Run virtual training labs on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
There is no denying the value provided by major cloud vendors for running virtual training labs. The global infrastructure, reliability, security, and pricing are unbeatable. With Axis, we provide the ability to take advantage of the economy of scale that the cloud providers offer while continuing to use our training solutions and tools.
Using cloud vendors directly to deliver training can be difficult. A key goal of Axis is to isolate training staff from the complexities of working with the cloud providers console. Axis provides an easy-to-use, training-focused interface allowing you to avoid confusing cloud providers objects, such as security groups, VPNs, VHDs, and AMIs. Axis users work with the familiar objects, such as lab plans, course templates, training events, and student seats.
Axis is a training management application that allows the deployment of your virtual training labs to one of the major cloud providers, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. This means you can pick the best cloud vendor for your specific needs, whether that’s price, platform availability, regional availability, corporate policy, or something else.
Another unique feature of Axis is the pricing model. Other vendors markup cloud provider prices, eliminating your ability to negotiate the best prices with the cloud provider directly. With Axis, you pay the cloud provider directly for your resource usage.
Features & Options
Select the best cloud provider for you
Manage costs
Pay the cloud provider directly
Get an easy to use, training-focused portal
Instructor oversight and control
Optimize performance
Secure, reliable connectivity
Partner management
Axis Hub
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Instructor-Led PortalAn all-in-one turn-key solution for instructor-led training delivery. Including a full-featured virtual classroom with audio, webcam, whiteboards, and polls. Course materials management and remote lab access all through a single web portal.
Self-Paced PortalA high quality, on-demand learning experience specifically designed for self-paced learners. Access to course materials and hands-on labs in a single web portal.
AxisAxis is a training management application that allows deployment of your virtual training labs to one of the major cloud providers. Axis supports AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.
with
Instructor-led PortalAn all-in-one turn-key solution for instructor-led training delivery. Including a full-featured virtual classroom with audio, webcam, whiteboards, and polls. Course materials management and remote lab access all through a single web portal.
with
Self-paced Portal A high quality, on-demand learning experience specifically designed for self-paced learners. Access to course materials and hands-on labs in a single web portal.
with
VM Management Automate deployment and tear down of virtual labs on the 3 major cloud providers.
with
Give instructors an overview and control of students' virtual labs. Other features include lab timers, inactivity monitors, help queues, chat, and screen sharing.
VM ManagementAutomate deployment and tear down of virtual labs on the 3 major cloud providers.
LabManagerGive instructors an overview and control of students' virtual labs. Other features include lab timers, inactivity monitors, help queues, chat, and screen sharing.
Instructor-led PortalAn all-in-one turn-key solution for instructor-led training delivery. Including a full-featured virtual classroom with audio, webcam, whiteboards, and polls. Course materials management and remote lab access all through a single web portal.
Self-paced Portal A high quality, on-demand learning experience specifically designed for self-paced learners. Access to course materials and hands-on labs in a single web portal.
VM Management Automate deployment and tear down of virtual labs on the 3 major cloud providers.
LabManager Give instructors an overview and control of students' virtual labs. Other features include lab timers, inactivity monitors, help queues, chat, and screen sharing.
Google Authenticator 
Instructor-led Portal
Self-paced Portal Axis
Axis API
Google Authenticator VM Management
LabManager
Instructor-led PortalAn all-in-one turn-key solution for instructor-led training delivery. Including a full-featured virtual classroom with audio, webcam, whiteboards, and polls. Course materials management and remote lab access all through a single web portal.
Self-paced Portal A high quality, on-demand learning experience specifically designed for self-paced learners. Access to course materials and hands-on labs in a single web portal.
VM Management Automate deployment and tear down of virtual labs on the 3 major cloud providers.
LabManager Give instructors an overview and control of students' virtual labs. Other features include lab timers, inactivity monitors, help queues, chat, and screen sharing.
Pricing
Axis
Axis plans are based on the number of seat days per month. A consecutive two day event with 5 seats would equal 10 seat days.
