How to Choose Cloud-based Solutions for Your Industry's Compliance Training Needs

Choosing a cloud-based solution for your compliance training needs involves establishing industry-specific priorities alongside focusing on core areas such as reliability, security, data protection, reporting, audit readiness, integrations, user experience and adoption.

Key takeaways

• When it comes to compliance training for financial services, it’s all about regulations, security-first and auditability, and for retail, scale, accessibility and operational reality.

• Training solutions for insurance firms centre on traceability, scalability and regulatory proof, while legal companies concentrate on accuracy, ethics and professional accountability, with hospitality honing in on operational simplicity and brand protection.

• Cross-industry compliance training similarities are cloud reliability, security, data protection, reporting, audit readiness, integration with existing systems, user experience and adoption.

• In terms of industry-specific compliance training, Skillcast's cloud-based platform has successfully helped companies across various sectors with their individual needs.

• We also offer a range of core features, whatever your business type, such as regulatory credibility, audit-ready reporting, strong security, and a 24/7 conversational AI digital assistant.

Cloud-based industry-specific training solutions

• 1. Financial services: regulations, security-first and auditability

• 2. Retail: scale, accessibility and operational reality

• 3. Insurance: traceability, scalability and regulatory proof

• 4. Legal: accuracy, ethics and professional accountability

• 5. Hospitality: operational simplicity and brand protection

• Cross-industry compliance training similarities

• Industry-specific compliance training: how does Skillcast perform?

• Cloud-based complaining training solutions: FAQs

Compliance training has transitioned to the cloud due to several factors, from cost and scalability to an increasingly complex regulatory landscape and the need for real-time reporting. Cloud-based compliance training solutions such as Skillcast’s can meet your requirements, whether you’re a large retail business or a small financial services firm.

While the underlying cloud-based technology may be similar, priorities vary significantly by sector, be it insurance, legal or hospitality organisations. They all face industry-specific compliance risk but in different forms, at various scales, and with varying operational realities.

With that in mind, when choosing a cloud-based training solution for your industry-specific needs, what criteria should you use? We explore that below, including analysis of compliance training needs and what to focus on, core similarities across sectors, and how Skillcast performs.

1. Financial services: regulations, security-first and auditability

Financial services businesses are governed by strict and ever-evolving regulations, where compliance training must go way beyond educating employees. Indeed, firms are expected to prove, at any time, that training has occurred, was appropriate, and is refreshed as and when applicable laws change.

Key compliance training solution requirements

Financial services organisations must manage compliance training aligned to:

• Regulatory frameworks such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II)

• Anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) obligations

• Data protection, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

• Market conduct and insider trading rules

• Internal governance and risk policies

Picking a cloud-based compliance training solution

With auditability and traceability paramount for financial services firms, cloud-based training platforms should offer:

• Automated tracking of completion, assessment results and renewals

• Time-stamped audit trails and historical records

• Exportable, regulator-ready reports

• Secure evidence retention aligned to regulatory timelines

Security is equally critical, so focus on encryption at rest and in transit. Other important areas are single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBA), and proven certifications – for example, ISO 27001, the international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). The user experience (UX) matters, but is secondary to assurance and data integrity.

2. Retail: scale, accessibility and operational reality

Retail compliance training solutions must work for workforces that are often large and dispersed, where there can be:

• High employee turnover

• Limited access to desktops

• Significant variation in roles, locations and jurisdictions

Compliance training failures can result in fines, litigation or brand damage, particularly in areas such as data protection, payment security and workplace conduct.

Essential compliance training solution requirements

Retailers should provide cloud-based compliance training across the following:

• Health and safety

• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

• Data protection and privacy

• Anti-harassment and equality

• Loss prevention and fraud awareness

How to choose a cloud-based compliance training solution

Retail compliance training should prioritise accessibility and adoption, including:

• Mobile-first delivery

• Microlearning suited to short shifts

• Offline access for low-connectivity environments

• Multilingual support for diverse workforces

Meanwhile, from the management side of things, ensure reporting is filterable by store, region and role, certification and refresher alerts are automated, and administrative effort is minimal.

Even the most robust cloud-based training platform fails if staff can’t access or complete compliance content quickly. As such, in retail, the biggest risk isn’t regulatory complexity, but non-completion due to poor usability.

3. Insurance: traceability, scalability and regulatory proof

Insurance firms need to consider financial regulations, customer protection and sales-driven operations where agents or brokers are often distributed. Non-compliance can undermine regulatory standing and customer trust, so training solutions must be comprehensive and robust.

