Running Ibexpert Portable from a high-latency network share (VPN or SMB over WAN) will be slow during startup because it loads DLLs across the wire. Copy the folder locally to %TEMP% first, run it, then delete.
In training scenarios, setting up individual installations for each student wastes time. Distribute a USB drive with IBExpert Portable and a Firebird embedded database — students are up and running in seconds.