Estimate your seat days
You can use the below calculation to estimate how many monthly seat days you will need:
Variables | Example |
|---|---|
| Average number of events per month | 6 |
| Average event length (days) | x 4 |
| Average number of participants | x 20 |
| Monthly seat days | = 480 |
| Calculator |
|---|
| * Average # of events per month |
| * Average event length (days) |
| * Average number of participants |
Monthly seat days 0 |
Once the average monthly seat days number is determined, select an Axis plan.
Axis Plans
| Plan | Monthly Subscription | Incl. Seat Days | Incl. Pre-paid Seat | Extra Seat Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $99 | 100 | $0.99 | $0.80 |
| 2 | $239 | 600 | $0.40 | $0.75 |
| 3 | $529 | 1,500 | $0.35 | $0.70 |
| 4 | $1,049 | 3,500 | $0.30 | $0.65 |
| 5 | $1,999 | 8,000 | $0.25 | $0.60 |
| 6 | $2,999 | 15,000 | $0.20 | $0.55 |
| 7 | $4,499 | 30,000 | $0.15 | $0.50 |
| 8 | $5,999 | 50,000 | $0.12 | $0.40 |
As an example, an organization with 480 seat days per month should consider Plan 1 or Plan 2. Plan 1 includes 100 prepaid seat days, then $0.80 for additional seat days. In this example, Plan 1 would cost $403 per month: $99 + (380 extra seat days x $0.80). Plan 2 includes 600 pre-paid seat days for a $239 monthly subscription which makes it a better fit in this example.
Rollover
Unused seat days roll over to the next month. When upgrading to a higher plan, any banked seat days are retained. When downgrading or cancelling plans, however, banked seat days are lost.
What’s included?
All features of Axis are included in all plan levels. This includes event scheduling, participant notifications, seat management, partner management, image management and the ability to run virtual training labs and virtual training environments on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform. To learn more about Virtual Machine Management,
click here.
Virtual Machine Management
Virtual Machine Management allows organizations to create, start and stop virtual machines at the supported cloud providers using the Axis portal.
How it works
- Create an account with one or more of the cloud providers.
- Define templates and use them to schedule events.
- Define your course templates and schedule your events.
- Axis will now start and stop the labs based on your event schedule.
Pricing
A Managed VM Hour is a running virtual machine hosted by the cloud provider that is managed by Axis. For example, a 2-day event that requires 2 VMs per participant/seat for 8 hours per day would require 32 Managed VM Hours.
| Plan | Monthly Subscription | Incl. Managed VM Hours | Incl. Pre-paid VM Hour | Extra Managed VM Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No VM Management Plan (variable cost for Managed VM Hours) | $0.50 | |||
| 1 | $799 | 2,500 | $0.32 | $0.45 |
| 2 | $1,349 | 5,000 | $0.27 | $0.40 |
| 3 | $2,399 | 10,000 | $0.24 | $0.35 |
| 4 | $4,199 | 20,000 | $0.21 | $0.30 |
| 5 | $7,199 | 40,000 | $0.18 | $0.25 |
| 6 | $10,199 | 60,000 | $0.17 | $0.24 |
| 7 | $12,799 | 80,000 | $0.16 | $0.22 |
| 8 | $14,999 | 100,000 | $0.15 | $0.20 |
As an example, if 6,000 managed VM hours per month are needed, use Plan 2 and pay a $1,349 per month plus $400 for 1,000 extra VM hours for a total of $1,749. In this example that would be cheaper than Plan 3 with 10,000 pre-paid VM hours for $2,399 per month.
NOTE: Managed VM Hours do not cover the cost for running the virtual machines at the cloud provider. Each cloud provider will invoice your organization separately for the use of their services.
Rollover
Unused VM hours roll over to the next month. When upgrading to a higher plan, any banked VM hours are retained. When downgrading or cancelling plans, however, banked VM hours are lost.
