HRchitect Tech Vendor News: Skillsoft Marks 10th Anniversary of its Groundbreaking Learning Growth Model

May 20, 2013

Skillsoft Marks 10th Anniversary of its Groundbreaking Learning Growth Model

If you are looking for a new Human Capital Management (HCM) System, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 16 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HCM vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

NASHUA, N.H.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Marking the 10-year anniversary of its Learning Growth Model®, Skillsoft introduced an updated whitepaper that illustrates the transformation of training into learning and includes the most recent innovations in the learning industry. Initially developed in 2003 to help organizations chart a realistic direction on their path to learning optimization, the five-stage model aligns learning with strategic business goals, leading to increased cost savings, productivity, performance, employee retention and competitive advantage. A new infographic was also developed that outlines the latest version of the Learning Growth Model and is available at: http://on.fb.me/14HOiic. Skillsoft is a pioneer in the field of technology-delivered learning with a long history of innovation and delivering solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small businesses.

The Learning Growth Model is detailed in Skillsoft’s whitepaper, The Skillsoft Learning Growth Model: A Blueprint for Integrating Learning into the Life of the Enterprise in Five Manageable Stages. The whitepaper presents a clear business value for linking learning to organizational business goals to increase the value and impact of the learning program. Organizations can learn how to transform learning from skills-focused training to business-focused learning that aligns with strategic business goals and provides a greater business value. A key phase in this process is reaching strategic transformation, which is the minimal position for all organizations that seek to align learning to business goals and are focused on building the optimum transfer of learning into the workplace.

“Developing talent is an organizational imperative as the demand for innovative, leading edge talent is intensifying with no sign of slowing down. Industry experts estimate that 55-80 percent of what people learn is lost or not applied to the job. This puts pressure on organizations to justify the time and resources they dedicate to learning,” said John Ambrose, senior vice president, strategy, corporate development and emerging business, Skillsoft. “By closely correlating a learning program with tangible business goals, organizations can improve knowledge retention and document a return on their learning investment. Our whitepaper and infographic are excellent tools for guidance through this process, which transforms basic training into integrated learning.”

The five stages of the Skillsoft Learning Growth Model are:

Stage 1 – Supplement. In this stage, elearning is introduced to address scalability challenges and reduce costs. New elearning resources address a backlog of demand for skills-based training that could not be delivered via traditional methods due to high costs. Reduced travel costs, design and development costs, instructor time and learners’ time away from work all contribute to significant cost savings.

Stage 2 – Targeted. During stage two, targeted learning begins to support specific initiatives and job roles. This stage expands earlier results and provides elearning in new workplace areas. Elearning resources replace redundant classroom training, which further reduces learning costs. Executive support typically increases during this stage of the Learning Growth Model.

Stage 3 – Strategic. Learning is aligned to strategic business objectives and begins to connect to talent management to increase the value and impact of learning during stage three. This is the most pivotal stage in the Learning Growth Model and marks the transformation from skills-focused training to business-focused learning and is a major point of change into a new learning paradigm.

Stage 4 – Integrated. Stage four is marked by increasing talent and accelerating organizational agility. Organizations that reach this stage have successfully woven learning into the fabric of the organization. Learning is focused on accelerating business results, deepening the talent pool and creating an agile, empowering, productive and creative organization.

Stage 5 – Optimized. Organizations at the optimized stage have fully matured and are focused on deepening talent and broadening learning to the extended enterprise. Elearning is branched out to the organization’s supply chain, customers, etc. Learning has become globally ubiquitous and seamlessly integrates into the workplace.

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To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 16 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


HRchitect Tech Vendor News: SilkRoad Connections Brings Together Customers and Industry Thought Leaders

May 17, 2013

SilkRoad Connections Brings Together Global Customers and Industry Thought Leaders to Empower HR

SilkRoad, a leading global provider of cloud-based social talent management solutions, will bring together several hundred customers, partners and employees at its fourth annual SilkRoad Connections, taking place at The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Florida, on May 19 – 22, 2013.

SilkRoad’s Global User Event connects international Life Suite® software solutions customers with industry thought leaders and SilkRoad experts over the course of three days to share, experience and discuss the latest innovations in social talent management.  Industry and product-related sessions will help HR leaders to increase business performance using SilkRoad’s cloud-based software solutions.

Highlights of this year’s conference include:

  • Keynotes by Dan Pink, author of New York Times bestsellers A Whole New Mind and Drive, and Bob Kelleher, award-winning author of LOUDER THAN WORDS: 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results and Creativeship, A Novel for Evolving Leaders.
  • Social Talent Management sessions that will address integrating social media into everyday HR to reach candidates more effectively and foster employee collaboration and communication.
  • Mobile Talent Management sessions where attendees will discover how mobile learning, benefits, recruitment and performance delivers business agility and improved employee and candidate experience.
  • HR Management sessions that will provide first-hand accounts from SilkRoad customers on using HRMS solutions to unburden HR with everyday administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on the transformative elements of the job.

“SilkRoad Connections is one of the premier events of the year for people interested in cutting-edge strategies for engaging and developing employees,” said Edward Vesely, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer at SilkRoad.  “In today’s competitive marketplace, where talent is often the deciding factor between success and failure, Connections gives our customers the critical tools and knowledge to make strategic HR decisions that drive real results.”

For more information about SilkRoad Connections, visit http://users.silkroad.com.

About SilkRoad

SilkRoad is a leading global provider of end-to-end HR solutions that enable customers to find, attract, develop, and retain the best talent.  The award-winning SilkRoad® Life Suite® solution set includes Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Talent Portal, and HRMS solutions that are easy to deploy, easy to use, and affordable.  Powered by social, mobile, analytic, and cloud technology, it’s everything you need in one platform to engage your people and rapidly boost business performance.  Visit www.silkroad.com, follow them on Twitter @SilkRoadTweets or call 866-329-3363 (U.S. toll free) or +1-312-574-3700.

