SilkRoad technology Partners with SS&C on Benefits Carrier Integration…from SilkRoad Technology

February 23, 2012

 

Partnership Provides HeartBeat with End-to-End Automated Benefits Enrollment Capabilities with Over 150 Providers

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 global provider of cloud-based social talent management solutions, together with SS&C, a global provider of investment and financial software-enabled services and software, announced today they have entered a into partnership, combining SS&C’s BenefiX cloud-based data exchange service with SilkRoad’s HRMS technology solution, HeartBeat.

With endless formats specific to insurance carriers, sending enrollment data to individual benefits providers has traditionally been a time and labor intensive process.  By integrating SS&C’s BenefiX with SilkRoad’s HeartBeat, companies benefit by having a single HRMS solution that manages all their employee HR data including benefits plans, simplifying the process for employees, managers and HR.  With BenefiX providing benefits data exchange to over 150 carriers, benefits administrators are freed from this tedious, time-consuming task allowing them to focus on building a self-motivating, employee-centric culture that attracts and retains top talent.

“Managing benefits has traditionally been a high-cost task with a heavy time investment,” says Bill Stone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SS&C Technologies. “Our partnership with SilkRoad will remove these barriers, delivering HeartBeat users a quick and cost effective solution.”

Companies using HeartBeat can now expect direct transmission of enrollment information from HeartBeat to insurance carrier, as well as:

  • Built-in integration with the entire BenefiX library of over 150 insurance carrier adapters and out-of-the-box integration with carrier specifications
  • Implementation times as little as 15 days, or 45 days for new insurance carriers, rather than the average industry integration lead time of six months or longer
  • Quality data and run-time edits to ensure complete and correct enrollment information is being sent to the insurance carriers

“SilkRoad is intent on providing HR professionals with the solutions they need to develop and maintain happy and engaged employees,” said Andrew J. “Flip” Filipowski, CEO, SilkRoad technology. “With the SS&C partnership, we are pleased to provide yet another layer in our benefits administration solution as companies look to automate their most complicated and time intensive processes and free up time to address their talent management strategies.”

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

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, and how HRchitect can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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SAP and SuccessFactors Accelerate Unified Product Direction…from SuccessFactors

February 22, 2012

 

Companies Deliver Immediate Clarity on HCM Product Road Map

HRchitect featured SuccessFactors in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Matt Lafata and Tiffany Appleby from HRchitect attended and sponsored the SuccessConnect event in San Francisco in May 2011 and the Insights event in San Diego in Oct 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!

 

SAP and SuccessFactors, an SAP company, today announced their unified product direction for human capital management (HCM) solutions. The combined portfolio will provide end-to-end integrated solutions to help with some of the biggest challenges that business leaders around the world are facing across all lines of business: managing their talent to top performance and turning their strategies into actions and results.

Product Direction Across Core HR, Talent Management, HCM Analytics

HCM is gaining focus in the market as companies realize that nurturing top talent and fostering a united community of employees is critical to being a best-run business. The two companies are now combining SuccessFactors Business Execution (BizX) Suite with SAP solutions to provide the most comprehensive, innovative HCM offerings to benefit existing and prospective customers.

  • SuccessFactors Employee Central solution is the go-forward core human resources (HR) offering in the cloud. Backed by more than 25 years of experience from SAP in core HR, the solution is poised to grow exponentially as SAP will boldly invest in it. SAP will continue to offer the SAP® ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM) solution on premise for core HR, now with regulatory support for 51 countries around the globe and an innovation road map of significant investments in functionality, user-experience, mobile and in-memory technology capabilities in the future.
  • For talent management, SuccessFactors Performance Management, SuccessFactors Compensation Management, SuccessFactors Recruiting and SuccessFactors Learning Management with social learning from SuccessFactors Jam will be the go-forward solutions. Talent management components from SAP ERP HCM will be continued with selected innovations for the next decade.
  • Analytics will continue as an important focus area within both SAP ERP HCM and the SuccessFactors product portfolios, leveraging significant assets such as SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics, SuccessFactors Workforce Planning, the SAP HANA™ platform and solutions from the SAP® BusinessObjects™ portfolio. People analytics will be revolutionized by putting SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics on SAP HANA. Together SAP and SuccessFactors can make unparalleled aggregate HR benchmark insights available in the cloud to hundreds of thousands of customers. The combination of SuccessFactors software and SAP HANA is one of the key priority areas for development of the BizX Suite, as it will help increase customer value by dramatically speeding existing processes, enabling access to large amounts of data in shorter periods of time and providing real-time access to information tailored to individual requirements.

“We’ve delivered this unified product direction for our BizX Suite within days of our tender offer close, demonstrating our agility and the power of our combined people, know-how and technologies,” said Lars Dalgaard, founder and CEO, SuccessFactors. “We are providing immediate clarity on our BizX road map to ensure we deliver the best possible suite of solutions for our customers. The customer must always win. We cannot wait to share more of what we’ll offer our customers in the next few months.”

 

Open Integration for All Customers

SuccessFactors will continue to support an open approach to connecting with third-party solution providers. Approximately fourteen percent of SuccessFactors customers currently run their systems side-by-side with SAP. In addition to providing enhanced value for joint customers, SAP and SuccessFactors will accelerate the development of integration solutions with third-party solution providers. For SAP customers, the two companies intend to deliver integration packages between the two offerings:

  • Cloud-based talent, core HR, recruiting, learning and social solutions, and workforce planning and analytics solutions from SuccessFactors; and
  • On-premise core HR from SAP

“We now have fantastic opportunities in combining SAP innovations with SuccessFactors’ expertise and assets in the cloud. We are already seeing amazing results by improving SuccessFactors Employee Central performance 1000x — from nine minutes to 200 milliseconds with SAP HANA, enabling HR executives to do real-time workforce analytics and planning,” said Dr. Vishal Sikka, member of the SAP Executive Board, Technology & Innovation. “Together with SuccessFactors, we are now able to offer our customers the most comprehensive, end-to-end HCM portfolio both on premise and in the cloud — from core HR and employee administration to talent management, strategic planning and workforce analytics.”

