Akamai Blog | Akamai Wins Brandon Hall Award for Best Learning Technology
The Technical Enablement and Education team, part of Akamai’s Global Services organization, has won a coveted Brandon Hall Group silver medal for “Excellence in Technology,” for their automatic hands-on Lab Validation System (LVS).
The automatic LVS is used throughout Global Service training courses, as well as in Channel Partner product certification, to provide real-time evaluations quickly and accurately for hands-on lab training associated with learning how to implement Akamai products.
Automated, fast, and accurate feedback
LVS was developed in-house as a technical solution to provide automated, fast, accurate, objective, and actionable feedback on Akamai product configurations as part of technical training and/or product certification. Immediate pass/fail feedback is available 24/7 so students can instantly know which components were configured correctly and which components might need to be re-studied.
Multiple awards for high-quality Akamai product training
The Technical Enablement and Education team holds multiple industry awards for creating programs that bring engaging and high-quality Akamai product training and certifications to Akamai’s Global Services employees, customers, and channel partners.
Akamai’s most recent win was announced on December 9, 2021. The complete list of Excellence in Technology program winners can be found at https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com/winners/.
“Automatic Lab Validation is a critical component of all of our technical training programs, as students want and deserve the highest quality learning experience. With LVS in place, students experience a professional learning journey, through all components of the curriculum, including hands-on labs and exams.
LVS provides immediate, 100% objective, and fair evaluations of hands-on lab work that either confirm the student’s grasp of the technical subject matter or pinpoint which components should be readdressed before a second submission — baking even the evaluation process into the learning journey.”
— Andrew Heifetz, Director of Global Technical Enablement and Education, Akamai
Innovations for important decision-making capabilities
“Technology has never been more critical for success in human capital management than it is today. We were thrilled to see many new innovations in all areas, but especially related to the future of work,” said Rachel Cooke, Brandon Hall Group Chief Operating Officer and awards program head. “Thanks to the many innovations from our Excellence in Technology winners, organizations have many compelling options as they make important decisions on how to leverage technology to drive their people strategies.”
Blending empathy with insights
“HCM solution providers must be experts and visionaries in technology, but they also must have the ability to anticipate the diverse needs of employers as they work to adapt to ongoing change,” said Mike Cooke, Brandon Hall Group CEO. “This requires a blend of curiosity, empathy, and agility that is difficult to achieve. We have seen an extraordinary level of insight and creativity from our Excellence in Technology winners that has been exciting to see.”
Criteria for evaluation
A panel of independent senior industry experts and Brandon Hall Group senior analysts and executives evaluated the entries based on the following criteria.
- Product: What was the product’s breakthrough innovation?
- Unique differentiators: What makes the product unique and how does it differ from any competing products?
- Value proposition: What problem does the product solve and/or what need does this product address?
- Measurable results: What are the benefits customers can expect to experience as a result of using this product?
About Akamai
Akamai powers and protects life online. The most innovative companies worldwide choose Akamai to secure and deliver their digital experiences — helping billions of people live, work, and play every day. With the world’s largest and most trusted edge platform, Akamai keeps apps, code, and experiences closer to users — and threats farther away. Learn more about Akamai’s security, content delivery, and edge compute products and services at www.akamai.com and blogs.akamai.com, or follow Akamai Technologies on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Brandon Hall Group
Brandon Hall Group operates the largest and longest-running awards program in Human Capital Management. As an independent HCM research and analyst firm, they conduct studies in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Talent Acquisition, and HR/Workforce Management. These benchmark studies help organizations by providing strategic insights for executives and practitioners responsible for growth and business results.
Coupling the research studies with the best practice from the awards, Brandon Hall Group has helped more than 10,000 clients globally and more than 28 years of delivering world-class research and advisory. At the core of our offerings is a membership program that combines research, benchmarking, and unlimited access to data and analysts. Membership enables executives and practitioners to make the right decisions about people, processes, and systems, coalesced with analyst advisory services which aim to put the research into action in a way that is practical and efficient.
The 2021 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards are given for work in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Future of Work.
Brandon Hall Group has also launched professional certifications for business and human capital management professionals to upskill themselves and gain credentials for career advancement.