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To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 16 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


HRchitect Technology Vendor News: Saba Appoints Mark Robinson as Chief Financial Officer

May 16, 2013

Proven Executive to Leverage Experience in Building Businesses for Growth and Success

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – May 7, 2013 – Saba (OTC Pink: SABA), the premier provider of people-centric enterprise solutions, announced today the appointment of Mark W. Robinson as Chief Financial Officer. Saba anticipates that Mr. Robinson will assume his new position with the Company on or prior to June 3, 2013. In this role, Mr. Robinson will report to the Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Robinson brings to Saba 25 years of executive leadership experience in building a range of technology companies. He joins Saba after spending nearly five years with Calypso Technology, Inc., where he served as Chief Financial Officer for this multinational software and professional services company. Prior to joining Calypso Technology, Inc., he served as Chief Financial Officer of Discus Dental, a manufacturer of consumer goods and medical devices. He was previously Chief Financial Officer of Q Comm International, a leader in prepaid telecommunication products. He also served in several other management roles at companies including Prometrix/KLA-Tencor and Hewlett Packard Corporation.

“Mark brings deep experience from technology companies and important leadership skills that will help drive the planning and execution of our immediate and long-term financial strategies,” said Shawn Farshchi, interim Chief Executive Officer of Saba. “He is joining at a pivotal point in our evolution. His experience will prove invaluable as we aim to expand our reach into new markets and penetrate key segments.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Robinson said, “This is an exciting time to be joining Saba. The company is executing on its cloud product strategy for next-generation talent management solutions, is led by a talented team and is positioned to address very attractive markets. I am energized by the challenge and look forward to contributing to the company’s success.”

Mr. Robinson earned his M.B.A. and B.S. in Finance & Marketing from The University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

About Saba

Saba (OTC Pink: SABA) enables global organizations to build a transformative workplace that leverages the advent of social networking in business and the ubiquity of mobile to empower an organization’s most mission-critical assets – its people. The company provides a set of people-centric enterprise solutions to various businesses and industries worldwide. Saba delivers cloud-based learningperformanceplanning and collaboration solutions to transform the way people work.

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To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM)Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 16 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


HRchitect’s HRtechnology Vendor News: University of California Selects Infor Enwisen HR Service Delivery to Support UCPath Center Project

May 14, 2013
Infor Applications to Support HR Shared Services for Employees Across 10 Campuses & Five Medical Centers

NEW YORK -  Apr 23, 2013

Infor, a leading provider of business application software serving more than 70,000 customers, today announced that the University of California has selected Infor Enwisen HR Service Delivery to help complete its HR transformation project, UCPath, to deploy a single payroll and human resources system across all ten campuses and five medical centers. The UCPath Center is the University’s new HR shared services center that will employ Infor’s cloud-enabled, HR-specific Portal/Knowledgebase and Case Management applications to standardize business processes for nearly 190,000 employees and move the institution toward a true human resource shared services model. Further, the solution will offer a more user-specific experience to employees and managers, drastically reducing redundancies and inefficiencies across the network while increasing employee engagement levels.

Infor Human Capital Management solutions facilitate faster day-to-day processes so staff can spend less time navigating systematical issues and more time focusing on the value of service.  The Infor solution in particular was selected to help UC provide important options for employees seeking answers to critical HR, payroll and benefits questions. With Infor HR Portal/Knowledgebase, UC employees will have the ability to quickly find answers to most of their own questions via a personalized, searchable self-service experience without ever placing a call to HR.   Through Infor Case Management, employee inquiries that require HR assistance can be tracked and resolved more quickly, with fewer matters requiring escalation to subject matter experts.

News Points

  • The University of California selected Infor due to the human resource-centric nature of its HCM solutions, and integration with other third-party applications and overall successful reputation with higher education installations. The Infor solution helps the UCPath Center with its primary objective of providing the highest degree of service and the lowest possible cost.
  • The University of California will also benefit from a faster, cloud-based implementation. The Infor application can be accessed through a web portal, which contains useful tools, information and reports, and unifies multiple functions into a single application, providing extensive flexibility and customization potential. When an employee signs in, information specific to his/her campus, job level, union or benefits plan will be displayed.
  • Infor Case Management will help UC human resource service representatives manage inquiries when employees cannot find the answers to questions on their own. Complex employee and manager HR inquiries are also initiated through the online AskHR feature and then they are escalated to HR subject matter experts within the HR Shared Services Center, when necessary.
  • Infor Portal/Knowledgebase is a personalized, searchable online source for information and decision support, providing UC with a multi-tier approach to HR service delivery.
  • The Infor HR Shared Services Solution for UCPath is designed to be easily integrated with existing third-party products to provide a more complete snapshot of performance, enabling consolidated data access for employees and a more complete view of the network for faster business decisions.

University of California Quote

“Infor delivered a complete solution of technology, resources and experience in the HR and payroll arena that other vendors lacked,” said Randy Anderson, UCPath Center Technical Lead. “Most case management and knowledge management tools available grew up in the IT or retail sales space.  It was refreshing to find a product and service specifically designed to meet our HR needs.”

Infor Quote

“Infor understands that cost effectively scaling human resources capability while simultaneously improving services to University of California employees needs specialized technology that engages employees and facilitates resolution in real-time,” said Tarik Taman, general manager, Human Capital Management, Infor. “We are uniquely able to help unify our customers’ complex and heterogeneous HCM systems and processes by putting data at both the fingertips of the employees and managers – providing enhanced HR services with fewer dedicated resources and lower costs.”

About The University of California

Founded in 1868, the University of California opened in 1869 with 10 faculty members and 38 students. Today, UC has 10 campuses, five medical centers, 18 health professional schools and programs, six business schools and five law schools, plus professional and enrichment courses and agricultural and natural resources programs that extend learning throughout California. UC also manages Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is a partner in limited liability corporations that manage Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories. The UC system includes nearly 240,000 students, more than 190,000 employees, 50,000 retirees and roughly 1.7 million living alumni.

About Infor

Infor is fundamentally changing the way information is published and consumed in the enterprise, helping 70,000 customers in 194 countries improve operations, drive growth, and quickly adapt to changes in business demands. Infor offers deep industry-specific applications and suites, engineered for speed, and with an innovative user experience design that is simple, transparent, and elegant.  Infor provides flexible deployment options that give customers a choice to run their businesses in the cloud, on-premises, or both. To learn more about Infor, please visit www.infor.com.

