Milestone Event to Gather Thousands of Experts, Practitioners and Vendors for Annual Town Meeting on Using Technology for All Aspects of HR

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!

Human Resource Executive magazine, the premier publication focused on strategic issues in HR, recently announced program details of the 15th Annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition, which will be held October 8-10, 2012, at the West Wing of McCormick Place in Chicago.

Considered one of the top two annual HR conferences along with SHRM, this year’s event promises to be the biggest one yet and will focus on today’s most pressing global HR technology issues, such as cloud computing and social media across the enterprise.

For the last 14 years, the HR Technology Conference has helped attendees get the maximum business benefit from technology for HR while providing them with practical advice on the many challenges facing HR practitioners. For 2012, attendees will hear from more than 70 senior executives representing today’s leading world-class organizations on a wide range of topics concerning the use of HR technology.

The 2012 event follows the success of last year’s 14th Annual HR Technology Conference. With a record-breaking 220 exhibitors, 30 percent more attendees compared to 2010, and representatives from 27 countries, including high-growth markets like Brazil, Russia, India, China, Indonesia and South Korea, the conference solidified its position as the premier international HR event. Attendee loyalty continued to remain high: seven companies attending in 2011 were there for the ninth consecutive year, and 12 companies returned for the eighth time in the last nine years.

One of the most anticipated sessions of the 2012 conference will be “Bringing HR into the Cloud – Naomi’s Master Panel.” During this session, Naomi Lee Bloom, the world’s leading expert on HR technology, moderates a panel of six senior product executives gathered together for the first time on one stage to discuss how their organizations are pioneering the next frontier in HR technology.

The conference includes several sessions focused on social media and its use in the enterprise beyond recruiting and learning. In the session “Marsh Transforms Itself with Social Technology,” participants will hear how Marsh Inc., a leader in insurance, leverages state-of-the-art social technologies to harness the expertise, networks, resources and ideas of all of its employees. Another highlight promises to be the “Third Annual Social Media Panel,” in which four industry experts will discuss the role of collaboration networks deployed across the enterprise with an eye toward adoption and getting real work done.

Aside from cloud computing and social media, attendees will participate in a wide range of sessions in tracks such as Strategic View, Talent Management, Workforce Analytics & Planning, Recruiting and HCM & Workforce Management. New for this year, the conference will feature a separate track for its Expert Discussions sessions led by five of the world’s “Most Powerful HR Technology Experts” as selected by Human Resource Executive magazine.

This year’s event includes a new Outsourcing track focusing on RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), benefits administration and payroll.

Other highlights include the “Second Annual Candidate Experience Awards,” honoring the “Best Companies to Apply to Work For” and the “Sixth Annual Talent Management Panel,” in which influential HR operations and technology executives will discuss the various stages of talent management strategy and deployments. Additionally, during the “Awesome New Technologies for HR” session, attendees will see live demonstrations of the most innovative new software and tools from every corner of HR.

“Based on the quality of the speakers and presentations and the number of vendors and attendees already committed, this year’s conference is shaping up to be our most successful to date,” said Bill Kutik, the original conference co-chair and technology columnist for Human Resource Executive. “Whether HR technology is your responsibility, your career or your problem, the 15th Annual HR Technology Conference provides a unique opportunity for HR professionals to interact with each other and the major players across the industry who develop the solutions to today’s biggest HR challenges.”

More details about the HR Technology Conference & Exposition can be found at www.HRTechnologyConference.com or call 1-800-727-1227. Register by August 6 to save $450.00.

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

Leverages EmpCenter Platform for Flexible, SaaS-based Solution

Marc Moschetto, Vice President of Marketing, from WorkForce Software appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on August 12, 2010. HRchitect’s Matt Lafata, one of the industry’s leading Talent Management Systems analysts, attended WorkForce Software’s Vision 2010 conference. HRchitect was also a proud sponsor of the Vision 2012 conference in Las Vegas.

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!

