Unveiling Drata’s Learning & Development Triumph
Established in 2020, Drata is a pioneering SaaS platform dedicated to providing security and compliance automation solutions. The company aids organizations in achieving continuous compliance with frameworks such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR. With a mission to simplify compliance in heavily regulated sectors, Drata enables clients to innovate without sacrificing security excellence.
With a rapidly expanding, fully remote team exceeding 400 employees, Drata encountered the challenge of developing scalable and dynamic training programs. These initiatives were crucial to equip team members with the necessary skills to thrive in a globally diverse environment.
This case study delves into how Drata successfully addressed Learning and Development hurdles by refining training programs, enhancing content creation processes, and establishing collaborative learning Academies.
The Challenges Faced
In the fast-paced world of security and compliance, Drata needed an agile learning framework. It had to support an expanding workforce while upholding the stringent standards of its industry.
When Dana Fagley joined as Senior Manager of Learning and Development in July 2022, she faced a formidable challenge: building an L&D team from the ground up, alongside scalable programs for skill enhancement and leadership training.
Many factors necessitated a new learning solution. My goal was to establish a Learning and Development team and the associated programs. – Dana Fagley, Senior Manager, L&D
Scaling L&D with Limited Resources
Prior to adopting 360Learning, Drata’s training programs were largely improvised. They depended on a rudimentary Learning Management System (LMS) for mandatory compliance training, leaving employees to hunt for resources. This lack of structure hindered effective scaling. For a nascent L&D team, this fragmented setup posed a major obstacle to delivering consistent and engaging learning experiences.
Administrative Overload and Automation Deficiencies
As Drata’s workforce expanded, the constraints of its legacy LMS became apparent. Administrators found themselves inundated with repetitive tasks like enrolling users and managing multiple spreadsheets. Without an efficient, automated system, even everyday L&D duties became burdensome. This predicament hampered the ability to track training initiatives effectively, gauge learner engagement, and allocate time for developing comprehensive learning content.
Limited Pathways for Employee Upskilling
Employees were seeking more than just obligatory compliance training; they craved clear growth pathways in a tightly regulated industry. The absence of a collaborative framework resulted in Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) having little motivation or support to disseminate their knowledge, keeping valuable insights compartmentalized. Consequently, Drata struggled to provide timely, role-specific training.
Integration Challenges for a Cohesive Learning Experience
Compounding scaling and automation issues, Drata’s tech stack added another layer of complexity. Their previous LMS and HRIS struggled to work together seamlessly, forcing users to navigate between multiple platforms and leaving admins with incomplete records. This lack of robust integrations made it difficult for a small team aiming to demonstrate L&D’s value to gain support from leadership.
Innovative Solutions Implemented
Drata sought a learning platform that would simplify administrative tasks, empower SMEs by facilitating training, and integrate smoothly with existing systems. After a thorough evaluation, they chose 360Learning, recognized for its strong authoring tools and integration capabilities. Here’s how they addressed each challenge.
Automation as the Backbone of Scalable Learning
To accommodate a rapidly expanding workforce with a lean L&D team, Drata took advantage of 360Learning’s features like automatic user enrollment, updates, notifications, and real-time reporting dashboards. By automating much of the administrative workload, Dana and her team could concentrate on crafting impactful learning experiences.
Prior to 360Learning, our LMS was merely a tool for mandatory compliance training. After a thorough evaluation, I realized we needed a new infrastructure that could meet current demands while scaling with us. I aimed to automate as much of our work as possible. – Dana Fagley
Centralized Tools for Efficient L&D Delivery
By integrating enrollment, content delivery, reporting, and communication into one platform, Drata dramatically reduced administrative burdens. Instead of managing various platforms and spreadsheets, both administrators and learners benefited from a single source of truth for all training initiatives. The 360Learning dashboards allowed for easy measurement of engagement and tracking of progress across the organization, fostering a more strategic approach to L&D.
Branded Academies for Strengthened Learning Culture
To champion continuous skill development, Drata introduced branded Academies that encourage employee-led, collaborative learning. A notable example is the Author Academy—a self-paced certification program designed to teach employees how to develop training courses in 360Learning. This empowers everyone at Drata, from leaders to contributors, to share knowledge organization-wide and addresses internal skill gaps.
Additionally, they launched the New and Emerging Leader Academy, focused on cultivating both current and future leaders. This initiative resulted in a 200% surge in learner engagement from one quarter to the next, underscoring how peer-driven content can amplify upskilling efforts.
360Learning has provided a platform that simplifies content creation and user permissions, allowing our SMEs to produce their own material, enabling us to step aside. – Dana Fagley
Smooth Integration with OpenSesame
A pivotal reason for Drata’s transition to 360Learning was its seamless integration with content provider OpenSesame.
Incorporating OpenSesame’s extensive library of curated content directly into the 360Learning platform granted Drata’s workforce instantaneous access to a plethora of off-the-shelf courses, from microlearning modules to podcasts and book summaries.
This integration empowered the L&D team to easily introduce new training programs, while administrators benefitted from robust tools for tracking completion and engagement, all within a unified environment.
The collaboration between 360Learning and OpenSesame felt like an ideal match, delivering impactful programs that are critical for smaller L&D teams like ours. – Dana Fagley
Remarkable Results Achieved
Drata’s alliance with 360Learning and OpenSesame has facilitated a more strategic approach to Learning and Development. Here are some key metrics highlighting their success:
- 172+ active platform users showcasing heightened engagement as more employees and SMEs join.
- 200% increase in average training time from Q1 to Q2 (from 2 hours to 6 hours per user) spurred by engaging initiatives like the New and Emerging Leader Academy.
- 70% increase in average connections per user from Q1 to Q2 (from 7 to 12 connections), indicating stronger collaborative learning across the organization.
Employees are now better prepared to tackle core organizational challenges and address emerging skill gaps, with stakeholders acknowledging the growing impact of the L&D team on Drata’s success.
Looking Ahead
Drata’s journey with 360Learning exemplifies the significant impact of a well-integrated L&D platform for rapidly growing organizations. Their small L&D team has been able to scale effectively, providing on-demand learning and empowering SMEs. This has cultivated a collaborative learning culture that not only boosts employee engagement but also promotes business growth.
Thanks to the combined capabilities of 360Learning and OpenSesame, we can perform our roles with greater effectiveness. – Dana Fagley
Moving forward, Drata’s L&D team aims to diversify optional learning pathways and introduce training that equips employees for success with AI-driven authoring tools available in 360Learning.
Eager to learn how 360Learning can revolutionize your L&D strategy? Request your personalized demo today and explore how our AI-enhanced collaborative learning platform can empower your organization to upskill at scale.
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360Learning is a collaborative learning platform designed to accelerate internal mobility and deliver relevant training at scale, featuring an intuitive authoring tool.