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To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM)Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 16 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


HRchitect’s HRtechnology Vendor News: Saba Announces Anticipated Delisting from NASDAQ Global Select Market

April 15, 2013

HRchitect includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Saba appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on August 14, 2009. Matt Lafata with HRchitect attended the 2010 Saba Global Summit and Analyst Day in Boston, MA. Matt Lafata & Tiffany Appleby attended the Saba Global Sales Rally FY12 & FY13 in Redwood Shores, CA, the Saba Global Summit 2012 in Miami, FL and the Global Summit and Analyst Day 2013 in San Francisco, CA.

Provides Update on Business Momentum; Secures Bank Extension 

Saba (NASDAQ: SABA), the premier provider of people-centric enterprise solutions, today announced that it has determined that it will be unable to regain compliance with the Company’s SEC filing requirements for continued listing of its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market by the previously reported April 4, 2013 deadline set by The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC Hearings Panel (the “Panel”). As previously reported, the Company is not current in its periodic report filing requirements with the SEC as a result of the Company’s pending restatement of prior financial results.

While the Company has been working diligently to complete the restatement and regain compliance with its reporting requirements, the Company has determined that it will be unable to achieve these objectives prior to the April 4, 2013 deadline. The Company has made significant progress toward completion of the restatement, including the determination of completion dates for our consulting services arrangements. The finalization of these completion dates is needed to recognize revenue from such arrangements on contract completion, rather than on a proportional performance basis, and complete the restatement.

The Company anticipates that the impact of the restatement on its financial statements:

  • will change the time period during which the affected revenues, including a portion of the Company’s cloud-based subscription services, were recognized, generally shifting the timing of such revenues to later periods;
  • will not result in changes in the cumulative revenue to be recognized over the duration of the Company’s contractual arrangements; and
  • will not result in changes in cumulative cash flow from operations.

The Company intends to complete the restatement and regain compliance with its filing requirements as soon as practicable. In connection with becoming current in its SEC filing requirements, the Company intends to apply for prompt readmission to the NASDAQ Global Select Market so that it can trade on that market as early as possible after regaining compliance with the listing requirements. Although the Company has set a revised objective to complete the restatement process in the next few months, there are some inherent uncertainties in the amount of time required to complete the work and there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in meeting this timing goal.

The Company anticipates that its shares of common stock will be delisted from the NASDAQ Global Select Market later this week. Following the suspension of trading in the Company’s common stock on NASDAQ, the Company expects that its shares will trade on the OTC Markets – OTC Pink Tier while the Company works to finalize the restatement. The Company’s trading symbol will remain SABA. For quotes or additional information on OTC Markets and the OTC Pink Tier, you may visit www.otcmarkets.com.

Business Update

The Company is not in a position to report its financial results for fiscal year 2012 ended May 31, 2012 and the third quarter of fiscal year 2013 ended February 28, 2013. However, with respect to certain metrics not expected to be impacted by the restatement, the Company is providing the following guidance:

  • In the first three quarters of fiscal year 2013 (ended February 28, 2013), cloud bookings (the annual contract value of cloud arrangements) grew 23% over the respective nine-month period a year ago, while cloud billings (cloud revenue plus the change in cloud deferred revenue) remained relatively flat
  • Cloud renewal rates for the first nine months of 2013 remained in excess of 90%
  • Signed 146 new customers in the first nine months of fiscal year 2013, already exceeding the 141 new customers added in fiscal year 2012
  • Reached over 10.6 million cloud subscribers
  • Approximately $12.1 million in cash (after aggregate payments of approximately $7.6 million associated with the accounting review and restatement) and $25 million in debt at the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2013
  • Cash flow from operations, excluding costs associated with the accounting review and restructuring, was approximately breakeven for the nine months ended February 28, 2013, and is expected to be approximately breakeven for the fiscal year ending May 31, 2013

The Company continues to innovate and introduce to the market new products and new versions of existing products. The Company’s recent product innovations include:

  • Saba People Cloud with major innovations around e-Commerce and Formal Learning
  • Saba Enterprise Release 7 with major innovation in unifying Saba Assessment
  • Saba Meeting 8
  • Saba HCS Winter 2013
  • Saba Enterprise Mobile (first release of app ioS)
  • Saba Meeting Mobile (ios and android)
  • Saba People Cloud Mobile (ios and android)

Credit Facility Extension

The Company also announced that it has entered into a letter agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (“Wells Fargo”) dated as of March 29, 2013 pursuant to which Wells Fargo extended to April 30, 2013 the time for the Company to comply with certain terms of the Credit Agreement with Wells Fargo dated as of June 27, 2011, primarily relating to the delayed SEC filings and the pending restatement of the Company’s prior financial results.

Conference Call

Saba will host a conference call and live webcast on Friday, April 5, 2013 commencing at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time to discuss the status of the restatement. To join the call, please dial 1.800.230.1059 or +1.612.234.9959. The access code for the conference call is 287627. To listen to the live webcast, please go to the Investor Relations page of the Saba web site at http://investor.saba.com and click on the Live Webcast icon.

A replay of the conference call will be available shortly after its conclusion. The replay dial-in number is +1.800.475.6701 or +1.320.365.3844. The access code for the conference call replay is 287627. The replay can also be accessed from the Investor Relations page of the Saba web site at http://investor.saba.com and will be available through May 5, 2013.

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If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 16 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


HRchitect’s HRtechnology Vendor News: SilkRoad Partners with OpenSesame to Deliver Personalized eLearning Solution

April 8, 2013

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 16 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

GreenLight Offers Real-Time Access to More Than 21,000 eLearning Courses through Online Marketplace

SilkRoad, a leading global provider of cloud-based social talent management software, has teamed up with OpenSesame to provide an innovative new way to access eLearning content. The new partnership gives SilkRoad’s GreenLight® learning management system (LMS) customers instant access to OpenSesame’s online marketplace, which makes purchasing training content from the world’s most reputable providers as easy as purchasing a song in iTunes. As a result, employers are able to meet critical training needs while keeping employees engaged and interested with a social, web-based LMS.

Matching today’s on-demand culture, SilkRoad’s partnership with OpenSesame eliminates the archaic method of buying entire training libraries that sit unused by employees. It allows for more personalized and tailored training packages that help organizations focus on critical training initiatives to drive business objectives.

“OpenSesame gives companies the freedom and flexibility they need to develop employees and save money by buying only the necessary courses. Similar to how iTunes changed the music industry, we see OpenSesame changing the online courseware space,” said Chris Lennon, director of product management, SilkRoad. “We’re excited to make this pioneering eLearning marketplace available within GreenLight.”