WorkForce Software, the leading provider of workforce management solutions for organizations with complex labor policies and stringent compliance demands, announces that Loyola Marymount University (LMU) has automated time and attendance activities campus-wide with its EmpCenter® solution.

The largest Catholic university on the United States’ west coast, LMU annually hosts more than 9,000 undergraduate, graduate, and law students to its 142-acre campus in West Los Angeles. LMU’s hundred-year strong tradition of academic excellence has been bolstered in part by strategic technology and process investments that lower costs and provide richer employee experiences. In partnership with WorkForce Software, LMU now provides its employees and managers with a world-class time and attendance system, combining powerful features with a simple and compelling user experience.

When an ERP-based solution failed to meet its full range of higher education requirements, LMU engaged WorkForce to deliver a comprehensive solution on an aggressive implementation schedule. After a successful implementation, EmpCenter now manages time and attendance for LMU’s entire population, including those individuals working multiple jobs.

“EmpCenter’s flexibility and functional depth allowed us to automate our most complex time and labor needs, such as grant tracking and multiple assignments, and has delivered significant efficiencies as a result,” commented Lori A. Husein, Vice President and Controller at LMU. “Our employees appreciate its straightforward and user-friendly interface, which made for a smooth transition.”

The ability to have EmpCenter delivered on a SaaS basis was also a key feature. Patrick Frontiera, LMU’s Vice President for Information Technology, added, “From an IT perspective, EmpCenter gets SaaS right. The solution is highly flexible and reliable, which will make it easy and cost-effective to adapt to our ongoing needs.”

“We’re thrilled to have Loyola Marymount University join our growing list of higher education clients,” said Marc Moschetto, WorkForce Software’s Vice President of Marketing. “Increasingly, colleges and universities want a solution that will be valued by their employees, easy to own, and addresses 100% of their complex pay rules… and EmpCenter is uniquely able to meet these critical goals.”

For more information on WorkForce Software, please visit www.workforcesoftware.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

HRchitect includes Ultimate Software in our list of top HRIS vendors that organizations should consider. 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!

Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, announced recently The Co-operators Group Limited, one of Canada’s leading insurers with 6,500 employees, has selected the UltiPro solution to consolidate its people-centric operations, improve the precision and delivery of workforce data, and elevate its strategic talent management capabilities.

The Co-operators is a Canadian-owned and -operated company that has been using separate systems for HR and payroll as well as other in-house systems to fill functional gaps. With eight business entities, the insurance company needed one HCM solution that could handle the entire employee lifecycle for its multiple business units and that included a strong payroll engine and talent management features. To achieve its objectives, The Co-operators HR team selected UltiPro in December 2011.

“In addition to having one technology provider that manages the entire scope of our people management processes, we especially needed advanced functionality for strategic talent management,” said Christopher Perkins, director of change management at The Co-operators Group. “UltiPro delivers the recruitment, performance management, and succession management features to more effectively attract and retain the best possible workforce for our business.”

In addition to elevating its strategic talent management, The Co-operators is also planning to improve HR effectiveness and efficiencies across the organization by centralizing employee information into one cohesive solution, improving the accuracy and integrity of its data, and using workflows to expedite and standardize workforce changes.

“We participated in a year-long RFP process that compared dozens of HCM and technology vendors, and in the end, UltiPro stood out as the right solution to provide the functionality, usability, and overall value that will support our business,” said Perkins.

“Ultimate Software is very pleased to offer businesses in Canada a comprehensive technology solution for HR and payroll that gives them control over their information, immediate access to centralized business intelligence, and tools that take talent management to a strategic level, not just the administrative process of submitting an employment application or completing an annual performance review,” said Greg Swick, chief sales officer at Ultimate Software. “The ability for a company to effectively manage and strengthen its talent sets it apart from its competitors, and achieving this goal has become a model of good business practices for top companies like The Co-operators Group. We welcome this organization to Ultimate Software’s family of business partners, and we look forward to a relationship that will provide long-term results.”

For more information on Ultimate Software, please visit www.ultimatesoftware.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

Comprehensive Platform Now Includes Learning Management; Enables Organizations to Manage the Entire Employee Lifecycle, from Pre-hire through Retire

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!

