SumTotal Systems, the largest provider of learning and business performance technologies and services, today announced that it has been placed in the Leader Quadrant in the Magic Quadrant for e-Learning Suites** based on an evaluation of its completeness of vision and ability to execute. The report was published by Gartner, Inc (NYSE:IT), a premier research and advisory firm.

To develop the e-Learning Suites Magic Quadrant, Gartner assessed vendors on their completeness of vision and ability to execute, placing them in one of four quadrants: Niche Players, Challengers, Visionaries and Leaders. The report characterizes companies in the Leader quadrant as having the highest combined measures of Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision.

Gartner evaluated vendors, such as SumTotal Systems, that offered ” more-effective components and capabilities generally improved in the areas of LCMS and content authoring tools, analytics, and professional services (such as for planning, implementation and content).” Gartner also weighed platform, architecture, modularity, interoperability with other e-learning modules, and integration with other business applications such as HRMS as part of its Completeness of Vision assessment.

SumTotal is positioned in the Leader Quadrant in the report. According to Gartner, vendors listed in the Leader Quadrant are performing well today, have a clear vision of market direction and are actively building competencies to sustain their leadership position in the market. The report also cites viability, installed base, geographic distribution capabilities, customer support and satisfaction and strength of management team as criteria for companies to be positioned in the Leader Quadrant.

“The e-learning suite market is evolving rapidly, as companies now demand more comprehensive suites,” the report said. ” When you evaluate e-learning vendors and their suites, focus on modularity (that is, whether you can choose which individual components to implement first, and whether you can easily add new components later on); integration (among the components within the suite and with third-party e-learning products and business applications); and personalization (the ability to tailor e-learning implementations to suit the particular needs of departments or individuals). With this approach, you can focus on obtaining modules that are more relevant to your business goals and can, therefore, produce better results.”

“Being positioned in the Leader quadrant in the Gartner report is immensely gratifying because we see it as another proof point that SumTotal, its products, services and processes continue to meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated marketplace,” said R. Andrew Eckert, SumTotal CEO. “Our platform is progressively becoming more ‘mission-critical’ to our customers, and is helping to address a whole range of complex business issues that go far beyond what e-learning was originally envisioned to accomplish. I believe our position reflects our success in helping these organizations use our technology to solve critical business issues and generate real bottom-line impact.”