“One of OpenSesame’s goals is to remove all of the headache and hassle that usually comes with working with multiple content vendors. No longer will our customers have to feel stuck between their content provider and their LMS provider when content doesn’t work,” said Tom Turnbull, vice president of business development, OpenSesame. “With our proprietary technology, we assure that all courses will work with SilkRoad’s GreenLight.”

The new partnership provides an innovative model for advanced workforce training, providing seamless access to SCORM compliant eLearning while providing companies the advantage of:

  • A 72-course bundle – Customers can access a collection of courses that address comprehensive training needs including: Microsoft Office, compliance and safety and leadership skills.
  • A mobile-ready solution – Through GreenLight, HTML 5 based courses are easily accessible on an employee’s mobile device.
  • Employee empowerment – Employees are motivated to drive their own careers by viewing new and completed learning opportunities within their overall development plan.
  • 21,000 courses from leading publishers – Customers have access to additional courses from over 260 leading content publishers via OpenSesame’s marketplace, eliminating the need to go through multiple vendors and ensuring that additional IT support isn’t required to make courses work within the GreenLight® LMS.
  • Integrated reporting – Courses are tracked and reported within GreenLight to provide a clear picture and measurement of the impact of training.

“A marketplace for learning content is a novel idea that will change the way companies build their training programs,” said Line Penfound, Human Resources Manager at DST Consulting Engineers. “Having the ability to quickly find and put into practice the courses that make sense for our employees without the hassle of IT customizations grants us the timeliness we need to keep our workforce agile and ahead of the competition.”

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To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 16 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


HRchitect’s HRtechnology Vendor News: Oracle Releases Oracle Learn Cloud 13A

April 4, 2013

 If you are looking for a new Human Capital Management (HCM) System, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 16 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR, Talent Management and Workforce Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

Advanced Global Functionality and Usability Enhancements Provide Richer Learning Experience for Oracle Learn Customers

News Facts

To help organizations develop a high-performance and aligned global workforce, Oracle has introduced Oracle Learn Cloud 13A.
The latest version of the learning management system (LMS) expands its global reach with additional time zones, languages and date format preferences, along with usability updates to help increase adoption and convenience.
Part of the Oracle Cloud, Oracle Learn Cloud is a comprehensive solution for delivering, tracking, managing and reporting on all types of formal and informal training. Using a single platform to access online, virtual and on-the-job training, organizations can design tailored user experiences through highly configurable learning portals with a unique user interface to manage learning globally.

User-Friendly Enhancements Drive Global Consistency and Efficiency in Learning

Educating and training employees in compliance with company and other federal regulations is crucial for legal purposes. Yet managing learning across geographies and regions can be challenging, particularly when accounting for regional differences in languages, work days, and work weeks.
With updates to usability and global preferences, Oracle Learn Cloud 13A paves the way for a richer learning experience that accelerates learner adoption to enhance performance and streamline the learning process.
New functionality provides customers with more global options, flexibility and consistency using one single learning system:

o With expanded options for time and date formats, including 36 new time zones, administrators and learners around the world can create and view courses in their local time zones regardless of where they are located. Users can also set their own start day of a work week to avoid schedule conflicts. For example, if you are located in the US and want to schedule a course in China, your learners can attend the same course from China without disruption.

o Oracle Learn Cloud is now available in 19 languages, including Polish, Dutch and Danish, which were added to this release.

Redesigned interfaces for users and administrators to enrich the user experience, including a tabbed interface that allows administrators to more easily discover content and training opportunities.

Supporting Quote

“Learning is critical to aligning an increasingly global workforce, though organizations must understand there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to training,” said Jim Obsitnik, group vice president and general manager, Oracle Learn Cloud. “Oracle Learn Cloud incorporates new enhancements to support learning on a global scale, helping organizations achieve maximum efficiency through a centralized cloud-based learning management system that delivers unique, tailored user experiences to maximize learner adoption.”
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To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 16 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect


Oracle Buys SelectMinds…from Oracle

September 20, 2012

 

Adds Social Talent Sourcing Capabilities to Oracle’s Talent Management Cloud

 

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

News Facts

  • Oracle today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire SelectMinds, a provider of cloud-based social talent sourcing and corporate alumni management applications.
  • SelectMinds’ applications enable organizations to empower recruiters, hiring managers and employees to leverage social connections to distribute job opportunities, source higher quality referrals, market their employment brand and manage corporate alumni relationships.
  • With referrals as the #1 source for external hires*, organizations are looking to tap into higher-quality talent by leveraging employees’ social connections.
  • The combination of Oracle and SelectMinds’ complementary social sourcing capabilities is expected to create a comprehensive recruiting, candidate sourcing, and talent management offering for organizations to reach quality referrals through social recruiting.
  • SelectMinds products are already fully integrated with Oracle Cloud Recruiting, Performance Management and Human Capital Management solutions and further extend Oracle’s social and mobile initiatives into talent management.
  • More information on this announcement can be found at http://www.oracle.com/selectminds.

 

Supporting Quotes

“Recruiting candidates through employee referrals is widely acknowledged as the most effective method to find talent through trusted contacts. Making recruiting efforts efficient and seamless by leveraging social connections and through mobile applications helps companies find better quality candidates and continue to build the pipeline for future talent,” said Thomas Kurian, Executive Vice President, Oracle Development. “By adding SelectMinds to Oracle’s Talent Management Cloud, Oracle can help customers with a complete talent management solution, enabling streamlined recruiting practices, more quality referrals, faster employee on-boarding, and better performance.”

“Oracle’s proposed acquisition of SelectMinds represents a strong endorsement of SelectMinds intuitive social sourcing technology and the value customers have achieved with our solutions. We’re excited to be a part of Oracle, and look forward to combining our resources to better serve and support customers with more global scale,” said Anne Berkowitch, CEO and Founder, SelectMinds.

*Source: CareerXroads 2011 report

For more information on Oracle, please visit www.oracle.com

 

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 1800 successful engagements for more than 800 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


Towers Watson Enhances its Talent Management Processes Capabilities with Latest Release of Talent|REWARD® Software Solution…from Towers Watson

September 7, 2012

 

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company, today announced the release ofTalent|REWARD v7.2, the newest version of the company’s flagship software solution that helps organizations deliver comprehensive talent management and reward programs.