ADP ®, a leading provider of talent management solutions, today introduced an integrated end-to-end platform designed to enable organizations to acquire, develop and retain top talent, while ensuring that they remain leading performers.  Crowning a multi-year strategic development effort to create the industry’s leading integrated talent solution, the new ADP platform leverages advanced learning management tools, insightful learning content from Bersin and Associates, as well as an enterprise competency framework to significantly improve the talent management processes of leading organizations.

ADP unveiled the fully integrated ADP Talent Management suite at the WorldAtWork Total Rewards 2012 Conference and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. To view a video on ADP’s new integrated Talent Management suite, click here.

Specifically designed to enable organizations to seamlessly integrate their talent acquisition, compensation, performance management, succession, and learning processes into an end-to-end solution, ADP’s new Talent Management solution is ideally suited for clients seeking to meet the increasingly complex challenges of growing and developing their workforces.

“Talent Management is a critical component of every organization’s human capital management strategy, yet most organizations don’t have an end-to-end solution in place to execute their strategies in a completely integrated fashion,” said Don Weinstein, Senior Vice President, ADP Product Management. “ADP has extended the definition of integrated Talent Management, by combining Talent Management with other critical HCM functions.  The integration of ADP Talent Management with ADP’s Payroll and HCM solutions provides a complete end-to-end cloud based HCM solution for any organization looking to simplify and enhance their human capital management strategy.”

The new ADP Talent Management Suite includes Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, Compensation Management, Succession Management and Learning Management modules.

In addition, ADP announced today the availability of expanded insight from BersinBasics™, the first research-based multimedia learning solution that enables business leaders and HR professionals to rapidly learn the fundamentals of successful talent management in a ‘just-in-time’ learning format.

To view a new infographic from ADP entitled “The New Science of Talent Management,” click here:http://www.adp.com/talent-management/infographic.aspx?cid=soc_PR_TLMInfograph_20120503.

“Fewer than 25 percent of line managers feel fully comfortable with the practices of coaching, goal-setting, performance assessment, development planning, leadership assessment, and other critical areas of talent management,” said Josh Bersin, Chief Executive Officer and President, Bersin & Associates, a membership-based research and consulting firm in Oakland, Calif.  “The combination of BersinBasics and ADP’s integrated, end-to-end Talent Management system enables managers to access easy-to-use training on all aspects of talent management to help drive business performance.”

ADP’s new, integrated Talent Management solution is uniquely positioned to provide a pipeline of personnel for organizations to consider during the hiring process and a robust way to track them and to assess their lifetime productivity for the business, based on the tools and administrative services that only ADP can deliver. Clients around the world can now count on the completeness, strong integration and insightful expertise of ADP’s Talent Management Suite.

For more information on ADP, please visit www.adp.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

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 in June 2011 in Redwood City, 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!

Teachscape, a leader in delivering Web-based professional learning content, innovative technologies, and expert services, and Saba (NASDAQ:SABA), the premier provider of people-centric enterprise solutions, today announced that they have formed an alliance to offer joint customers a unique, competency-based integrated talent management platform, designed to support the development of effective teaching practice throughout the career lifecycle of educators.

Through this alliance, Teachscape has combined its best-of-breed online observer training and assessment system, tools for conducting in-classroom and video-based observations, and online professional development content with Saba’s industry-leading solutions, including learning and talent management, as well as enterprise social networking. This new platform is specifically designed to support personalized professional development, track educator performance, and manage educator career paths.

“Districts are searching for comprehensive solutions to bring their human capital development processes up to a best-in-class level” said Kathy Yates, chief executive officer of Teachscape. “Given our history of focusing on high quality content and tools to support educator professional growth, it was important for Teachscape to partner with a leading learning and human capital management solution provider that has been proven to support the needs of sophisticated, growth-oriented organizations; Saba is that provider.”

