GE motors along with e-learning software

General Electric has selected Plateau Systems for one of the largest-ever corporate installations of e-learning management software. The deal signals a trend toward enterprisewide adoption of Web-based training systems, industry analysts say.

More than 340,000 users across all of GE's divisions are tapping into Plateau's software as the behind-the-scenes engine for GE's Web-based training system, myLearning@ge. GE is standardizing on Plateau's Learning Management System Version 4, which provides a management infrastructure for the delivery of electronic courseware, standard operating procedures, company policies and other educational materials.

"Within GE's environment, we will be one more process application that cuts through every operating division," says Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau. "The goal was for GE to be able to aggregate across global entities - with multiple languages and multiple business units - to gain consistency in the whole world of e-learning content and knowledge management."

Plateau would not say how much the GE deal is worth, but the company's average deal size is $500,000.

"This is our largest corporate deal both in numbers of users and dollar value," Sparta says. "The value of the business relationship has been several million dollars to date."

Plateau beat out two of its competitors to win a pilot project with GE about 20 months ago. Since then, Plateau has installed its software at several GE business units. Last month, GE awarded Plateau a new contract for every major business unit on five continents.

"GE's was the most extensive and brutal technical and architectural analysis that we have ever experienced," Sparta says. "GE is an equity investor in Plateau, but they are also an investor in some of our competitors. That didn't help us at all."

Plateau 4 provides GE with one platform for scheduling, managing and delivering e-learning activities. The software can be used to manage certification training and provide ongoing education required by regulated industries.

"We have been operating on a single HR IS platform for several years," says Bob Corcoran, GE's chief learning officer in a statement. "By interfacing Plateau with this core application for our employee information, we are expanding automation in the HR processes at GE."

Plateau 4 uses Oracle's software as its database engine and integrates with Web server software from BEA Systems, IBM and Sun. Architecturally, the software is written in Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition and has built-in support for Web services. It supports such network standards as HTTP, Secure-HTTP and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.

Designed as an enterprisewide application, Plateau's software integrates with human-resource applications from Oracle, PeopleSoft, and content management and delivery systems.

More companies like GE are deploying e-learning management systems from specialty vendors such as Plateau, analysts say. Regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemical manufacturing, utilities and government are among the early adopters.