Talent|REWARD v7.2 provides a broader range of capabilities for organizations looking to improve business results through better management of HR processes and their employees. These enhancements to the software solution were developed based on global guidance from Towers Watson’s clients, and technology delivery and support teams who interact with users of the product daily. The latest innovations in Talent|REWARD v7.2 also provide direct linkages to Towers Watson market survey data.

“With organizations increasingly looking for more efficient ways to identify talent, the demand for innovative talent management and reward technology has never been greater,” said Ravin Jesuthasan, global practice leader for Talent Management at Towers Watson. “One of the most significant enhancements found in Talent|REWARD v7.2 is the software’s ability to incorporate real-time social feedback and collaboration into an organization’s talent management processes. Connecting employees is critical to innovation, engagement and speed of execution. Our latest version enables colleagues to share information, ideas and feedback more efficiently than in the past.”

“Talent|REWARD v7.2 also has significant new features that will allow users to manage, view, compare, and report on job and role profiles,” added Laura Sejen, global practice leader for Rewards at Towers Watson. “With the proper job architecture, job leveling and role profiles in place, organizations have a solid foundation from which to build integrated pay, performance, succession and learning programs.”

The enhancements in the latest release focus on a few key highlights for each of the solution’s modules:

  • Platform, connecting employees is critical to innovation, engagement and speed of execution. Talent|REWARD now supports social collaboration and feedback to go along with the LinkedIn integration provided in the v7.1 release.
  • Performance and Succession, with Talent|REWARD’s new configurable “nBox” display, users can quickly analyze their decisions based on factors that are relevant to the business issue at hand.
  • Learning, analyzing learning resource demand is an important part of providing the right content and experience for the growth and development of employees. Talent|REWARD v7.2 includes new reports and related functionality to help organizations optimize the resources they are providing.
  • Market Analysis and Compensation Design, role profiles are an integral part of an overall talent management plan. With Talent|REWARD v7.2, client-configurable role profiles are available as part of the Market Analysis & Compensation Design modules. Additionally, the new release has a robust and scalable Salary Structure Creation Wizard, which will help organizations with the process of creating salary structures.

 

For more information, please visit talentreward.com.

 

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 1800 successful engagements for more than 800 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


Kenexa Releases the Industry’s first Social LMS, an Integral Part of Its Learning Suite…from Kenexa

September 5, 2012

 

Kenexa Learning Suite 3.0 provides social networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing capabilities as part of its new Social LMS

 

HRchitect featured Kenexa in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems and top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Derek Bluestone, VP Product Marketing appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on June 17, 2010. HRchitect’s Matt Lafata, one of the industry’s leading talent management systems analysts, attended the Kenexa Analyst Day in 2010 & 2011 and the Kenexa World Conference from 2009-2011.

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

The Learning space is reinventing itself as formal training for the workforce moves toward collaborative, social-learning based solutions, according to a recent Bersin & Associates research report. Kenexa (NYSE: KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, today released the first and only Learning Suite that incorporates an enterprise-grade Social Learning Management System (LMS).

The LMS’s social features include complete networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing capabilities, as well as interactive elements that allow users to rate learning content and share their experiences with other users. Other components of the suite include a Learning Content Management System (LCMS) and Mobile Learning capabilities.

“Social Learning has been touted as contributing to as much as 80 percent of learning that takes place within an organization. Until now, organizations have not been able to initiate, leverage or participate in this component of learning,” said, Rudy Karsan, CEO and co-founder of Kenexa. “Our new Kenexa Learning Suite with a Social LMS fuses social capabilities with the formal learning process, adding networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing to the online formal learning process. This fusion helps employees perform better in their roles, and provides greater job satisfaction as well as better overall performance for the company.”

Kenexa LMS’s Social capabilities enhance the company’s overall Learning Suite, which was ranked as the best in the market by industry analyst Brandon Hall in December 2011. Brandon Hall conducted an unbiased evaluation of all the major Learning Suites on the market, ranking each on 57 unique criteria. Kenexa’s Learning Suite received the overall top score.

The Kenexa Learning Suite, with a Social LMS, includes several new features, including:

  • A student User Interface (UI) that manages all curriculum needs, both formal and informal.
  • A home page that provides a quick view of all courses, assignments, groups, workspaces and transcripts for the student and a search box for easy access to all learning content.
  • A Learn and Schedule page that provide access to all formal learning with a more detailed view of assignments, Instructor Lead Training (ILT), curricula, quick links to transcripts and access to course catalogues.
  • An Ask an Expert feature that allows users to ask questions and then automatically routes these to subject matter experts.
  • An Explore tab to provide access to all documents, files, expertise exchanges, postings, courses and training videos for both formal and informal learning content.
  • A Managers Only function that allows managers to get feedback and access to HR systems, and will automatically connect to other Kenexa-based solutions.

 

“Having looked at the way our employees learn on a daily basis—referring to existing materials and job-aids; relying on colleagues for answers; searching for a document online; providing feedback through discussions or email; and collaborating with peers,” said David Stachura, manager of global sales enablement at AMD, “we see a real advantage to the Kenexa Learning Suite 3.0. The new social features of the LMS will contribute to the overall learning process of our organization. It will allow our employees to benefit from both their formal learning experiences as well as the social aspect of networking, sharing knowledge and collaborating. This fusion of formal and social learning will benefit our organization by making answers more readily available to employees, allowing them to collaborate in a way that has become very familiar to them and allowing them to share knowledge, and have that knowledge captured for future learning. These advantages will help our teams leverage our shared organization knowledge and expertise to increase our overall productivity and enable us to be more responsive to our customers and partners.”

As an enterprise-grade solution, Kenexa’s Learning Suite 3.0 can now be used by organizations that are Fortune 1,000-sized companies (at least 10,000 employees).  With this solution, organizations can fully customize their learning solutions, set up multiple levels of review and approvals, support virtual classrooms through Adobe Connect Integration, enhance curriculum that is capable of including “super curriculums,” which are courses within curriculums, and improve access to various reports. This allows organizations to quickly educate their workforce in a cost-effective way that reduces time of delivery and time of completion.