The new platform available through this alliance, includes a teaching evaluation system that joins together classroom observation and student achievement data with other measures of teaching performance and aligns Teachscape’s classroom-based video content with the multiple measures evaluation system to support individualized professional development plans for every educator.  School districts can also integrate their own online professional development resources via the learning management system. In addition, teachers can tap into professional learning communities with the enterprise social networking features made available on the new platform.

“There is a tremendous need for school districts to manage the lifecycle of their educational workforces as school districts often employ more people than large corporations,” said Jeff Carr, president of global field operations at Saba. “We’re thrilled to partner with Teachscape, a leading professional learning provider in the education market, to offer an integrated Human Capital Management solution that combines Saba’s enterprise-class learning and talent management solutions with Teachcape’s learning content, tools and professional services.  The goal of this partnership is to assist our joint and prospective customers in managing and developing their educators, enhancing the effectiveness of schools and districts, and increasing student achievement in a continuous learning environment.”

“Teachscape’s products support best practices in effective instruction, teacher observation and evaluation, and professional development,” said Jennifer Allen, chief talent officer of Hartford Public Schools. “We look forward to linking these efforts with human capital management to support the growth of all teachers, from induction through second-stage licensure, and beyond. Working with Teachscape has clearly put us ahead of the curve in Connecticut.”

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

HRchitect includes Ultimate Software in our list of top HRIS vendors that organizations should consider. 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!

Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, announced today that Columbia Forest Products, North America’s largest manufacturer of hardwood plywood and hardwood veneer, has reduced its costs by more than $100,000 annually while improving the effectiveness and efficiency of its HR operations and services.

Prior to deploying UltiPro in January 2011, Columbia Forest Products wanted to improve its people-centric processes, but faced a costly upgrade with the payroll service bureau it had been using in order to achieve this business goal. Subsequently, the company investigated other options and found that Ultimate Software’s UltiPro delivered a comprehensive HR, payroll, and talent management solution that could effectively manage Columbia Forest Product’s workforce in both the U.S. and Canada. Don Carter, vice president of human resources at Columbia Forest Products, said UltiPro provided the right technology to dramatically improve people-centric processes and services while contributing to the company’s bottom line.

“With UltiPro, we are saving well more than $100,000 in hard costs compared to our prior vendor, andUltimate’s cloud delivery for HCM delivers so much more than what we previously had,” said Carter. “Now all information related to our North American employees is easily accessible in one centralized platform. We have visibility into our entire workforce, we have functionality to extend our talent management processes, and we are supported by Ultimate’s expert customer service.”

In addition to the reduction in annual costs, Columbia Forest Products has condensed the staff needed to process payroll from nine to two and made substantial cuts in expenses related to the printing, storage, and mailing of thousands of pieces of paper.

“Columbia Forest Products is a long-standing leader in environmental sustainability, so one of my primary goals has been to migrate to paperless HR. Now, our entire company can access UltiPro and make appropriate updates directly in the solution without paper consumption. Plus, UltiPro’s workflows move information to approvers quickly and automatically,” said Carter. “It’s only been a year, and already UltiPro has been so well received by employees and managers that it has opened the doors for more strategic projects that will provide additional business gains, like recruiting and retaining an engaged workforce.”

As a result of UltiPro’s configurability, Columbia Forest Products’ HR team is saving money because HR is not paying for expensive customizations to make changes to the system, as was the case with the payroll service bureau.

“With UltiPro, we have so much more control and flexibility as well as instant access to business intelligence and workforce metrics,” said Ben Vann, HRIS and payroll manager at Columbia Forest Products. “Our HR and finance executives are pleased about UltiPro’s integration with our general ledger (GL), which is improving data integrity and reporting. In addition to configuring the integration to our GL, we have been able to set up numerous alerts in UltiPro and created many tailored reports to help us stay on top of our evolving workforce. With UltiPro, I feel like I’m no longer working blindfolded.”