For more information on SuccessFactors, please visit www.successfactors.com

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Retail Sector at Risk Through Lack of Engagement, New Study Claims…from Kenexa

February 21, 2012

 

New Research shows that improving engagement can enhance customer satisfaction and increase sales; leadership development, compensation, innovation and work-life balance hold the key to improving engagement  

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!

 

Employee engagement in the U.S. retail sector has sunk to its lowest levels since 2009, according to a new study which claims that engagement is directly linked to customer satisfaction, staff retention and financial performance.

The Kenexa High Performance Institute – a division of Kenexa (NYSE: KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources – has conducted global, evidence-based research into employee engagement for more than 25 years. Its latest report – “The World of Retail: How Employee Engagement Can Help the Registers Ring” – examines employee engagement trends in the retail sector since 2007 in six nations: the U.S., Brazil, China, Germany, India and the United Kingdom. The results show a marked drop in employee engagement in all six nations in 2011. Retail engagement scores in the U.S. trail only the U.K. and Germany.

“The economic downturn has hit retailers everywhere hard, as costs have been cut, plans have been put on hold and brands have gone out of business,” said Rena Rasch, research manager of the Kenexa High Performance Institute. “The sector has also seen an increase in employee theft and shoplifting, which has been attributed to low pay, poor benefits and a perception among employees that their companies don’t care about them.”

The new study reveals that employee engagement has a direct correlation with customer satisfaction and organizational performance.

“The simple truth is that engaged employees make a difference, particularly those in customer-facing positions,” Rasch said. “When engagement is low, customer satisfaction and organizational performance tend to be low. But when engagement levels rise, these factors also improve because employees are more motivated to contribute to the organization’s success and more willing to put in extra effort to accomplish tasks that are central to the goals of the organization. In other words, by improving employee engagement, retailers can enhance customer satisfaction and increase sales volume.”

According to the study, a low level of employee engagement also results in higher staff turnover. More than 50 percent of unengaged retail employees plan to leave their employer in the coming year, compared to only about 10 percent of highly engaged workers.

“Employees who are not engaged are much more likely to consider leaving their organization,” Rasch said. “As the global economy slowly emerges from the recession, opportunities for employees will open up elsewhere and retailers could find themselves competing for talent. This could prove costly for those with a less engaged workforce.”

The study also reveals that, out of six industry sectors surveyed globally, retail has the lowest level of employee engagement. The other sectors include high tech manufacturing, healthcare, banking and financial services and the public sector.

“The retail sector has faced a perennial struggle with employee engagement, partly because it employs many part-time, low skilled and seasonal workers,” Rasch said. “However, retailers are at risk if leaders and HR practitioners don’t act to bolster employee engagement in their organizations.”

The Kenexa High Performance Institute’s report includes four recommendations to help retailers improve employee engagement:

  • Develop effective leaders. Leaders need to inspire confidence in their employees through their actions and their demeanor. They must be trustworthy, honest and caring.
  • Help employees to balance their work and life priorities. Retailers should provide practical support, such as flexible work schedules, as well as emotional support and understanding.
  • Ensure compensation levels are fair. More than the amount of compensation, what matters most is each employee’s perception of pay fairness. Explain how their pay was determined and show the link between their pay and their performance.
  • Foster a climate of innovation. Employees want exciting work. They like trying new things, sharing their ideas and being listened to. The chance to be innovative challenges and motivates them to perform at their best.

“Offering employees fair compensation, exciting work and flexibility are proven approaches for improving employee engagement,” Rasch said. “However the most effective way to enhance employee engagement is to improve your leadership and management. Our research shows that employees who believe that their leaders and managers are effective have an engagement level that is three-to-five times higher than those who feel their leaders and managers are ineffective. Anyone in a position of authority should look in the mirror, evaluate their own practices and develop their leadership skills and competencies.”

The World of Retail: How Employee Engagement Can Help the Registers Ring can be downloaded free from: www.khpi.com/Current-R-D/WorkTrends

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

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, and how HRchitect can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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SAP’s Offer for SuccessFactors, Inc. Shares is Successful…from SuccessFactors

February 16, 2012

 

HRchitect featured SuccessFactors in our release of The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management and also includes them in our list of top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. Matt Lafata and Tiffany Appleby from HRchitect attended and sponsored the SuccessConnect event in San Francisco in May 2011 and the Insights event in San Diego in Oct 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!

 

SAP AG and SuccessFactors, Inc. today announced the successful completion of SAP AG’s cash tender offer, commenced through its indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary Saturn Expansion Corporation, for all issued and outstanding shares of common stock of SuccessFactors, Inc. The tender offer was made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase dated December 16, 2011 and in connection with an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of December 3, 2011. SAP and SuccessFactors first announced this transaction on December 3, 2011.

American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, the depositary for the tender offer, has indicated that, as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on February 15, 2012, 81,673,335 shares of common stock of SuccessFactors (approximately 95.5% of the shares of common stock of SuccessFactors issued and outstanding) have been tendered into and not withdrawn from the tender offer (including 5,411,270 shares of common stock of SuccessFactors tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth in the Offer to Purchase). Computershare Trust Company, N.A., SuccessFactors’ transfer agent, has indicated that, as of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on February 15, 2012, 85,541,359 shares of common stock of SuccessFactors were issued and outstanding.