“Today’s corporate learning organization is no longer just the source of training for the organization,” said David Mallon, vice president of research at Bersin & Associates. “It is also facilitator and enabler, connecting employees to the best content, expert or even peer to meet the learning need. Forward-thinking learning organizations, therefore, are rethinking their entire perspectives, processes and approaches to best support the natural flow of organizational knowledge—and they are looking for technology solutions that support a holistic approach to learning. Unfortunately, so far, most buyers have struggled to find what they need.  There remains significant skepticism as to whether the LMS, often unpopular for its typically learner-unfriendly experience with traditional learning, is the right answer.  And, while most LMS providers realize that their continued relevancy demands support for management of both formal and informal learning in all of their forms, few have delivered on the promise of true continuous learning support.”

For more information on Kenexa, please visit www.kenexa.com

 

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


Saba Customers SMART Technologies and Santee Cooper Named Finalists in CLO Learning in Practice Awards…from Saba

September 1, 2012

 

HRchitect featured Saba in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems and top Learning Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Saba appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on August 14, 2009. Matt Lafata with HRchitect attended the 2010 Saba Global Summit and Analyst Day in Boston, MA. Matt Lafata & Tiffany Appleby attended the Saba Global Sales Rally FY12 & FY13 in Redwood Shores, CA and the Saba Global Summit 2012 in Miami, FL.

 

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

Saba (NASDAQ:SABA), the premier provider of people-centric enterprise solutions, today announced that 15 Saba customers, including SMART Technologies and Santee Cooper, were recognized as finalists of the Chief Learning Officer’s Learning in Practice Awards. Gold, silver and bronze award winners will be announced during a special award ceremony at the Fall Chief Learning OfficerSymposium, scheduled for Sept. 19-21,  2012 at The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SMART Technologies was named a finalist in the “Excellence in Community Service” category, while Santee Cooper was acknowledged for the “Business Impact Award”. Both organizations are receiving this recognition for excellence in learning and employee development.

Supporting Quotes

“We have a wide and varied learning program that hinges on our SMART Learning Space, powered by Saba,” said Wayne Williams, Manager of Learning Systems, SMART Technologies. “Through our virtual learning environment, SMART has been able to reach our extended value chain of customers and prospects including teachers, students, school administration and parents to provide free training in the form of SMART’s Anti-bullying courses.”

“Through our work with Saba, Santee Cooper has completely transformed the training programs, vastly expanding our reporting capabilities and creating comprehensive web-based training that has made learners, instructors, and managers more effective, and better trained” said Greg Lindamood, Senior Training Instructor, Santee Cooper.

For more information on Saba, please visit www.saba.com

 

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 1800 successful engagements for more than 800 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


IBM to Acquire Kenexa To Bolster Social Business Initiatives…from IBM

August 27, 2012

 

HRchitect featured Kenexa in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems and top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Derek Bluestone, VP Product Marketing appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on June 17, 2010. HRchitect’s Matt Lafata, one of the industry’s leading talent management systems analysts, attended the Kenexa Analyst Day in 2010 & 2011 and the Kenexa World Conference from 2009-2011.

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Kenexa Corporation (NYSE: KNXA) today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for IBM to acquire Kenexa, a publicly held company headquartered in Wayne, Pa., in a cash transaction at a price of $46 per share, or at a net price of approximately $1.3 billion.

 

The acquisition bolsters IBM’s leadership in helping clients embrace social business capabilities while gaining actionable insights from the enormous streams of information generated from social networks every day.

Kenexa, a leading provider of recruiting and talent management solutions, brings a unique combination of Cloud-based technology and consulting services that integrates both people and processes, providing solutions to engage a smarter, more effective workforce across their most critical business functions.

Kenexa complements IBM’s strategy of bringing relevant data and expertise into the hands of business leaders within every functional department, from sales and marketing to product development and human resources. As a result of this synergy, clients will be able to attract and develop the right skills to build the right teams, for the right projects, the first time.

The adoption of social business technology is supporting the growth of big data and the need for analytics in the enterprise. A recent global IBM study revealed that 57 percent of CEOs identified social business as a top priority and more than 73 percent are making significant investments to draw insights into available data.

The survey also reveals that 70 percent cite human capital as the single biggest contributor to sustained economic value. The combined strengths of IBM and Kenexa are key differentiators at a time when organizations of all sizes are looking to increase workforce efficiencies and gain more insight from their business information.

Social media has pervaded the lives of consumers, helping them connect with each other in new ways. However, a shift is occurring in the enterprise as business leaders look for ways to generate real value through the use of social technologies to evolve their front-line business operations. According to Forrester Research, the market opportunity for social enterprise apps is expected to grow at a rate of 61 percent through 2016.*

“Every company, across every business operation, is looking to tap into the power of social networking to transform the way they work, collaborate and out innovate their competitors,” said Alistair Rennie, general manager, social business, IBM. “IBM is uniquely positioned to help clients generate real returns from their social business investments, while helping them gain intelligence into the data being generated in these networks to be more competitive in their markets.”

“The customer is the big winner in all this because the combination of our two organizations will deliver more business outcomes than ever before,” said Rudy Karsan, chief executive officer, Kenexa. “Together, Kenexa and IBM will be unmatched in the industry, offering solutions that extend from strategy to the technology platform to the delivery of services for clients.”

Today, Kenexa supports more than 8,900 customers across a variety of industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, retail and consumer, including more than half of the Fortune 500.

With Kenexa’s world-class front-office process solutions, IBM will be able to offer strategic consulting, a social technology platform, and expertise on a global scale to help clients enable a smarter workforce and gain a competitive advantage in any market. By creating a smarter workforce, employees can resolve problems before they arise to improve customer service, drive innovation to bring products and services to market faster, and increase sales by building new skills — linking the right experts to the right clients.

The Kenexa acquisition will complement IBM’s social business and HR business servicesleadership. More than 60 percent of Fortune 100 companies have licensed IBM’s solutions for social business. Through its combination of social software, analytics, content management, and deep industry expertise, IBM is uniquely positioned to help organizations capture information, create insights and generate interactions that translate into real business value.

With operations in 21 countries worldwide, Kenexa has approximately 2,800 employees. Consistent with its strategy, IBM plans to continue to support Kenexa clients and enhance Kenexa technologies while allowing these organizations to take advantage of the broader IBM portfolio.