“UltiPro delivers a tremendous amount of strategic value because the solution provides a comprehensive HR feature set that is backed by in-depth workforce analytics,” said Greg Swick, chief sales officer at Ultimate Software. “By delivering a configurable product that includes HR, payroll, and talent management, Ultimate Software has contributed to the bottom line of many businesses. We’re very excited about how Columbia Forest Products has converted its HR goals into actions that are impacting the overall business.”

For more information on Ultimate Software, please visit www.ultimatesoftware.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

New visual tools leverage crowdsourced recognition for actionable insight on employee performance and culture

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!

Globoforce® (www.globoforce.com), the world’s leading provider of employee recognition solutions, today announced Talent Maps™, the industry’s first and only solution that connects employee recognition data with employee performance data. The new tool helps HR and business leaders more effectively manage their talent and culture by leveraging crowdsourced recognition and feedback. With this new level of insight, managers finally have the ongoing data to fill the void in traditional performance reviews.

Annual performance reviews have long come under criticism for their infrequency and single viewpoint about employee performance. With Talent Maps, business and HR leaders now have an easier, more effective way to evaluate their global talent. Through data populated by peer-to-peer recognition across the company, HR and business leaders can see firsthand who the top performers and influencers are within teams, departments, and the company.

This knowledge and data can be used to identify high potential, high performance individuals for succession planning, flight risk assessment, and leadership development. In addition, managers gain actionable data for more effective day-to-day team management and individual performance assessment.

“Social recognition is the next big disruptor within HR,” said Grant Beckett, vice president of product for Globoforce. “Its high levels of adoption across an entire workforce make it the ideal way to evaluate employee performance and influence. With Talent Maps, we take this crowdsourced feedback data and plot it against performance appraisal ratings. Combining these two data points delivers a level of insight about a company’s talent that has never been available in an HR system before.”

According to Gartner’s recent report, 2012 Strategic Road Map for Employee Performance Management, social recognition programs can help improve performance while decreasing reliance solely on manager and executive feedback. In the report, Gartner Managing Vice President Jim Holincheck writes that “leading organizations will start to move toward more bottom-up feedback, recognition and rewards.” Managers can see the level of frequency of recognition and performance feedback for individual employees. As a result, “senior executives can use this data to see if manager performance decisions align with what coworkers indicate through their actions.”

“Our recognition program with Globoforce is one of the critical programs we use to drive employee engagement and elevate business performance,” said Amy Montefinese, vice president, global total rewards and human resources operations at Premier Farnell. “Now, we will have a way to translate our recognition awards into actionable data to ensure our top performers and high potential employees are being recognized. By aligning recognition awards against performance review ratings, we will also be able to ensure our pay for performance philosophy is consistently executed across our global business.”

With Globoforce’s Talent Maps, HR and business leaders can also:

Assess company and individual department alignment to company values, showing how “everyday” behaviors impact business and cultural goals

Provide managers with an easy-to-use tool that visually maps out individual and team performance while highlighting hidden talent

Leverage the data from  ongoing social recognition programs to show which employees are driving the business forward

Talent Maps is already gaining recognition for its impact on the industry. Last week, Talent Maps was named a Finalist in the Best New Product or Service – Software – Human Capital Management Solution category in The 2012 American Business Awards.

Below is a sample of commentary from the HR analyst community about this launch:

“Performance management is only as good as its data. With this release, Globoforce uses recognition as the central data component for performance and potential indicators. The result is a useful, compelling data set of organizational relationships and performance assessments that are created in the context of getting work done. By further leveraging this data into performance reviews, business and HR leaders will be able to align ratings with the performance and behaviors that everyone across the organization recognizes on a daily basis.”

-     Yvette Cameron, vice president and principal analyst, Constellation Research

“Social recognition is offering a new vantage point on employee engagement and workforce performance.  As companies strive to identify high-potential, high-performance individuals, recognition data offers one of the most compelling use cases I’ve seen in HR. This is a burgeoning new technology development that will reshape performance management over the next three to five years, giving HR leaders the insight about their talent they have long sought.”

Jim Holincheck, managing vice president, Gartner Inc.

