent. The target segments of the market are higher and secondary professional education institutions and corporate customers like big companies and holding structures.
Both segments have good prospects, as a large number of innovation-oriented educational institutions now plan to deploy distance-learning systems as part of their efforts to develop organizational training processes.
Big companies and holding structures, the other segment, manifest growing interest in setting up corporate distance training. This segment is poised to benefit from the Corporate University HyperMethod-brand solutions package offering. This most recent training-and-appraisal management system will also be included in the IBS product portfolio.
According to the terms of the deal, Learnware Company Limited will maintain its independent operations under the HyperMethod IBS brand.
According to Sergey Matsotsky, General Director of IBS, "This deal is in line with the IBS development strategy of further growth and strategic acquisitions of niche companies that are focused on new technology practices. IBS already has a good deal of experience in regard to IT implementation in education, including implementation of distance-learning systems.
This deal will enable us to expand the integrated package of offerings for higher education institutions and corporate customers by adding one of the most demanded solutions. It will also enable us to be more efficient in rolling out the experience we already have and making distance learning programs more popular and widespread in Russia, which is particularly important".