IBM expects the transaction to close in the fourth quarter of 2012, subject to Kenexa shareholder and regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions.

For more information on Kenexa, please visit www.kenexa.com

 

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


SilkRoad Named a Major Player in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Social Technology in Integrated Talent Management Vendor Assessment…from SilkRoad Technology

August 24, 2012

 

SilkRoad Recognized for Its Integrated Social Talent Management Capabilities

 

HRchitect featured SilkRoad in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems vendors that businesses should consider. SilkRoad competed in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Onboarding Systems in January 2009, and the HRchitect IRONMAN on Mid-Marketing Talent Acquisition Systems on June18, 2010, where they were crowned the winner of each. Brian Platz, EVP and COO of SilkRoad also appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on March 20, 2009. Finally, HRchitect attended the SilkRoad user conference, SilkRoad Connections, in May 2010, May 2011 and June 2012.

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

SilkRoad Technology, Inc. has been ranked a major player in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Social Technology in Integrated Talent Management Vendor Assessment, IDC #236025, July 2012, for its ability to enable companies to attract, develop and engage top talent through innovative social talent management solutions.  IDC recognized SilkRoad for its social recruiting capabilities and employee-centric solutions designed to cover all facets of talent management.

“We’re watching the integration of social technology into talent management very closely as the market remains nascent,” said Lisa Rowan, program director, HR, Talent, and Learning Strategies and Services for IDC.  “SilkRoad is innovating in this space, providing social talent management solutions that deliver a competitive advantage by improving the employee experience.”

In addition, IDC also recognized SilkRoad as a major player in the other IDC Talent Management MarketScape reports published in June 2012, including:

  • IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Learning Management in Integrated Talent Management 2012 Vendor Analysis (IDC # 235597)
  • IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Compensation Management in Integrated Talent Management 2012 Vendor Analysis (IDC # 235596)
  • IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Recruiting in Integrated Talent Management 2012 Vendor Analysis (IDC # 235599)
  • IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Performance Management in Integrated Talent Management 2012 Vendor Analysis (IDC # 235598)

 

“Our mission is to help companies build a self-motivating culture by empowering them with the social networking tools needed to drive their own careers and relationships with others,” said Brian Platz, COO of SilkRoad Technology. “This recognition from IDC solidifies SilkRoad as a leading integrated social talent management solutions provider.  And now with Point, the newest solution in the SilkRoad Life Suite, our customers have an integrated social platform from which to access all of our solutions.”

IDC MarketScape reports profile and rank vendors that are reviewed using a rigorous scoring methodology that produces a definitive assessment of the companies’ current capabilities as well as strategies for competing in the future.  As such, IDC MarketScape reports provide a robust up-to-date analysis of each industry’s influential players.

For more information on SilkRoad Technology, please visit www.silkroad.com

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 1800 successful engagements for more than 800 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


Kenexa Announces Financial Results for Second Quarter 2012…from Kenexa

August 12, 2012

 

  • Second quarter revenue and profitability exceeded high end of our guidance
  • 2012 revenue and non-GAAP profitability guidance increased

 

HRchitect featured Kenexa in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems and top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Derek Bluestone, VP Product Marketing appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on June 17, 2010. HRchitect’s Matt Lafata, one of the industry’s leading talent management systems analysts, attended the Kenexa Analyst Day in 2010 & 2011 and the Kenexa World Conference from 2009-2011.

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

Kenexa (NYSE: KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, recently announced operating results for the second quarter, ended June 30, 2012.

For the second quarter of 2012, Kenexa reported total GAAP revenue of $86.3 million. Non-GAAP revenue, which eliminates the GAAP adjustment to deferred revenue resulting from certain acquisitions, was $88.2 million for the second quarter of 2012, an increase of 24% compared to $71.3 million for the second quarter of 2011. Within total non-GAAP revenue, subscription revenue was $64.1 million for the second quarter of 2012, an increase of 23% compared with $52.2 million in the second quarter of 2011. Professional services and other revenue was $24.1 million for the second quarter of 2012, an increase of 26% compared to $19.1 million for the second quarter of 2011.

“We continued our strong operational performance in the second quarter with both revenue and non-GAAP profitability exceeding our guidance,” said Rudy Karsan, Chief Executive Officer of Kenexa. “While the economic environment remains volatile, HR executives are feeling increasing pressure from the C-level suite to transform their company’s workforce with improved talent and productivity levels. The short supply and significant demand for skilled knowledge workers is a growing challenge, and we see global organizations looking for a strategic HR partner to help them achieve their business goals. Kenexa is benefitting from this trend based on our highly differentiated value proposition based on our best-in-class SaaS platform, proprietary data and services.”

Karsan added, “We are increasing our revenue guidance for the full year 2012 based on the strength of our second quarter results and our ongoing business momentum. In addition, the growing number of blue chip customer wins for our Kenexa 2x SaaS platform and efficiency gains with our RPO customers are driving leverage in our business and contributing to our increased non-GAAP profitability guidance for 2012.”

A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results has been provided in the financial statement tables included at the end of this press release. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Non-GAAP income from operations was $9.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2012. This represented an 11.1% non-GAAP operating margin and an increase of 53% compared to non-GAAP income from operations of $6.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

Non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders was $7.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2012, compared to $4.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011. Non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders was $0.27 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2012, above the Company’s guidance of $0.22 to $0.23 and based on 28.3 million weighted average shares outstanding. Non-GAAP net income available to common shareholders was $0.18 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2011, based on 25.8 million weighted average shares outstanding.

Kenexa’s loss from operations for the three months ended June 30, 2012, determined in accordance with GAAP, was $116 thousand, compared to income from operations of $416 thousand for the same period of 2011. GAAP net loss allocable to common shareholders was approximately $1.7 million, or ($0.06) per basic and diluted shares for the three months ended June 30, 2012, compared to net loss of $1.6 million, or ($0.06) per basic and diluted share, in the same period of 2011.

Kenexa had cash, cash equivalents and investments of $89.7 million at June 30, 2012, compared to $83.0 million at the end of the prior quarter. The Company generated $17.2 million in cash from operations for the second quarter and used $8.5 million associated with capital expenditures and capitalized investments. Deferred revenue was $96.4 million at June 30, 2012, an increase of 14% from June 30, 2011.