Saturn Expansion Corporation has accepted for payment all shares that were validly tendered and not withdrawn in the Offer. Saturn Expansion Corporation intends to effect a short-form merger under Delaware law as promptly as practicable. As a result of the merger, the remaining SuccessFactors stockholders (other than those who properly exercise appraisal rights under Delaware law) will receive the same $40.00 per share price, without interest and subject to any required withholding of taxes, that was paid in the tender offer. After the merger, SuccessFactors will be a wholly owned subsidiary of SAP America, Inc., and SuccessFactors will seek delisting of its shares from the NYSE, Deutsche Borse, and the Professional Segment of Euronext Paris.

For more information on SuccessFactors, please visit www.successfactors.com

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Ultimate Reports Q4 and Year-End 2011 Financial Results…from Ultimate Software

February 11, 2012

 

  • Record Q4 Recurring Revenues of $57.1 Million, a 24% Year-over-Year Increase
  • Record Q4 Total Revenues of $72.7 Million, a 20% Year-over-Year Increase
  • Record 2011 Recurring Revenues of $213.8 Million, a 25% Year-over-Year Increase
  • Record 2011 Total Revenues of $269.2 Million, an 18% Year-over-Year Increase

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 for global businesses, announced today its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2011. For the quarter ended December 31, 2011, Ultimate reported recurring revenues of $57.1 million, an increase of 24%, and total revenues of $72.7 million, an increase of 20%, both compared with 2010’s fourth quarter. GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $2.0 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, versus $1.4 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2010.

Non-GAAP net income, which excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense and amortization of acquired intangible assets, was $6.6 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, an increase of 41%, for the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with non-GAAP net income of $4.6 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2010. See “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information” below.

For 2011, recurring revenues increased 25% to $213.8 million, and total revenues increased 18% to $269.2 million, both as compared with the prior year. For 2011, GAAP net income was $4.3 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared with GAAP net income of $2.2 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, for 2010. For 2011, non-GAAP net income was $18.1 million, or $0.65 per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net income of $12.8 million, or $0.47 per diluted share, for 2010.

“Our fourth quarter and 2011 financial results were in line with our expectations, and we are pleased to close the year with a customer retention rate greater than 96% once again,” said Scott Scherr, CEO, president, and founder of Ultimate. “Our new customers in the fourth quarter added talent management products to their core UltiPro purchases at a healthy pace. The Q4 and 2011 year attach rates for our talent management feature-sets indicate that human resources decision-makers continue to have a strong desire for unified, strategic people-management solutions.”

“We are honored to have been ranked #25 on FORTUNE’s 2012 ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ list. We have always considered our employees our greatest asset and the most powerful force behind high-quality products and services,” added Scherr. “Our historic commitment to people is reflected in our new branding and our new tagline, People First.”

Financial Highlights

  • Recurring revenues grew by 24% for the fourth quarter of 2011 and by 25% for the 2011 year – primarily due to revenue growth from our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering – both versus comparable 2010 periods. Recurring revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 were 79% of total revenues versus 76% of total revenues for 2010’s fourth quarter. Recurring revenues were 79% of total revenues for the 2011 year versus 75% for 2010.
  • Ultimate’s total revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 increased by 20% compared with those for the fourth quarter of 2010. Ultimate’s total revenues for 2011 increased by 18% compared with those of 2010.
  • Ultimate’s annualized retention rate exceeded 96% for its existing recurring revenue customer base.
  • The operating income (or operating margin), on a non-GAAP basis, for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $11.4 million (or 16%) compared with $7.9 million (or 13%) for the fourth quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP operating income (or non-GAAP operating margin) for 2011 was $31.5 million (or 12%) compared with $21.8 million (or 10%) for 2010.
  • Net income, on a non-GAAP basis, for the fourth quarter of 2011 increased to $6.6 million compared with $4.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP net income for 2011 increased to $18.1 million compared with $12.8 million for 2010.
  • Ultimate generated $4.8 million in cash from operations for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011. For the year ended December 31, 2011, we generated $28.4 million in cash from operations and repurchased 346,988 shares of our common stock for $17.3 million under our stock repurchase plan. As of December 31, 2011, Ultimate had 1,058,187 shares available for repurchase in the future under our stock repurchase plan. The combination of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities was $55.3 million as of December 31, 2011, compared with $50.2 million as of December 31, 2010.
  • Days sales outstanding were 71 days at December 31, 2011, representing a reduction of one day compared with days sales outstanding at December 31, 2010.

 

Business Highlights

  • Ultimate added Succession Management to its suite of cloud solutions for managing employees from recruitment through retirement. UltiPro Succession Management involves both management and individual employees in an ongoing, collaborative process. Employees can manage their own talent profiles — updating factors that influence succession readiness such as mobility preferences, languages, education, accomplishments, and competencies — to ensure that leadership has a rich understanding of the company’s talent landscape while company executives have the flexibility to develop succession plans for jobs, talent pools, or individuals.
  • Co-sponsored by Dell and IBM, we held our Ultimate Partner Forum, known as Connections, in March 2011 and had the largest attendance in our history — 820 attendees. Our customers, partners, and HR industry influencers came to share ideas, hear about Ultimate’s future direction, and expand their peer networks. Ultimate’s 2012 Connections conference will be held on March 27-30, 2012 in Las Vegas.
  • A leading technology research, analysis, and advisory firm, Forrester Research, selected Ultimate as a Groundswell Award winner in October 2011. The Forrester Groundswell Awards recognize excellence in achieving business and organizational goals through innovation in social technology applications. Ultimate was a winner in the business-to-business “Embracing” category for its collaborative customer community called “Ideas.” Ultimate launched the Ideas community to help its customers share information, interact, and provide direct feedback on UltiPro. Previous winners of the Forrester Groundswell Awards include Microsoft, IBM, Starbucks, and Salesforce.com.
  • Ultimate won a SuperNova Award from Constellation Research in the advanced analytics category in November 2011. Ultimate’s Director of Business Intelligence and his team worked collaboratively with an Ultimate customer to develop a predictive analytics tool that HR leaders can use to monitor and address retention risks proactively.
  • Ultimate’s customer support center was awarded Service Capability & Performance (SCP) certification for best practices for the 13th consecutive year. The SCP Standards represent the global benchmark for service excellence and are recognized by leading technology companies around the world.
  • In January 2012, Ultimate was ranked #25 on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, the first year that Ultimate applied for consideration. Ultimate is the only human capital management provider on the 2012 list and the highest ranked cloud vendor on the list. Ultimate was previously recognized twice as the #1 medium-sized company to work for in America by The Great Place to Work Institute.