Core cloud-based compliance training solution requirements

Insurance organisations should factor in the following when assessing potential training solutions:

• Product governance and conduct risk

• Data protection and confidentiality

• Claims handling standards

• Sales ethics and consumer duty

• Ongoing certification and re-certification

Choosing an industry-specific training solution

With insurance, the emphasis is on continuity and scalability. This spans automated certification and license tracking, policy acknowledgement workflows, compliance training dashboards for oversight teams, and application programming interfaces (APIs) or integrations with human resources (HR) and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) systems.

The compliance training platform should scale easily to accommodate regulatory changes and product launches, without sacrificing performance or reporting accuracy.

4. Legal: accuracy, ethics and professional accountability

In a legal environment, compliance training is closely tied to professional standards and client trust. Errors or ethical breaches can result in the following:

• Regulatory sanctions

• Loss of professional accreditation

• Client litigation

• Severe reputational harm

Crucial compliance training solution requirements

Employees at legal firms require compliance training across numerous areas, including AML, financial crime prevention, anti-bribery and corruption, data protection and confidentiality, ethical conduct and professional responsibility. 

Picking a cloud-based compliance training solution

For legal teams, content quality is as important as technology, so with that in mind, compliance training should be authored or reviewed by subject matter experts (SMEs) and be jurisdiction-specific and legally accurate, while updates must reflect regulatory changes promptly. Technically, firms require:

• High security and data residency controls

• Strong audit logs and reporting for internal and external reviews

• Flexible, self-paced learning for time-pressured professionals

Legal companies are unlikely to tolerate compliance training that feels generic or outdated – it should reflect real regulatory interpretations.

5. Hospitality: operational simplicity and brand protection

Hospitality organisations operate in high-risk/visibility environments, where data breaches, staff turnover, cyberattacks and supply chain issues can pose problems. Additionally, workforces are often shift-based, highly mobile and multilingual.

Non-negotiable compliance training solution requirements

Hospitality compliance training typically covers the following:

• Food safety and hygiene

• Health and safety

• GDPR and guest data protection

• Anti-harassment and workplace conduct

What to focus on when choosing a cloud-based training solution

Compliance training solutions across the hospitality industry require speed, simplicity and consistency, including:

• Mobile training access

• Role-based learning paths

• Automated certification expiry alerts

• Clear, manager-friendly dashboards

The solution must reduce risk without slowing operations or adding friction.

Cross-industry compliance training similarities

Despite their differences, the industries we’ve discussed (as well as others) converge on a common set of requirements when it comes to compliance training solutions.

1. Cloud reliability and scalability

• Software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery with regular updates

• High uptime and performance service level agreements (SLAs)

• Ability to quickly scale users, locations and content

2. Security and data protection

• Encryption at rest and in transit

• Role-based access controls and SSO

• Recognised certifications such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2

• GDPR and data residency support

3. Reporting and audit readiness

• Automated completion tracking

• Exportable, regulator-ready reports

• Audit trails and historical records

4. Integration with existing systems

• HR and payroll

• Identity providers

• Learning management system (LMS), document management  or GRC tools

5. User experience and adoption

• Intuitive interfaces

• Mobile access

• Minimal administrative overhead

Across industries, winning compliance training solutions reduce risk while lowering administrative effort.

Whatever your business type, it's important to define your compliance training goals, assess the reputation of shortlisted vendors and the support they offer, and evaluate total cost of ownership (TCO). Pilot test before you fully roll out, and set key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure and improve.

Increasingly, you'll want to check whether potential platforms offer artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. For instance, Aida, our 24/7 digital assistant, is "tailored specifically for compliance training," helping employees "quickly retrieve key rules and guidance".

Industry-specific training: how does Skillcast perform?

Skillcast is a compliance-first, cloud-based platform that consistently aligns with regulated environments and gives you the tools to “strengthen your teams and protect your reputation”.

Industry-by-industry fit

Drilling down into industry-specific training, Skillcast has successfully helped a range of companies with their compliance programmes, from the sectors already mentioned to charities, sports, manufacturing, oil and gas and non-profits.

We look at your individual needs, making "navigating compliance simpler, smarter and more effective".

1. Financial services

We perform particularly well due to our focus on FCA-aligned content, AML, data protection and governance training. Reporting and evidence retention are strong, making our training solutions well-suited for audits and regulatory reviews.

For example, Skillcast designed highly engaging gamified learning for Barclays, helping them assess employee knowledge retention after e-learning. The results? Physical security and resilience showed 98% and 89% retention rates, respectively.

2. Retail

Skillcast’s microlearning approach and simple UX support retail use cases effectively, especially for compliance topics such as data protection and harassment. It’s strongest where retailers prioritise compliance consistency over deep skills training.

Tesco is a prime example, using Skillcast to help create a "bespoke, streamlined online induction solution" during Covid to onboard over 45,000 temporary colleagues. As a result, user access to their LMS increased by 99%, learning sessions grew by 342%, and 800,000 modules were delivered in April 2020.

