External Learning in Brusnika.LMS: 5 Ways to Train External Users
Maria Ivanova
Analyst
Integrations mentioned in this article
Brusnika.LMS supports learning for people outside the company’s regular staff, including partners, dealers, customers, contractors, and candidates. The platform provides five mechanisms for external learning: Bitrix24 Extranet, separate external LMS portals, access by link, subaccounts, and invitations with the “Share” feature.
These mechanisms serve different use cases. An external LMS creates a separate learning space for an external audience. Access by link provides access to a specific learning object without an account. Subaccounts allow several learners to work under one main account, while Bitrix24 Extranet gives external users access to the same LMS used by the company’s employees.
Administrators and moderators configure access and manage external learning. External users complete learning activities, while moderators of the parent LMS can review their results in the supported sections.
What external learning allows you to do
Depending on the mechanism, Brusnika.LMS can be used to:
- give external users access through Bitrix24 Extranet;
- create separate external LMS portals from a parent LMS;
- copy courses from the parent LMS catalog to an external portal;
- work with external LMS users from the parent LMS using a portal switcher;
- open courses, tests, programs, materials, folders, lessons, events, and surveys through reusable links;
- protect links with access codes;
- set an expiration date for an external link;
- revoke a link and issue a new token;
- view anonymous results using access codes;
- create subaccounts for multiple learners under one main account;
- organize subaccounts into groups;
- import and export subaccount lists;
- use subaccounts and their groups in assignments, survey audiences, reports, and dashboards;
- invite users to a portal;
- share courses, tests, programs, surveys, materials, and events with specific colleagues.
Five mechanisms for external learning
1. Extranet
Extranet allows external users to access the same internal LMS used by company employees.
External users can be invited through a link. A default department can be assigned to invited users. An Extranet user can later be moved into the company’s main account. The transfer includes a preview step and confirmation with a code word.
Knowledge base materials can be marked with “Hide from Extranet” so that selected content is not shown to external users.
Notifications sent to Extranet employees do not contain links to the portal.
The Extranet functionality is available when Brusnika.LMS is used with Bitrix24. In a standalone LMS, this option is hidden.
2. External LMS portals
An external LMS is a separate learning space for external users without access to the company’s internal network. External LMS portals are created from the main, or parent, LMS.
An external LMS has its own users and structure. At the same time, its license and user count are shared with the parent LMS.
Under System Management → External LMS, administrators can:
- create an external portal;
- use the moderator’s email address as the moderator login;
- view a list of portals;
- see each portal’s login, address, and name;
- obtain an invitation link;
- delete an external portal.
An external LMS can define its own address through the “LMS Address” setting.
Courses can be copied from the course catalog using “Copy to external portal”.
The parent LMS can work with people from an external LMS through a portal switcher. This option is available in reports, dashboards, status management, assignments, and 360 assessment.
External LMS users are also visible under Company → External LMS.
Not every parent-LMS function is available in the external LMS context. In particular, reports for individual development plans, competencies, and career tracks are not generated for an external LMS.
External LMS portals belong to the External Learning module and are not available in the boxed version of Brusnika.LMS.
3. Access by link
Access by link provides a reusable link to a specific Brusnika.LMS object for a person who does not have an account.
Links can be created for:
- courses;
- tests;
- programs;
- materials;
- folders;
- lessons;
- events;
- surveys.
An expiration date can be set for a link. Access can also be protected with codes. Multiple codes can be added to one link, and codes are unique within the portal.
A link can be:
- copied as a URL;
- represented as a QR code;
- revoked;
- reissued with a new token.
When a link is reissued, the old link stops working.
A link can have one of three statuses:
- active;
- revoked;
- expired.
A guest opens the link, enters the access code if one is required, and is taken directly to the object player.
Anonymous reporting with access codes
Access by link can be used for anonymous testing or learning when results need to be analyzed without storing the mapping between a person and their result in the LMS.
When selecting people in a report, an access code can be entered. The report displays the code instead of the person’s name.
The mapping between access codes and real people is stored outside Brusnika.LMS.
4. Subaccounts
Subaccounts allow several learners to work under one main account. This can be useful for contractor employees, point-of-sale staff, or shift workers who do not have their own CRM seats.
A subaccount can contain:
- last name;
- first name;
- patronymic;
- Latin-character login;
- job title;
- group;
- main account owner.
Subaccounts can be organized into groups.
Lists can be imported and exported.
Self-registration is also supported: when a user enters a login that does not exist, the system offers registration.
The setting “Can log in under any main account” controls whether a user can log in under another main account.
Subaccounts support:
- password reset;
- termination;
- restoration;
- deletion of all subaccounts with double confirmation.
Subaccounts and their groups can be used in assignments, survey audiences, reports, and dashboards.
Subaccounts can also be managed through the API.
5. Invitations and “Share”
Users can be invited to a portal through an invitation link. Brusnika.LMS supports a web link and a Telegram mini-app link. The Telegram mini-app link is issued through the API. In a standalone LMS, users log in with a username and password.
The “Share” feature provides another way to give specific colleagues access to learning objects. A moderator can share:
- a course;
- a test;
- a program;
- a survey;
- a material;
- an event.
The shared object then appears for the recipient in the “Shared with you” section.