 

Financial Outlook

Ultimate provides the following financial guidance for 2012:

 

For the first quarter of 2012:

  • Recurring revenues of approximately $60.0 million;
  • Total revenues of approximately $76.0 million; and
  • Operating margin, on a non-GAAP basis (discussed below), of approximately 6%.

 

For the year 2012:

  • Recurring revenues to increase by approximately 25% over 2011;
  • Total revenues to increase by approximately 23% over 2011; and
  • Operating margin, on a non-GAAP basis (discussed below), of approximately 15%.

 

Operating margin expectations were determined on a non-GAAP basis using the methodologies identified under the caption “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information” in this press release. Non-cash stock-based compensation expense for 2012 is expected to be approximately $20.0 million.

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

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, and how HRchitect can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Oracle Buys Taleo…from Taleo

February 9, 2012

 

Adds Leading Talent Management Cloud Offering to the Oracle Public Cloud

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!

 

Oracle today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Taleo Corporation (NASDAQ: TLEO), a leading provider of cloud-based talent management for $46.00 per share or approximately $1.9 billion, net of Taleo’s cash and debt. Taleo’s Talent Management Cloud helps organizations attract, develop, motivate and retain human capital to improve performance and drive growth.

Together, Oracle and Taleo expect to create a comprehensive cloud offering for organizations to manage their Human Resource operations and employee careers. The combination is expected to empower employees and managers to effectively manage careers throughout their entire employment, enable organizations to retain talent and optimize costs, and improve the employee experience through faster on boarding and better collaboration with team members via social media.

The Board of Directors of Taleo has unanimously approved the transaction. The transaction is expected to close mid-year 2012, subject to Taleo stockholder approval, certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

“Human capital management has become a strategic initiative for organizations,” said Thomas Kurian, Executive Vice President, Oracle Development. “Taleo’s industry leading talent management cloud is an important addition to the Oracle Public Cloud.”

“Taleo’s integrated cloud-based talent management solutions optimize how organizations hire, manage, develop and reward their employees and gives companies the intelligence needed to capitalize on their most critical asset — their people,” said Michael Gregoire, Chairman and CEO, Taleo. “Joining forces with Oracle gives us the opportunity to better serve our customers.”

For more information on Taleo, please visit www.taleo.com

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, and how HRchitect can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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NuView Systems Releases NuViewHR(R) v4.16…from NuView Systems

February 1, 2012

 

The New Release Showcases Software Flexibility and Global Expertise

HRchitect includes NuView 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!

 

NuView Systems, Inc, a global provider of Human Capital Management (HR) & Payroll solutions, announced today the release of NuViewHR version 4.16. NuView Systems continues to expand its global capabilities on its robust and flexible architecture by introducing innovative features in this newly released version, NuViewHR 4.16.

“This release is a direct result of client feedback from our focus group sessions and annual user conference,” said Shafiq Lokhandwala, CEO of NuView Systems, Inc. “We have a long-standing reputation as a true partner to our clients and we proactively solicit their valuable suggestions. NuViewHR 4.16 exemplifies vast software flexibility and improves user experience globally.”

Highlights of NuViewHR version 4.16 include:

Globalization

Expanding on the strong foundation that supports global deployment in multiple languages, this release includes new features, such as enhanced privacy, based on the regulator that makes implementation for global compliance much simpler. In addition, NuView has released country packs that include localization, global banking details, immigration, accrual rules, salary components and local benefits. The new release also has the ability to translate the product in 19 languages.

Reporting

In addition to the native reporting engine and delivered crystal reports from SAP, this release introduces a brand new report layout tool. 70+ reports have been completely laid out in SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services), giving clients the ability to use a no-cost report layout tool that comes standard with Microsoft SQL Server.

Upgrade Management

We have improved the upgrade methodology and process by ensuring faster and more efficient upgrades. The average upgrade now takes less than three months and our newly developed tools will automate this process.

System Improvements

Desired improvements have been made to enhance the functionality, usability and scalability of the product, including: The ability to assemble multiple hierarchies used in matrix organizations; the improvement of cascading authorizations; increased task manager fault tolerance and the ability to store files directly in the database.

Additional Browser Support

Along with Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox, NuViewHR 4.16 now supports browsers Google Chrome and Safari.

For more information on NuView, please visit www.nuviewinc.com

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, and how HRchitect can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Ultimate Software Ranks #25 on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” List…from Ultimate Software

January 28, 2012

 

Top-Ranked Cloud Provider, Only Human Capital Management Provider on 2012 List

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, a leading cloud provider of people management solutions for global businesses, announced recently that Ultimate was named to FORTUNE’s 15th annual list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

Before growing beyond the 1,000-employee threshold necessary to be eligible for consideration on FORTUNE’s list, Ultimate was ranked #1 on the medium-size company list of “Best Places to Work” in 2008 and 2009 by The Great Place to Work Institute, the same organization that evaluates companies for the FORTUNE list, and was ranked #3 in 2006 and 2007.

Ultimate wants to congratulate its customers who also made FORTUNE’s 2012 Best Companies to Work For list. A few of them are: Baker Donelson, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Camden Property Trust, The Container Store, Google, JM Family Enterprises, NuStar Energy, Perkins Coie, and Quicken Loans.

