Customer Stories / Software & Internet
Heropa Helps Cellebrite Transform Virtual Training and Give Learners a Better Experience using AWS
100+
simultaneous learners supported in group sessions
Weeks to minutes
Reduced setup and configuration time for virtual labs
Reduced operating costs
by eliminating the need to buy and manage laptops
Innovation focus
Freed up resources for improving learning content
Overview
Heropa is a virtual IT lab platform providing cloud-based labs for software training and sales on AWS. With an increasing number of customers requesting access to macOS environments, Heropa introduced on-demand Amazon EC2 Mac instances.
Leveraging Amazon EC2 Mac Instances, Heropa incorporated macOS environments into its virtual IT lab platform. Cellebrite was one of its first customers to use this platform for training. As a result, Cellebrite lowered costs, cut training setup times from weeks to minutes, scaled up to support over 100 simultaneous learners, and enhanced the learner experience.
Opportunity | Meeting the Demand for macOS-Based Training
The adoption of Apple Mac devices in the enterprise has grown considerably in recent years. Sydney-based Heropa is responding to this ongoing trend by providing a way for software companies to easily incorporate macOS environments in their training and sales processes. Jason Kinsella, director at Heropa, says, “Our company’s mission is to simplify the delivery of complex software environments for hands-on learning.” To support customers across the United States, Europe, and Asia, Heropa delivers its cloud-based labs on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and uses AWS services such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2).
As Mac computers started to be widely deployed across every business, many of Heropa’s customers requested on-demand macOS desktops on the Heropa platform. “A lot of our customers wanted the same macOS capability for training and sales as they had for Windows and Linux, but it was challenging for them logistically,” Kinsella says. For example, Cellebrite, a provider of digital intelligence software, offered virtual instructor-led training on Windows and Linux environments, and needed to also offer these capabilities on macOS.
Cellebrite was physically shipping Macbook laptops to training sites or using a third-party virtual macOS desktop solution. Cellebrite administrators spent considerable effort setting up labs and managing virtual images for macOS training. According to Gadi Rapaport, VP global IT at Cellebrite, both solutions were costly and unscalable, hindering Cellebrite’s ability to grow its training program.
With Heropa, I’ve got a well-thought-out, well-executed solution that can provide macOS training anywhere in the world, and everything always works smoothly. Our trainers run hundreds of courses without the need for IT assistance.”
Gadi Rapaport
VP, Global IT, Cellebrite
Solution | Leveraging Amazon EC2 Mac Instances to Support macOS in Heropa’s Virtual Lab Platform
To meet its customers’ demands, Heropa began using Amazon EC2 Mac instances—which allow companies to run on-demand macOS workloads on AWS—and worked closely with Cellebrite to develop the macOS solution. “Using Amazon EC2 Mac instances, we can provide Cellebrite with frictionless web-based access to macOS environments on our platform, with similar access as Windows and Linux,” Kinsella says.
With Amazon EC2 Mac instances, Heropa now provides a convenient solution with a one-click macOS desktop accessible through a web browser. This allows Cellebrite to offer instructor-led and self-paced macOS-based software training. Cellebrite’s learners anywhere in the world can easily launch an on-demand macOS desktop and expect high performance.
Outcome | Reducing Setup Time, Driving Growth, and Improving the Learner Experience
Using Heropa, Cellebrite’s training team can easily run virtual instructor-led training anywhere in the world without the need for physical laptops. “Instead of spending time shipping and provisioning laptops, Cellebrite has reduced class setup times from weeks to minutes using Amazon EC2 Mac instances,” says Rapaport. “Trainers can access centrally managed macOS images that don’t require configuration or ongoing management.”
Additionally, Cellebrite has scaled its training program globally, offering training to larger groups of learners. Rapaport states, “We can now accommodate more than 100 macOS learners in a single session. Operating at that scale was previously unthinkable. By having access to on-demand Mac instances and only paying for what we use, we’ve eliminated the fixed costs related to owning physical Macbooks.” Thanks to these savings, the Cellebrite training business unit has realized increased profitability.
Cellebrite’s trainers can now focus on developing higher-quality training rather than spending their time struggling with technical delivery challenges. They have been able to expand their offerings to include courses that seamlessly integrate both Windows and macOS in the same classroom environment, a capability that was not previously possible. Furthermore, Cellebrite’s learners have gained an enhanced learner experience as they have hands-on access to multiple operating systems in a single environment. Rapaport highlights the positive impact of this innovation, stating, "Before Heropa, our forensics training was very disjointed. By consolidating Windows, Linux, and macOS courses in a single classroom, we’ve simplified the learning experience.”
Heropa is actively expanding its macOS customer base. “Our customers are continually finding new use cases for our on-demand macOS desktops. For example, another one of our customers is using this technology to offer a complete, end-to-end, multi-vendor cyber lab program,” Kinsella says. “Amazon EC2 Mac instances have helped us unlock business growth, and we expect to continue adding more customers in the future.”
About Heropa
Heropa, headquartered in Sydney, Australia, offers a virtual IT labs platform for software training and sales. The company’s customers use Heropa to run virtual instructor-led training, deliver hands-on self-paced software training, and showcase software in sales demos, POCs, and events.
AWS Services Used
Amazon EC2 Mac instances
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) Mac instances allow you to run on-demand macOS workloads in the cloud for the first time, extending the flexibility, scalability, and cost benefits of AWS to all Apple developers.
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Amazon EC2
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) offers the broadest and deepest compute platform, with over 600 instances and choice of the latest processor, storage, networking, operating system, and purchase model to help you best match the needs of your workload.
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