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In the beginning, TCT provided all of our IT courseware on interactive
videodisks. Videodisk technology required three hardware components:
a special monitor, a videodisk player, and a PC. The entire system
cost about $12,000. When used together, these three components made
up one of the first self-paced interactive training systems. It
was at this time that TCT began to carve its niche as a self-paced
IT training leader. At the time, self-paced training as an industry
was in its early stages of development. The benefits of self-paced
training were already becoming evident to many of the world's leading
organizations, but the high cost of purchasing the hardware components
for a self-paced delivery system allowed only the biggest players
to take advantage of their effectiveness. Organizations like GM,
AT&T, and the Army were some of our earliest clients, and we
focused almost entirely on developing specialized, custom courseware
that was specific to those customers' environments. Toward the end
of the '80's, demand for self-paced training in the area of information
technology exploded and the market demanded a more affordable delivery
platform. We abandoned videodisk technology as the industry transitioned
into wide-spread use of videotape as a primary delivery mechanism
for self-paced training. However, we didn't abandon our focus. We
continued to stay true to our goal of providing top-quality self-paced
training in the areas of LAN, WAN, and telecommunications.
During this period we saw our company and marketplace
grow. We moved away from custom courseware and began to produce
"off the shelf" IT training that we could sell in the
open marketplace to multiple organizations. With the industry transition
to videotape as a delivery platform, we found that we could offer
our courseware to a wider audience. Virtually every organization
we approached would now have the only hardware component necessary
(a VCR) for taking advantage of our self-paced training. Although
the videotape medium was not as interactive as videodisk, we made
up for that by providing well designed workbooks that enriched
the user's learning experience and provided the interactivity necessary
for ensuring higher levels of knowledge retention. It was during
these years that we became even more focused on playing a leading
role in the self-paced IT training industry. It was that dedication
that prepared us for an easy transition to CD-ROM/LAN delivery in
the mid-'90's. Higher levels of interactivity was the self-paced
training industry "buzz" and CD-ROMs provided that interactivity.
We embraced the new delivery medium and became pioneers in the industry;
improving our product and providing a more effective training experience
for our customers.
In 1996, we offered our first CD-ROM based course.
Shortly afterward, we converted all of our courseware from videotape
to CD-ROM because, as a delivery medium, CD-ROMs provided such a
high level of interactivity and a true self-paced experience for
the user. Users could access IT training right from their desk.
The days of having to hunt for a videotape player and a quiet room
were over. Training could finally be accessed on demand with virtually
no hassles. In addition, our CD-ROM courseware could be loaded onto
a network server and accessed through an organization's local area
network. CD-ROMs allowed us our first opportunity to provide our
customers with simulation engines that emulated real world network
scenarios. Simulations became a key part of our focus during these
years. By utilizing our simulation-based CD-ROM training, a student
would now have the ability to configure IT industry hardware and
software components just as if they were working on a live network.
Once again, we found ourselves playing a key role in the evolution
of the self-paced training industry. But our largest evolutionary
swing was yet to come...a little thing called e-learning.
Today, all of our courseware is delivered over
the Internet. As the web has become part of our everyday lives,
it has too become one of the primary mechanisms for delivering self-paced
training in today's marketplace. We still provide our customers
with an effective, highly-interactive, simulation-based training
experience, only now virtually anyone can access our courseware
from anywhere, at any time. We still provide the same quality products
that we have for almost 20 years and we are still focused on advanced
IT subject matter. We have been around since the very beginnings
of self-paced training and we have evolved as a company to stay
at the forefront of the industry. TCT was, still is, and will always
be focused on providing the highest quality training in the areas
of LAN, WAN, and telecommunications.
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