“It has always been clear to us at Ultimate that treating our employees as our most important asset is the path to developing world-class products and services,” said Scott Scherr, CEO, president, and founder at Ultimate. “It’s simply the right way to do business, and our business results attest to the success of this philosophy.”

Ultimate has seen continuous growth in its recurring revenues for the past 10+ years. From 2006 to 2010, Ultimate grew its employee population by 82 percent. During the same timeframe, annual recurring revenues grew by 167 percent – more than double its employee count increase.

“Over the years, Ultimate has been able to attract the most talented people in our industry,” added Scherr. “They come with us because of our inclusive, family-like culture and our benefits plans that cover 100 percent of the premium for both employees and their families. They stay because of the respect they experience for their contributions and the fulfillment of working with other highly talented individuals in a team environment.”

Ultimate employees have long been known to be unusually talented, team-oriented, and loyal. Our employees’ long-term tenure translates into long-term customer relationships, knowledge retention, and low recruitment and training costs.

“I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years, and I’ve never seen or worked anywhere that has the kind of culture and high-performing employees that Ultimate has. You can feel the energy and enthusiasm when you walk into the building,” said Cecile Alper-Leroux, vice president of product strategy and development, who joined Ultimate 18 months ago after working at other leading technology companies. “Ultimate truly is a great place to work, and I think the success of the company is an indicator that happy employees really do benefit the bottom line.”

For the last 18 months, Ultimate has been collecting data from our employees and customers and evaluating these responses to determine the core values Ultimate stands for. From this research, Ultimate developed a new logo and branding message that went live on January 23 and coincidentally aligned with our ranking on FORTUNE’s 2012 list. The core message of Ultimate’s values is clear in our new tag line, People First, and reflects why our people are so happy at Ultimate.

Ultimate develops, supports, and distributes cloud technology solutions for human resources, payroll, and talent management to companies of nearly all sizes in diverse industries. Ultimate helps organizations manage their workforces strategically and cost-effectively by providing them business intelligence analytics and administrative functionality in such areas as talent acquisition and onboarding, human resources management and compliance, benefits management and online enrollment, payroll, performance management, salary planning and budgeting for compensation management, succession management, career development, and time and attendance management.

FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute(R) to select the 100 Best Companies and to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America. Two-thirds of a company’s score is based on the results of the Institute’s Trust Index survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. The survey asks questions related to their attitudes about the management’s credibility, job satisfaction, and camaraderie. The other third of the scoring is based on the company’s responses to the Institute’s Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefits programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring, communication, and diversity.

The full list and related stories will appear in the February 6 issue of FORTUNE and is available now at www.Fortune.com/BestCompanies.

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

To learn more about HRchitect’s expertise in HR technology strategy, selection and implementation services, and how HRchitect can help your organization, please visit www.HRchitect.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Taleo to Acquire Learn.com…from Taleo

September 1, 2010

 

Extends Talent Management Breadth; Powers Social and Formal Learning

HRchitect featured Taleo in our May 2008 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. Kevin Marasco, VP Brand Marketing with Taleo appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on November 6, 2009. If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, talk to HRchitect first. We have 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 here to help!

Taleo Corporation (NASDAQ: TLEO), the leading provider of on-demand talent management solutions, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire strategic partner Learn.com, Inc. for approximately $125 million in cash.

With the acquisition, Taleo will extend its Talent Management suite, becoming the only public vendor to offer best-in-class solutions across the four critical components of a talent-optimized organization: recruiting management to source, assess and acquire talent; performance management to establish goals and create career and succession plans; compensation management to establish a true “pay-for-performance” process between corporate objectives and individuals’ contributions; and now learning management to support social and formal development.

Learn.com is a leading next generation provider of SaaS learning management solutions, a market estimated to be $1 billion in 2011 according to Bersin & Associates. Its software enables businesses to more seamlessly develop, deliver and manage education and training to help employees, customers and partners reach their full potential. Learn.com’s social learning and web conferencing features also enable companies to build collaborative learning and knowledge sharing solutions, which are among the fastest growing applications in employee development today.

Learn.com’s solutions are in use today with more than 500 global companies of all sizes, and support up to 200,000 users per customer, with about two million end users worldwide.

“The Learning Management Systems market is now entering a new growth phase — one supporting social, collaborative, and informal learning solutions,” said Josh Bersin, President and CEO of Bersin & Associates, a leading research and advisory services firm.

“Through its acquisition of Learn.com, Taleo now has the opportunity to take a strong position in this market and deliver an integrated end-to-end platform which integrates recruiting, performance management, compensation, and learning into a complete SaaS solution.”

Taleo and Learn.com have been strategic partners since September 2009, bringing to market a unique social and formal learning offering that helps companies to better leverage their internal social networks to share institutional expertise. More than 56 companies across a variety of industries have selected the Taleo and Learn.com solutions, including: Newell-Rubbermaid, Swift Transportation, and CPS Energy. Further, more than a third of Taleo’s suite sales opportunities include interest in a learning management solution.

“We’ve been impressed with the forward-thinking approach to learning from Taleo and Learn.com,” said Mike Perkins, Senior Manager of Learning Technologies at Newell-Rubbermaid. “With their help, we are powering robust, interactive and scalable social learning options for our teams that include video podcasts and development portals so that we can engage them in learning, where and when they need it. We look forward to partnering with the combined organization moving forward.”

“As businesses transform to ignite growth, they can’t afford to create a knowledge gap between the skills they have in their teams and the skills they need to drive business,” said Michael Gregoire, Chairman and CEO of Taleo. “Learn.com’s social learning and collaborative functionality makes it easier to close that gap. We are pleased to add best-in-class technology, staff and customers from Learn.com to enable enterprises with a total talent management solution to achieve greater performance.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Taleo will pay approximately $125 million in cash for all of the outstanding capital stock of Learn.com, subject to deductions of approximately $1.6 million for certain specified items and subject to further adjustment for third party expenses. In addition, Taleo will offer up to $2 million of interim financing in connection with the acquisition, and such amounts, if any, drawn down by Learn.com and outstanding as of the closing of the transaction will be deducted from the purchase price. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval, and is expected to be completed prior to the end of the fourth quarter of 2010.

