Comparison of CBT providers

Johannigman

Hi guys!

I am doing some research for my company, trying to determine which providers of online training videos will be the best to license for our large IT department. I have perused many of the past forum posts, some of which are several years old, but I would like your current opinions on the pros and cons of any ones you have used.

In particular, I am evaluating:
- Skillsoft (Skillport)
- Safari Books Online
- CBT Nuggets
- Lynda.com
- TrainSignal
- GoGo Training
- Global Knowledge

Any praises, complaints, comments would be greatly valued. Many thanks in advance.

Jeff

Kory

Well I would avoid skillsoft read more here It did however have access to safari books, and those were pretty good (though they are only as good as the books for the courses you are looking for)
CBT nuggets is my fav.
Chris Bryant does his series through Udemy, which I found pretty good too.

Mrock4

My personal $.02, is for best "all around" IT training, CBT Nuggets is pretty good. For cisco specific, I would go with INE.

Not a fan of global knowledge personally- their courses are often hit or miss depending on the instructor. I've also used skillsoft, and wasn't impressed. No reason in particular, I just didn't think the material there was all that great (or current).

kriscamaro68

I have a safaribooks account and a cbtnuggets 1 year subscription. I like both but cbt nuggets doesn't always go as in-depth as you need. Safaribooks also has some training videos but not a ton they are more focused on books obviously. Also There are free training sites out there if you looking for comptia/windows 7 certs. itfreetraining.com and professormesser.com. Also check out itdvds.com I used them and liked the in-depth training they provide. Pretty soon here I will be looking at getting a subscription with trainsignal.com. At $49 a month they are one of the cheapest I know of besides itdvds.com so it can't hurt to give them a try for a month.

pert

I did a Global Knowledge class for Route and it was really good. I felt like it really prepared me. Its expensive as **** though, I would never pay my own dime for it.

robp12

While I have no experience with any other of other CBT programs, I'm currently utilizing CBT Nuggets to study for the CCNA and I really enjoy it. The videos are very informative and definitely go in-depth.

CBT Nuggets covers most major certifications in the IT world as well as general topics too, which is very useful regardless of your field of work/study.

Snow.bros

Well i don't know about the the courses i haven't done but so far CBT nuggets is working out very well for me.

NetworkVeteran

Skillsoft is low-hanging fruit. I'd rate it as mediocre, but better than nothing.

Global Knowledge? A step above, but still not impressed.

Safari provides a great book library. I am thankful to employers who provide free access to this.

CBT Nuggets provides good videos. I would also be thankful if an employer provided subscriptions to this.

INE provides very good Cisco videos. I would be very thankful if an employer provided subscriptions to this.

Lynda.com provides very good videos for less-technical topics. I'd consider it if you wanted your employees to how to make web pages or how to use Microsoft Office products more efficiently.

Devilsbane

I had access to skillport through one of my jobs and didn't find much value in it. (Not 0 value, but not much). I also don't feel like I fully utilized it because I was also using CBT Nuggets and/or Trainsignal.

CBT Nuggets: No complaints here. On the pricier side, but you get what you pay for. It can vary by instructors, but I think most are excellent on what they do.

TrainSignal: I used these guys once and it happened to be for the Security+. I don't think it was bad, but it fell short of the CBT nuggets that I had previously used. But I don't feel like the Security+ videos are an excellent assessment because the subject matter isn't that technical.

Lynda: A friend of mine used these and thinks they are good for the price (he was paying out of pocket) but now that the company agreed to pay some for his training he switched to CBT Nuggets. I don't have any personal experience, so I can't give my opinion.

Thats about all I know.