Instructor-Led Portal
Instructor-Led Portal is an all-in-one solution for delivering instructor-led training that combines a purpose-built virtual classroom with access to interactive remote labs. Instructor-Led Portal features include:-
Virtual classroom with whiteboards and polls.
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Course materials library.
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Presentation management.
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Unique activity types.
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Advanced audio and video.
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Help request management.
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Performance dashboard.
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Lab access and control through LabManager.
| Plan | Maximum Partcipants Per Event | Unlimited Events | Monthly Subscription* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | 26 | √ | $99 per leader |
| Plan 2 | 51 | √ | $139 per leader |
| Plan 3 | 201 | √ | $199 per leader |
Instructor-Led Portal
Self-Paced Portal
ReadyTech’s Self-Paced Portal provides a quality, on-demand learning experience specifically designed for self-paced course attendees. Self-Paced Portal features include:-
Ability to start and stop virtual labs and view training videos and other course materials directly in the portal.
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Access control settings for course-related PDF’s.
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Vouchers for added flexibility so attendees can start the course when they are ready.
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Course materials library.
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Translated into 14 languages.
| Plan | Monthly Subscription* | Incl. Events | Incl. Pre-paid Per Event | Extra Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | $209 | 30 | $7 | $10 |
| Plan 2 | $599 | 100 | $6 | $9 |
| Plan 3 | $1,499 | 300 | $5 | $8 |
| Plan 4 | $2,399 | 600 | $4 | $6 |
| Plan 5 | $2,999 | 1000 | $3 | $5 |
| Plan 6 | $3,999 | 2000 | $2 | $3 |
Self-Paced Portal
LabManager
Through a thumbnail view LabManager gives instructors complete visibility and control of students’ virtual labs. LabManager features include:
Take control over the participant’s remote lab.
Share screen with all or select participants.
Demo presenter’s screen or any of the participant’s screen.
Chat privately or within a group chat.
Execute commands on any or all of the remote labs.
Improve time management with the help of lab timer feature.
Gauge participants engagement through inactivity monitor.
| Plan | Maximum Participants Per Event | Unlimited Events | Monthly Subscription*To be able to use LabManager in a class, each instructor will need their own license. Each instructor counts as a seats. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1 | 26 | √ | $69 per Instructor |
| Plan 2 | 51 | √ | $109 per Instructor |
| Plan 3 | 201 | √ | $349 per Instructor |
LabManager gives instructors an over-the-shoulder view of student desktops.
Axis Professional Services Pricing
Axis Application Support – Free
Support for all aspects of the Axis web application including:
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Account Administration and Billing
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User Management
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Setup of Provider Connections
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Help with Provider Quota increases and management
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Configuration of Images, Lab Plans, Templates and Events
Image Import Pricing
ReadyTech Professional Services can help with the import and setup of your local virtual machine images at the cloud providers. We have support for the following virtual machine formats:
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VMware: VMX or OVF/A.
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Hyper-V: VHD or VHDX.
Pricing for image imports:
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Simple Image Import – $600 per image
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Single hard drive
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Flat networking
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Complete Image Import – $1,000 per image
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Multiple hard drives
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Complex networking
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Special Case Images – $1,500 per image
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UEFI/GPT images
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Linux multi hard drive images
Professional Services – $250 per hour
A scheduled online meeting with an Axis support professional
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Help develop a plan for moving your current lab setup to a provider and Axis.
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Help prepare images for upload.
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Help import images to cloud provider.
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Help calculate and manage cloud provider’s limit qoutas.
Save 30-70% switching from in-person to online training
The choice between in person training vs. online training is among the biggest financial decisions a training department makes. But the costs associated with in person training vs. online training are so different, making it hard to tell which training modality is the more economic option. To help answer this question, ReadyTech built this calculator to help you estimate the costs associated with in person training vs. online training.
24/7 Live Support
Successful training delivery solutions don’t stop at great technology and reasonable pricing. That’s why we provide complimentary 24/7 live support to all of our customers, instructors and students. So no matter where you are teaching or what time your students are accessing their labs, ReadyTech 24/7 live support is always available.
Case Study