For more information on Taleo, please visit www.taleo.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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StepStone Solutions closes MrTed acquisition – expands capability to address global talent acquisition market…from StepStone

August 27, 2010

 

HRchitect includes StepStone in our list of top Talent Acquisition Systems and Top Talent Management Systems vendors that businesses should consider. If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, talk to HRchitect first. We have 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 here to help!

StepStone Solutions, a global leader in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Talent Management solutions, has completed the acquisition of privately-owned e-recruitment software provider MrTed. The acquisition adds over 130 customers to StepStone Solutions’ existing customer base of 1,500 global businesses, including names such as France Telecom, Heineken, SGS, Alexander Mann Solutions, Wolters Kluwer, and Randstad. The acquisition accelerates StepStone Solutions’ global growth, extends its product set and widens its existing SaaS capability. For more information see www.stepstonesolutions.com

MrTed’s highly regarded MrTedTalentLink product, a fully SaaS-based offering, is recognised for a high level of innovation and flexibility in its architecture, which allows it to be rapidly configured to support individual user requirements within the context of a standardised, SaaS-based corporate environment.  As such it delivers both high levels of  user satisfaction and operational efficiency while remaining cost-effective to deploy and manage in the largest, multi-national enterprise talent acquisition projects. MrTedTalentLink has earned top marks from industry analysts. Gartner Group,  positioned MrTed in the “Visionaries” quadrant of its 2009 Magic Quadrant for e-Recruitment Software.  In its 2009 and soon-to-be-published 2010 studies of talent acquisition systems, Bersin & Associates highlights MrTedTalentLink’s advanced cloud architecture, application portability and dynamic user interface.

“Our immediate experience of working with the MrTed team, customers and products has been very rewarding, with a strong similarity in our cultures and processes,” said StepStone Solutions CEO, Matthew Parker. “The increase that MrTed brings in many areas of capability, combined with the global reach, customer base and market expertise of StepStone Solutions, give us an unmatched ability to serve customers of all types and sizes in every market including Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US.”

“This acquisition makes absolute sense,” said Josh Bersin, president of Bersin & Associates, a leading research and advisory firm focused on enterprise talent management and learning.  “Combined, these two companies have significant global market share.  We estimate that the talent acquisition market will continue to grow by about 10% over the next year, with much of that growth coming from global expansion.  Stepstone Solutions is well positioned to capitalise on this opportunity.”

The MrTedTalentLink product will continue to be developed, marketed and fully supported under the ownership of StepStone Solutions.

“I’m delighted that MrTedTalentLink, our staff and customers have found such a great home under the StepStone Solutions brand,” said Jerome Ternynck, MrTed’s former CEO, who will continue to work with StepStone Solutions in an advisory capacity. “Our customers should be particularly pleased as this acquisition will enhance the value they will get from their investment in MrTedTalentLink through the greater resources of a major player like StepStone Solutions.”

For more information please visit www.stepstonesolutions.com
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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City of St. Paul Signs Multi-Suite ERP Software Contract with Lawson Software

August 7, 2009

 

HRchitect includes Lawson in our list of top HRIS vendors that businesses should consider. If you are looking for a new Talent Management System, or any HR system, talk to HRchitect first. We have unparalleled knowledge of the HR and Talent Management vendor community and can save you time and money in selection and implementation.

The city of St. Paul, Minnesota, has signed a multi-suite contract with Lawson Software (Nasdaq: LWSN) that includes the Lawson Enterprise Financial Management, Supply Chain Management, Business Intelligence and Enterprise Asset Management suites. It also includes Lawson Human Resource Management and Workforce Management suites along with Lawson Smart Office. These applications will help the city improve service levels and reduce costs by helping to simplify and automate many business processes and giving employees greater flexibility with self-service options for many typical HR functions. The contract was signed during Lawson’s first quarter of fiscal 2010, which ends Aug. 31, 2009.

St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota and the state’s second-largest city with more than 270,000 residents, 2,700 employees and a $500 million annual budget. St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis make up the Twin Cities, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. St. Paul is also the county seat of Ramsey County. The Lawson applications will replace the city’s decades-old accounting, budgeting, payroll, procurement and human resources systems.

The Lawson solution is a key component of St. Paul’s major new initiative — dubbed COMET (City Operations Modernization and Enterprise Transformation Program) — to modernize its technology infrastructure and thereby improve its business operations and constituent services. Currently, the city uses 35 different computing programs on a 1985 platform.

In his 2009 budget address, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman explained the need for COMET, citing several examples of administrative inefficiencies, including:

The city processes more than 100,000 invoices each year. In one department, invoices are handled by seven to 10 different people before they get paid. The new Lawson Procurement application will help streamline that process, eliminating redundancies and paper waste along the way.

Currently, 95 percent of city employees still turn in a paper payroll form that needs to be data-entered by payroll clerks. This results in at least 100 phone calls weekly to clarify time sheets in the police department alone. The Lawson Payroll application will help automate formerly manual processes, which can ultimately help eliminate inaccuracies and save staff hours.

“We need a consolidated system with one database shared across all city departments. It will help save staff time, provide the information necessary for effective management, and help improve the quality of service to St. Paul residents,” said Andrea Casselton, CIO for the city of St. Paul. “The Lawson solution will help facilitate our commitment to financial accountability. It will also help reduce the amount of paper we use, which will support the city’s efforts towards sustainability.”

