"There are any number of offline players that do simple course tracking. They generally install on Windows machines and have limited functionality. This is different", he added.


mEKP is the end-user version of the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP) learning-and- performance-management system, NetDimensions' flagship product. mEKP runs directly from a USB flash drive or other storage devices and can be accessed via browser on Windows and Mac OS computers.


"Our commitment to a component-based, open-standards architecture in EKP is what makes mEKP work", said NetDimensions' Chief Information Officer Ray Ruff. "Form factor and user-personalization flexibility is a reflection of that commitment."


A truly portable eLearning environment, mEKP supports not only courseware and exam delivery, career development reviews, news articles, and end-user reporting but also direct, tracked access to technical documentation, maintenance and operating procedures, full-motion videos, high bandwidth graphics, and other workforce-content libraries.


The mEKP system features the same security options and permissions settings as EKP and supports high-level encryption of flash drive content. The recommended default encryption containers comply with the U.S. government's approved Advanced Encryption Standard.


Current NetDimensions clients can deploy mEKP as an additional EKP service; mEKP is designed to periodically synchronize updated user data with a linked "master" EKP. Companies that use other learning and human-resource-management systems can deploy a mEKP network configured to transfer data to and from their existing systems.


Designed for Disconnected and Mobile Workforces


mEKP is designed for organizations with employees who work at remote locations and have limited or restricted Internet connectivity.


Expected user groups include workers on offshore oil rigs, ships, and submarines as well as private and public sector employees working in places where bandwidth may be prohibitively expensive or where training materials such as videos and simulations are simply too large for practical network-based delivery.


mEKP can be deployed to field-based workforces, including to sales people, airline crew, first responders, military personnel, and public utilities staff.


At the same time, mEKP addresses the challenge of delivering training to new recruits and to employees who have limited access to computers in the workplace, for example, to floor staff in factories, stores, restaurants, and hospitals.


"Our experience with clients around the world tells us that people find uses for our products we can't even imagine when we introduce the products", noted Shaw. "We're sure the same will be true for mEKP."