“Organizations are hungry for the data that will help them make better decisions about every aspect of their business, and employee performance management is mission critical. Globoforce’s Talent Maps not only provides multiple streams of actionable data to manage individual performance, it also provides the organization with a cultural diagnostic that gives visibility into engagement, goal alignment, and the informal networks that drive organizational change and results.”

Mollie Lombardi, research director, HCM, Aberdeen Group

For more information on Globoforce, please visit www.globoforce.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

Seasoned Executive to Lead Company’s Saba People Cloud Initiatives

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 in June 2011 in Redwood City, 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, recently announced the appointment of George LeBrun to General Manager of the team leading Saba’s Social Enterprise Platform. Bringing more than two decades of executive experience to Saba, LeBrun will assume responsibility and oversight of Saba’s social products business, including its thought leadership and advisory around the Social Web, product strategy, business development, digital media and branding for Saba’s social enterprise platform, the Saba People Cloud. LeBrun will be based out of Saba’s Redwood Shores headquarters and will report to Saba’s Chief Operating Officer, Shawn Farshchi.

“I am thrilled to welcome George to our team at Saba. He has an impressive management track record at cutting edge social enterprise companies,” said Shawn Farshchi, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Saba. “George will be instrumental as Saba continues to establish leadership in the social space.”

Most recently, LeBrun served as Founder and CEO of Social Instinct, an enterprise software company focused on developing HR and knowledge management solutions, including social platforms and applications, for clients and partners such as: AT&T, IBM, Globex Game Studios, Ipswitch, and others. Prior to his time at Social Instinct, LeBrun acted as founding partner of Rule 13, a consulting firm that helps Fortune 1,000 companies assess and re-align their business rules, strategies, and innovation methodologies in accordance with the changing social landscape. While at Rue 13, LeBrun led the charge in educating global organizations on emerging trends and technologies, Web 2.0 applications, social media, new advertising platforms and methodologies, and aided in the development of multi-platform digital content and distribution.  Prior to Social Instinct and Rule 13, LeBrun held executive positions at Enthuze, Performance Monitor, and Digital Standard.

“Saba is positioned to play a pivotal role in the social space,” added George LeBrun, General Manager of the Saba People Cloud, Saba. “I look forward to my work at Saba and showing the industry how Saba transforms the world of work for its customers through the power of social software for work.”

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

SilkRoad Welcomes Nearly 120 New Customers Including Aruba Networks, Provant Health Solutions and NSTAR Global Services

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 and May 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!

SilkRoad Technology, Inc., a leading provider of social talent management solutions, continues to gain significant momentum for its Life Suite® product line with accelerated customer growth in the first quarter, including G-TECH, Presidio Network Solutions, Aruba Networks, Provant Health Solutions and NSTAR Global Services.  In addition, the quarter saw an increase in the number of international customers, including Nippon Insurance Information Technology for Skill development (Japan), Channel Four Television Corp. (UK), Rainforest Education (Singapore) and Mazars (France).  SilkRoad’s Life Suite solutions provide companies worldwide with an intuitive design, scalability and localization to effectively engage, develop and enable top talent.

“We’ve witnessed a sensitization to human capital management around the world as more organizations look to HR to drive business performance,” said Flip Filipowski, executive chairman and CEO of SilkRoad.  “SilkRoad stands out as the leader in innovative talent management technology with our employee-centric HR solutions that empower people to drive their own careers.   Unlike other talent management providers, SilkRoad has an entire suite of human capital management solutions, including a HRMS and unique social capabilities for companies of all sizes and industries.”

Highlights from the Quarter:

Expanding Existing Customer Implementations – In the first quarter, existing customers, including Microfocus and Trumpet Behavioral Health, added additional solutions to their Life Suite implementations.  Microfocus, a leading global software company, is a long-term OpenHire® and RedCarpet® customer that added SilkRoad’s WingSpan® as its performance management system for its global workforce.  Trumpet Behavioral Health, the nation’s leading provider of behavioral services for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and an OpenHire, RedCarpet and HeartBeat® customer, added WingSpan and Eprise® to streamline its performance management and intranets.

