Blackboard today announced the availability of itsflagship learning management system (LMS), Blackboard Learn, on Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud (US),an isolated AWS region designed to host sensitive data and regulated workloadsin the cloud. Government agencies, the military, and state and localgovernments can now continue to deliver their mission-critical online learningprograms within a more secure cloud environment.
The availability of Learn on AWS GovCloud (US) marks a criticalstep forward in Blackboard’s journey to full Federal Risk and AuthorizationManagement Program (FedRAMP) accreditation, further helping the company’scustomers support their US government compliance requirements. AWS is one ofthe first cloud service providers to meet the FedRAMP High baseline, a USgovernment-wide program that provides a standardized approach to securityassessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products andservices. FedRAMP High gives US government agencies the ability to leverage theAWS Cloud for highly sensitive workloads, including personally identifiableinformation (PII), sensitive patient records, financial data, law enforcementdata, federal tax information, and other Controlled Unclassified Information(CUI).
“For over 10 years, Blackboard Learn has played a crucial rolein the Army’s efforts to provide excellent support in education and trainingfor soldiers, anytime and anywhere,” said Helen A. Remily, director, TRADOC capabilitymanager at the Army Distributed Learning Program. “Having the ability to deploythis invaluable capability on the FedRAMP-certified AWS GovCloud (US) gives usthe added confidence that our most sensitive data is safe and secure at alltimes.”
Alex Kissal, vice president of Blackboard government solutions,said, “Blackboard is committed to helping government agencies deliver timely,mission-critical training and advanced educational opportunities to ensuresuccess. Having our leading learning management system available on the AWSGovCloud (US) region will further support our customers in building engaging,secure learning environments for training and development.”
“Blackboard’s increasing use of the cloud, specifically AWSGovCloud (US), means more lifelong learning opportunities for US governmentpersonnel,” said Teresa Carlson, vice president, worldwide public sector, AWS. “Educationand government need secure solutions to protect personal information andresearch data, and this is a great example of how the AWS Cloud helpsBlackboard achieve these goals.”
The Blackboard Learn platform offers a continuous virtuallearning solution designed to be agile and flexible enough to adapt to today’slearning challenges and those that may arise in the future. In contrast to manyother learning management systems that only deliver content to learners, theBlackboard Learn platform uses extensive collaboration and interactivity tofully engage learners with activities like group projects and discussions,wikis, blogs, and the ability to incorporate a wide range of multimediacontent. These elements facilitate continuous and social learning, whichfurther heightens learner engagement.
The Blackboard Learn platform has demonstrated its pedagogicalexpertise in the government environment for more than a decade, and it is acritical part of learning programs for organizations demanding the utmost inperformance and security, including those in the defense and civiliancommunity.
For additional information on Blackboard solutions forgovernment agencies, visit Blackboard.com/gov.