Choosing an external learning mechanism
The five mechanisms differ in how users are identified and how learning access is organized.
| Mechanism | How it works | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Bitrix24 Extranet | External users access the same LMS as company employees | External learning in a Bitrix24 environment |
| External LMS | A separate learning portal is created from the parent LMS | Dedicated learning for dealers, partners, and other external groups |
| Access by link | A user opens a specific object without an account | Courses, tests, programs, and other objects shared by link |
| Subaccounts | Several learners work under one main account | Audiences without separate CRM seats |
| Invitations and “Share” | A user receives a portal invitation or a specific shared object | Direct access to a portal or learning object |
The appropriate mechanism depends on whether external learners need an individual account, a separate learning portal, or only access to a particular object.
How an external LMS works
A typical external LMS workflow is:
- Create an external LMS from the parent LMS.
- Assign the external portal its own address.
- Send the invitation link to external users.
- Copy relevant courses from the parent LMS catalog to the external portal.
- External users complete their learning in that portal.
- A moderator in the parent LMS switches to the relevant portal in supported sections and works with its users and data.
The external LMS has its own users and structure, while its users remain part of the parent LMS’s shared license.
Use cases
Dealer training
A company can create a separate external LMS for its dealer network, send invitations, and copy product courses to the dealer portal.
Progress can then be reviewed from the parent LMS by switching to the dealer portal in the supported areas.
Candidate testing
For candidate screening, an external access link can be created for an entrance test.
The link can have an expiration date, such as the end of the month. Access codes can be generated for candidates and sent together with the link.
Results can be reviewed in reports by access code. In this scenario, the mapping between codes and real people is stored outside the LMS.
Training contractors or learners without individual CRM seats
When several learners need access to training but do not have individual CRM seats, subaccounts can be used.
Learners can be organized into groups, and those groups can be used in assignments and survey audiences. Their data can also be included in reports and dashboards.
External learning reports and analytics
External users are included in the supported analytics mechanisms of Brusnika.LMS.
For external LMS portals, the portal switcher is available in:
- reports;
- dashboards;
- status management;
- assignments;
- 360 assessment.
The active-user report also takes external LMS users into account.
Guests who access learning through an external link can be viewed in reports by access code.
Subaccounts and their groups are available as filters in dashboards and reports.
Reports for individual development plans, competencies, and career tracks are not generated in the context of an external LMS.
Connections with other Brusnika.LMS features
External learning connects with other Brusnika.LMS capabilities:
- Assignments — subaccounts and external LMS users can be assignment recipients.
- Catalogs — courses can be copied to external portals, and individual objects can be shared with users.
- Reports and dashboards — supported analytics can include external users and subaccounts.
- Surveys — subaccounts and their groups can be used when defining a survey audience.
- Knowledge base — the Extranet provides a “Hide from Extranet” setting for materials.
- 360 assessment — a portal switcher is available when working with 360 assessment in the external LMS context.
- API — the API supports operations involving users, subaccounts, and invitation links.
These connections do not mean that every Brusnika.LMS feature is available through every external-learning mechanism. Available functionality depends on the access method and the specific context.
Where external learning is configured
The main configuration areas are:
- System Management → Extranet;
- System Management → External LMS;
- Learning Management → External Access by Link;
- Learning Management → Subaccounts.
Limitations and conditions
When using external learning, consider the following:
- Extranet is available only with Bitrix24; the option is hidden in a standalone LMS.
- External LMS portals are not available in the boxed version.
- External LMS users count toward the parent LMS’s shared license.
- Individual development plan, competency, and career-track reports are not generated in the context of an external LMS.
- For anonymous reporting by access code, the mapping between a code and the real person is stored outside Brusnika.LMS.
- Availability of a specific feature inside a particular business system depends on the relevant integration and its implementation.
Frequently asked questions
What is external learning in Brusnika.LMS?
External learning is a set of five mechanisms for training people outside the company’s regular staff, including partners, dealers, customers, contractors, and candidates.
What external learning methods are available?
Brusnika.LMS provides Bitrix24 Extranet, external LMS portals, access by link, subaccounts, and invitations with the “Share” feature.
Can I create a separate LMS for dealers or partners?
Yes. An external LMS can be created from a parent LMS with its own users and structure. Courses can be copied to the external portal.
Can external users learn without having an LMS account?
Yes. Access by link can provide access to a supported learning object without creating an account. An access code can be required if needed.
Which objects can be shared through an external link?
Courses, tests, programs, materials, folders, lessons, events, and surveys can be accessed through an external link.
Can an external link have an expiration date?
Yes. An expiration date can be set. A link can also be revoked and reissued with a new token.
Can external links be used for anonymous testing?
Yes. Reports can use access codes instead of names. The mapping between codes and real people is stored outside the LMS.
What are subaccounts used for?
Subaccounts allow multiple learners to work under one main account. They can be useful for audiences that do not have separate CRM seats.
Can external LMS users be analyzed from the parent LMS?
Yes. Supported sections provide a portal switcher for working with external LMS users from the parent LMS. However, individual development plan, competency, and career-track reports are not available in the external LMS context.
Is Bitrix24 Extranet available in a standalone LMS?
No. Extranet is available when Brusnika.LMS is used with Bitrix24. The option is hidden in a standalone LMS.