Specifically, the Lawson applications will implement standard core processes and one integrated database shared across city departments wherever feasible and allowable under law to eliminate redundant data handling and increase the accuracy of information. The solution will replace multiple existing systems and offline, department-specific processes with an integrated, modular system. The solution will give a cohesive view of the city and all of its parts as opposed to small silos of activity across the areas of budgeting, finance, grant management, asset management, procurement, treasury, HR and payroll.

The Lawson solution will also foster self-service. It will provide city departments, employees, vendors and other stakeholders with convenient options to access the system and pertinent data 24/7 through user-friendly self-service interfaces that do not require administrative intervention.

“Tight budgets and constituent demands for greater accountability pose significant challenges for local governments,” said Brian Murphy, general manager, Public Sector for Lawson. “Lawson helps government organizations simplify administration, mitigate risk and meet their imperatives for greater efficiency and accountability.”

“We chose Lawson over other vendors because they not only have a proven government-specific functionality, but they worked with us throughout the process and listened to our core needs,” said Paul Strong, COMET project director for the city of St. Paul. “The fact that Lawson is our hometown company means we’ll be able to work with people right down the block from us throughout the implementation.”

For more information on Lawson, please visit www.lawson.com

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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HRmarketer.com Unveils New SEO Center for Human Resource Suppliers…from HRmarketer.com

April 8, 2009

 

As more and more human capital decision-makers turn to the Internet to locate technology and services, HRmarketer.com has launched a new SEO Center that will help clients improve their SEO and track their keyword rankings on Google, Yahoo!, and MSNplus monitor the impact of web site content changes on their search engine rankings.

Search engine optimization (SEO) technology is increasingly critical for vendors trying to reach HR professionals, according to a recent survey by HRmarketer.com, the industrys top marketing firm. The company has partnered with ZoomRank, a web-based service that monitors search engine rankings, to deliver the powerful new SEO analytical measure. All active HRmarketer.com members will gain access at no additional charge to the enterprise version of ZoomRank’s keyword ranking technology tool.

The technology allows HR vendors to:

* Track their keyword rankings on Google, Yahoo, and MSN with automatic average daily rankings displayed on their HRmarketer.com dashboard and via email reports.

* Monitor the impact of content changes on their web site and inbound links on search engine rankings.

* Optimize organic SEO campaigns and improve their rankings over time.

The center will also offer SEO One on One free 30-minute appointments for HRmarketer.com members to speak with an SEO expert who can assist them with keyword research, META tags, web site design, inbound links and more. Members can schedule as many free sessions as they choose. HRmarketer.com has also assembled a library of articles and tools to help HR vendors with keyword selection the most important aspect of SEO and search engine optimization.

“Our customers understand that that when used properly, HRmarketer.coms tools and resources will increase a company’s [web site visibility and search engine rankings, said Kevin Grossman, president of HRmarketer.com. Our new SEO Center gives them the opportunity to accurately measure their success, in addition to providing personalized SEO consulting and education.

“The partnership between HRmarketer.com and ZoomRank provides the foundation for the human capital industry to quickly move to the front of the line in SEO and online marketing, said Scott Johnson, president of ZoomRank. I became an early user of HRmarketer.com in 2001 they helped my company build a first-rate marketing program. When I began working with ZoomRank, it was only natural that I would partner with HRmarketer.com to deliver our service to the HR industry. Their commitment to providing high-ROI marketing tools and services to HR vendors is perfectly consistent with ZoomRank’s mission.

 

For more information on HRmarketer, please visit www.hrmarketer.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Galaxy Technologies, Inc. Completes Record Sales Year…from Galaxy Technologies

February 9, 2009

 

Galaxy Technologies, Inc. Completes Record Sales Year as Organizations Turn to Cost Saving Human Resources, Payroll and Time & Attendance Solutions — Galaxy Technologies, Inc. a leading provider of time & attendance, human resources and payroll solutions has just completed a record sales year with an unprecedented volume of new software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscribers as organizations brace themselves for challenging economic times and limited budgets.

 

Galaxy Technologies, Inc. a leading provider of time & attendance, human resources and payroll solutions has just completed a record sales year with an unprecedented volume of new software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscribers as organizations brace themselves for challenging economic times and limited budgets. The twenty-year-old company has been growing at a consistent rate and up until the economic slowdown in 2008; Galaxy solutions were being purchased to manage client’s corporate growth needs. As the year progressed more organizations deployed the solutions as part of their cost cutting initiatives.

 

Galaxy’s HRMS solutions have traditionally been delivered in the licensed model and the SaaS subscription has been available since 2004, but is now experiencing unprecedented growth. In 2008, 56% of all new projects were SaaS subscriptions instead of licensed installations and this represented an 83% growth over the previous year.    SaaS has become a more preferred choice eliminating many upfront and ongoing costs as organizations tighten belts to control their largest expense – labor costs. The entire Galaxy product line, subscribed to or licensed, is engineered for optimal enterprise cost savings.

 

Our most recent success is attributed to the value customers achieve as they not only automate their HRIS processes but also deploy Galaxy solutions with the lowest possible outlay of upfront dollars,” stated Carlos Gonzalez, Director of Sales. “No license costs, no additional technology investments, no additional IT staff and a single-point of contact for support have made pay-as-you-go SaaS a very popular option for organizations forced to cut costs.”

 

“For example,” added Gonzalez, “in 2008 our team saw many SMBs looking to reduce service bureau fees and those not able to invest in SQL server hardware and licensing opt for SaaS initially, yet retain the option of bringing their hosted data in-house at a later date if desired. Clients are prioritizing Galaxy cost saving projects over competing projects that don’t have the immediate dollar returns.”

 

In addition to a record sales year, Galaxy’s success has also been recognized by Sage Software being awarded Sage Software’s President’s Circle designation for the ninth consecutive year and being named Sage Software’s Top Business Partner in Specialized Business Solutions for the fifth consecutive year.