3. Insurance

We align well with insurance needs around certification tracking, policy acknowledgment and compliance reporting, and the scalability of our compliance training solution supports distributed agent models.

Evolin Broking leveraged us when they needed expert-designed, scalable, efficient training courses with regularly updated, customisable content. Policy management was critical, too. They used our LMS, Insurance Library, bite-sized courses and Training360, before upgrading to the Skillcast Premium plan.

Positive outcomes for Evolin include automated manual compliance processes, invaluable time saved, engaging compliance training, and flexibility to tailor course content and compliance tools.

4. Legal

Skillcast performs strongly across ethics, AML, data protection and conduct training. Meanwhile, our structured reporting and legally focused content make us a good fit for law firms and in-house legal teams seeking defensible compliance records.

5. Hospitality

We support hospitality compliance training through mobile access, clear reporting and standardised content. The Skillcast Compliance Portal is especially effective for organisations seeking rapid onboarding and consistent compliance coverage across locations.

Associated British Foods (ABF) partnered with Skillcast to create fun and interactive compliance training, ensuring its diverse workforce is compliant across key topics. Delivered by our LMS, the analytical reporting functionality highlighted a success rate of 86% across the whole organisation. User feedback was highly positive, with 82% of learners ranking the training four and above out of five.

Compliance training: strengths across all industries

Alongside catering to industry-specific training requirements, Skillcast offers a range of core features, regardless of your business type, including:

• Regulatory credibility: content aligned with UK, EU and global compliance standards

• Audit-ready reporting: strong tracking, certificates and defensible audit trails

• Security posture: ISO-aligned controls, GDPR compliance and enterprise security features

• Ease of deployment: cloud-based, with minimal IT burden

• Regular content updates: especially valuable in fast-changing regulatory landscapes

• Aida: your AI digital assistant

Our compliance portal can also handle your e-learning and policy management, staff disclosures and surveys, compliance registers and events, all in one place.

Across financial services, retail, insurance, legal and hospitality, the core requirements are the same: prove compliance, reduce risk and simplify administration. Skillcast excels across these areas and more.

If you’re looking for a cloud-based solution for industry-specific training, get in touch with Skillcast today for more information or to book a demo.

Cloud-based complaining training solutions: FAQs

What is a cloud-based compliance training solution?

A platform hosted online that helps businesses deliver, manage, track and update compliance training. Compared to traditional on-premise systems, cloud solutions offer greater scalability, easier administration and typically more frequent feature updates.

What features does a cloud-based compliance training solution offer?

A myriad: course and content management, learner management, automated admin, tracking and reporting, compliance and certification management, multi-jurisdiction and language support, accessibility, scalability, security and access controls, integrations, assessment and feedback tools, versioning and updates, mobile and remote access, customisation and branding, advanced analytics, and AI (sometimes).

How do you know if a cloud-based solution fits your industry’s regulations?

By looking for a compliance training solution that offers industry-specific compliance content, supports regional and global regulations, provides frequent content updates, and allows customisation to match your policies.

What mistakes should you avoid when choosing a cloud-based compliance training solution?

Typical pitfalls include choosing generic training without industry relevance, overlooking reporting and audit requirements, ignoring scalability and future growth, and underestimating UX and adoption.

When it comes to compliance, what is a learning management system?

In a compliance context, an LMS is a software platform used to deliver, track, manage, document and report the online learning and training a company is required to provide to meet legal, regulatory or internal policy obligations. Skillcast’s learning management system is feature-packed, offering “one-click access to e-learning courses, comprehensive reporting capabilities, easy tailoring and branding, as well as options for integrating HR data, single sign-on and more”.

What’s the difference between a compliance training solution and a compliance LMS?

An LMS is the most common platform for delivering and managing a comprehensive compliance training solution – the central engine for automating assignment, tracking, reporting and certification for mandatory training. The "solution" is the broader goal (i.e. staying compliant and reducing risk), while the “compliance LMS” is the specific software tool that makes it possible.

Looking for more compliance insights?

Our Essentials Library contains e-learning content designed to help organisations meet fundamental compliance requirements. If you’re looking for focused training, our training packages offer a complete solution for your compliance programme.

Our e-learning courses are designed to engage employees with our microlearning library, which was created to support knowledge retention.

Our Compliance Portal also features a range of tools to digitise and automate your compliance learning. These include our:

• Learning Management System (LMS)

• Policy Hub

• Compliance Register

• Compliance Surveys

• Compliance Declarations

• AI Digital Assistant (Aida)

If you’d like to access leading insights and compliance tips, you can browse our free resources by topic to find guides, modules, compliance bites and more.

Explore our collection

References and further reading

• Azure, What is software-as-a-service (SaaS)?

• FCA, 2025 fines

• Feefo, Skillcast Reviews