Other Second Quarter and Recent Highlights

  • More than 100 “preferred partner” customers were added during the second quarter (defined as customers that spend more than $50,000 annually), an increase from the over 50 preferred partner customer additions in the year ago period.
  • The average annualized revenue from the company’s top 80 customers, or P-cubed metric, was greater than $1.9 million in the second quarter of 2012, an increase from the over $1.5 million level in the second quarter of 2011.
  • Announced the launch of Kenexa Hot Lava Mobile 3.0, a leading mobile solution used to develop, manage and analyze the results of independent device communications, snack learning, performance support, sales enablement and surveys. The launch of Hot Lava Mobile 3.0 marks Kenexa’s entry into the mobile learning marketplace. Kenexa added Hot Lava Mobile to its integrated human capital management product suite in February as part of its acquisition of OutStart.

 

Business Outlook

Based on information as of today, August 7, 2012, the Company is issuing financial guidance as follows:

Third Quarter 2012*: The Company expects GAAP revenue to be $90.7 million to $93.7 million. Excluding the GAAP adjustment to deferred revenue resulting from certain acquisitions, the Company expects non-GAAP revenue to be $92 million to $95 million, and non-GAAP operating income to be $11 million to $12 million. Assuming an effective tax rate for reporting purposes of approximately 20% and approximately 28.4 million shares outstanding, Kenexa expects its non-GAAP net income per diluted share to be $0.29 to $0.32.

Full Year 2012*: The Company expects GAAP revenue to be $352 million to $359 million. Excluding the GAAP adjustment to deferred revenue, the Company expects non-GAAP revenue to be $359 million to $366 million, and non-GAAP operating income to be $40 million to $43 million. Assuming an effective tax rate for reporting purposes of approximately 20% and approximately 28.3 million shares outstanding, Kenexa expects its non-GAAP net income per diluted share to be $1.07 to $1.16.

* Kenexa’s non-GAAP guidance excludes stock-based compensation expense, amortization of acquired intangibles, acquisition-related fees, contingent consideration adjustment, the purchase accounting reduction for Salary.com’s and OutStart’s revenue, and accretion associated with a variable interest entity.

For more information on Kenexa, please visit www.kenexa.com

 

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


Oracle Introduces Oracle Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B…from Oracle

July 19, 2012

 

New Features and Enhanced Interface Empower Users to Make Data-Driven Business Decisions and Better Understand Their Talent

 

HRchitect featured Taleo in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Taleo appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on November 6, 2009. HRchitect attended the 2010 & 2011 TaleoWorld conference and HRchitect’s Matt Lafata, one of the industry’s leading talent management systems analysts, attended Taleo’s annual Sales and Services meeting in 2010 & 2011.

If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, don’t rely solely on “recommendations” or published reports. Do yourself a huge favor and talk to HRchitect first. After 15 years, HRchitect has unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation. Simply put, do not invest in any kind of HR technology without consulting with the experts first. HRchitect is always available to help!

 

To help solve the problems HR and business leaders face when mobilizing talent to attain higher business performance, Oracle recently announced availability of Oracle Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B.

By blending recruiting, performance and operational data from multiple sources, Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B enables organizations to more accurately measure the impact their workforce has on business and provides deeper intelligence about their talent.

Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B helps solve the problems HR and business line managers face every day when trying to search and find individuals within a company. Organizations invest resources to collect data about their people, but have found it difficult to manage and control at scale. Faceted search technology in Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B makes talent data accessible and actionable.

Previously known as Taleo Enterprise Edition, Oracle Taleo Cloud Service helps companies hire, manage, reward, and develop their employees by delivering a full talent management solution for recruiting, performance management, compensation management, employee development and succession planning.

Oracle and Taleo Continue to Demonstrate Leadership and Momentum in Talent Management

Oracle Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B is part of Oracle Human Capital Management, a complete and integrated suite of applications designed for organizations of every size, industry, and region. From recruiting and managing talent, to accurately forecasting future workforce needs, Oracle Human Capital Management enables organizations to proactively manage HR operations while focusing on strategic business initiatives.

Oracle Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B enables organizations to:

 

  • Gain Deeper Talent Insights: Companies can blend recruiting, performance, and operational data from disparate external sources into the pre-configured data warehouse built specifically for analyzing talent. This provides a holistic view of talent trends, impact on business and the data to optimize talent strategies.
  • Uncover the Right Talent: New talent search in a consumer-like interface enables managers, HR and recruiters to find people quickly and intuitively. Previously, complex searches for talent often required report writers and took days. Now, faceted search technology provides the most advanced capabilities in the market for searching, filtering and taking action on talent in seconds.
  • Focus on Performance Conversations: With a redesigned performance review, managers can focus on review content rather than the mechanics of navigating or assembling documentation. The self-assessment, feedback journal and emails imported throughout the year are accessible from a single page, enabling managers to put more emphasis on having meaningful, actionable conversations with employees.
  • Engage in Real-Time Collaboration: Calibrating reviews helps ensure data consistency for performance analytics and talent planning, but is traditionally managed with cumbersome spreadsheets. Enhanced calibration features enable HR and business leaders to manage calibration decisions in-real time using new meeting facilitation tools. By providing a central review hub, management teams can identify problem populations, perform mass updates, and visualize rating distributions against benchmarks on the fly.

Oracle Taleo Cloud Service Feature Pack 12B is generally available in the Oracle Cloud.

Supporting Quote

“While the latest release of Oracle Taleo Cloud Service demonstrates why we are recognized leaders in talent intelligence, the real winners are our users. Fundamentally, we provide tools every organization needs to find talent, understand talent, and unlock the power of their people. Only Oracle can deliver an integrated talent and HCM solution robust enough to handle the needs of the largest global enterprises in the cloud,” said Jason Blessing, senior vice president, Oracle Development.

For more information on Oracle Taleo, please visit www.oracle.com

To learn more about HRchitect and how we can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com. HRchitect is the leader in HR systems strategic consulting.  As the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management Systems consulting firm, we offer end-to-end HR technology consulting services focused around strategic planning, evaluation/selection, project management and implementation of HR systems, Talent Management Systems, Talent Acquisition Systems, and Workforce Management software. After more than 15 years in business working on over 2000 successful engagements for more than 900 clients across the globe, HRchitect is a name you can trust as your one-stop shop for all your HR technology consulting needs.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect


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