 

For more information on Galaxy Technologies, www.galaxy-inc.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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Ceridian Enhances HR/Payroll Payment Solutions…from Ceridian

January 22, 2009

 

Enhanced pay card offers simple and flexible payment solution

 

HRchitect includes Ceridian in our list of top HRIS vendors that businesses should consider. Ceridian has also been invited to participate in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on HRIS that will take place on February 20, 2009.

 

Ceridian Corporation, a leading provider of managed human resource and payroll outsourcing solutions, announced today the availability of an enhanced Ceridian PayCard solution that is fully integrated with its Web-based HR/Payroll products.

Companies have the option of paying their employees using printed checks, direct deposits, and the Ceridian PayCard option. Employees can enjoy the security and convenience of an electronic payment without the additional check cashing fees. Employers can avoid the inconvenience of lost checks and the reconciliation of paper checks.

 

Ceridian PayCard solutions provide employees with flexible options to access their pay at 25 million MasterCard merchant locations, 1.3 million ATMs and over 4 million Maestro point-of-sale locations. Ceridian, through its Comdata subsidiary, pioneered the concept of card-based electronic funds transfer and has been changing the way businesses pay their employees for decades.

 

Ceridian’s HR/Payroll solutions provide businesses with comprehensive, integrated Web-based solutions for human resource, payroll and benefits administration with optional modules for integrating Recruiting Solutions, Talent Management, Time Solutions, Self-Service, Online Reporting and Tax filing.

 

To learn more about Ceridian’s HR/Payroll solutions, please visit www.ceridian.com.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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HRchitect Finishes 2008 Strong and Looks to an Even Stronger 2009 as Demand Stays Strong for HR Technology Consulting Services…by HRchitect

January 7, 2009

 

HRchitect, the leader in HR systems strategic consulting and the premier Human Capital Management (HCM) and Talent Management systems consulting firm, closed out a very strong 2008 and introduced a number of new initiatives to the HR community.

 

Since its inception in April 1997, HRchitect has been the firm that more companies look to for their HR technology consulting needs than any other consulting firm. 2008 further solidified that leadership role as HRchitect continued to be the “go-to” company for knowledge and expertise.

 

“2008 was an interesting year economically for our nation and the world”, stated Matt Lafata, VP, Sales & Marketing for HRchitect, “but the HR technology space weathered the storm fairly well. Businesses need HR systems regardless of economic conditions, whether core HR and Payroll, or Talent Management Systems. But most importantly, they need consulting expertise to strategize, select, and implement systems in the most efficient and economic means possible. That is where HRchitect really rises to the top.”

 

Here are some of the accomplishments that HRchitect achieved in 2008:

 

  • The addition of over 75 new clients in 2008 bringing the total number of clients to over 600. These clients include projects in which HRchitect helped evaluate and implement HR and talent management solutions, or conduct HR technology strategic planning sessions. Some of HRchitect’s new clients include Aggreko, AMEX, Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa, Avanade, Axcan, Belron, Best Buy, California Pacific Medical Center, Capital One, Ciber, Citco, Domino’s Pizza, Dollar General, Dresser, Exelon, Family Dollar, FM Global, Hooters Casino, Kodak, Monsanto, NASCAR, National Oilwell Varco, Neoris, Newmont Mining, Nutrisystem, Safeco, and many others
  • HRchitect held many educational webinar events throughout 2008, most notably the Beauty Pageant webinar series, launched in November, which has quickly become the buzz of the industry. This series of webinars covers a different area of HR technology with each event and is presented two times a month. The concept allows attendees to see presentations from up to six leading vendors in a fun and informative format where the audience votes on the winner at the conclusion. In November, iCIMS won the Talent Acquisitions Systems pageant and Cornerstone OnDemand won the Talent Management Systems pageant. Then in December, GeoLearning won the Learning Management Systems pageant. The popular series will continue throughout 2009 with Mid-Market Talent Acquisitions Systems kicking the year off on January 9 and Onboarding Systems following on January 23. February will have Performance Management Systems on February 6 and HRIS on February 20.
  • In December, the HR Technology Happy Hour WebMingle™ made its debut. The first WebMingle of 2009 will air on January 9 and take place every Friday at 1pm CST. The WebMingle is designed to provide insight into the puzzling world of HR technology. HRchitect will discuss interesting news from around the world, talk about upcoming events in our industry, and provide insightful interviews with people of our industry – who they are, what they do and why people should care.
  • In May 2008, HRchitect released the first report in what will be an ongoing HCM Technology Reality Check Series. The report, The Suite Life of Integrated Talent Management, helps to separate marketing hype from reality in the ITM marketplace.  While an updated report will be released in the mid-2009, the next report in the series will be on Talent Acquisition Systems and released in early 2009.
  • HRchitect successfully orchestrated the largest regional HR technology show in March 2008 in Frisco, TX. This was done in conjunction with the IHRIM-DFW Group. HRchitect has since launched theHRshow which will take place June 11 and 12 in Frisco, Texas.
  • HRchitect continues to speak at industry and vendor conferences, write articles, and continue increasing its unparalleled knowledge of the systems and best practices available in HR systems today

 

“We had a very successful year in so many areas”, added Rick Fletcher, President and Founder of HRchitect. “HRchitect grew its revenues by 40% over the previous year which is very impressive given the current economic conditions. We are even more bullish about 2009 and are looking for greater revenue growth and will be expanding our service offerings with a number of new initiatives.  The strategic hires we made in 2008, combined with our core team has really stocked HRchitect with tremendous talent leading us into 2009 and beyond.”

 

Visit www.HRchitect.com to learn more about where HRchitect can be found in 2009 as well as schedules of upcoming Beauty Pageants, WebMingles, and other educational events.

Matt Lafata, HRchitect

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