Industry Recognition – Also in the first quarter, SilkRoad’s Point™, a social enterprise solution, was one of ten finalists worldwide recognized with a Netexplo 2012 Award for digital innovation.  In addition, SilkRoad’s RedCarpet was recognized by the CODiE Awards and OpenHire was recognized by the Brandon Hall Excellence Awards as a leading talent management solution.  SilkRoad’s dedicated support team was also honored with a Stevie Award for its innovative approach to customer service.

Customer Comments:

After the successful implementation of HeartBeat, existing SilkRoad Life Suite customer Carol Montgomery, senior vice president and chief human resources officer for York Risk Services Group said, “The SilkRoad Life Suite was a refreshing option for a growing business like ours and with HeartBeat, we’ve achieved additional efficiencies across all of our HR functions.  HeartBeat completed our talent management suite, offered self-service options for our employees, automated time-consuming manual tasks and is integrated with our payroll system to serve as a system of record.”

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

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 International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM), the world’s leading clearinghouse for the HRIM (Human Resource Information Management) industry, ends its annual HRMS Strategies 2012 Conference and Technology Exposition on a high note with strong attendance. The conference was held April 30 — May 3, 2012 at the Hilton Chicago.

“IHRIM is delighted at the strong attendance of its 2012 Conference — both from first-time attendees and veterans alike,” said Lynne Mealy, CEO of IHRIM. “The IHRIM Conference brings together industry thought leaders to leverage best practices, emerging technologies, and innovative strategies to enhance an organization’s HRIS and HRIT programs. This year was no exception. Once again, IHRIM has proven that this is a must-attend event for HR systems professionals.”

“As always, the IHRIM Conference was a great conference for practitioners to really get answers from substantive presenters,” added Alexia Martin, Director of Research and Analytics, CedarCrestone. “The exhibit hall was exciting and I found some new providers that I expect to change our HR technologies space in years to come.”

The 2012 IHRIM Conference provided a well-balanced event for attendees. The expo floor unveiled a variety of new HR technology products and services tailored for organizations big and small, while the conference content review committee successfully provided a balance of sessions — fundamental versus strategic; topic focus; case studies versus lectures.

“With a remarkably strong educational line-up, new products & vendors on the expo floor, along with a variety of networking opportunities coupled with a record level of media attention, the IHRIM Conference is the place to be,” said Nov Omana, Board Chair of IHRIM. “This year’s thought-provoking and informative event allowed the association to provide the industry with the opportunity to learn about the latest tools and techniques to achieve an incredible ROI on their investment.”

The event also served as a stage for IHRIM to recognize industry leaders during the keynote session. The winners of these prestigious awards are
• Robert H. Chapman Jr., HRIP, PMP — 2012 Summit Award
• Cathy Sparks, HRIP, HR Manager, UPS / United Parcel Service, — 2012 Ambassador Award
• Rob Eidson, Specialist Leader, Deloitte Consulting —2012 Ambassador Award
• NuView Systems Inc. — 2012 Partners Award

“These folks have been active leaders in the HRIS and HRMS industries,” said Lynne Mealy. “Their work and dedication to the industry set the stage for the next generation of experts and paved the way for a new brand of HR technology professionals. We are excited to celebrate their achievements at the IHRIM Conference where the IHRIM community comes together to highlight advancements and share ideas.”

The 2012 IHRIM Conference had a wide representation of attendees — including all levels of management from HR, HR systems and IT as well as business analysts and functional HR and Payroll staff members. “The high number of first time attendees is a testament to IHRIM’s being a critical source for education and professional development in the industry,” said Omana. “IHRIM will benefit from their energy, enthusiasm, and ideas.”

If you missed the IHRIM 2012 Conference, or attended but weren’t able to attend all the sessions you wanted, MP3 CD-ROM audio sessions along with the PowerPoint presentations are now available for purchase http://bit.ly/IHRIM2012_Recordings

The 2013 IHRIM Conference and Technology Expo is slated for June 2 – 5, 2013 at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida.

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