Two weeks ago Oracle agreed to buy Taleo, a maker of online human resources software. Last October the company purchased RightNow Technologies, a maker of Web-based customer services software for $1.43 billion.
That’s two cloud-based companies. What does this mean for the outsourcing market?
I say the big ERP and database companies finally have to admit the cloud is here to stay. In the past Oracle’s CEO, Lawrence Ellison, has publicly stated cloud would not be a profitable IT arena, so the company has stayed away from not only cloud solutions but virtualization as well. This is inherently strange since… Read the rest
What will the future bring in terms of HR technology? Jason Averbrook, co-founder and CEO of Knowledge Infusion, and Naomi Lee Bloom, managing partner, Bloom & Wallace, attempted to define that future during the second annual “Great Technology Debate” at the HR Technology Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas on October 4.
Here are some nuggets from the lively 90-minute discussion. N.B: Their sage insights are universal, applying to technology in general.
About HR data and analytics:
Bloom: “We have a bunch of sludge sitting at the bottom of our databases. HR has postponed the inevitable. But now is… Read the rest
When you are in the midst of your everyday life, it’s easy to get caught up in the details and not see the big picture. But when you step away, you get a fresh view point.
Two weeks ago I joined 13,999 other HR professionals from 73 countries to attend the SHRM (Society of Human Resource Managers) annual conference. I had no idea how pervasive outsourcing is to this crucial business process. My epiphany: Outsourcing provides the underpinning of the HR process today worldwide.
For example, a session by Gary Kushner called “The Changing Nature of Work: Five Global Trends… Read the rest
Ten years ago large multinational HRO buyers wanted to implement the HR solutions in their ERP platforms. They wanted technology for HR transactions and data. Now that the IT is as reliable as a dial tone, HR outsourcing providers can step up to the steeper challenge of today: “CXOs are asking the HR executives to play the role of strategic business partner,” says Maheedharan Thiagarajan, head of solution designs — HR services for Infosys. “Today, HR leaders need to do more than oversee HR transactions.”
How? Maheedharan says HR executives today must have “a laser focus on talent development and… Read the rest
As companies increasingly turn to software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for their monthly subscription-based pricing model and business agility benefits, HR recruitment tools are a focus of SaaS software development companies and venture capitalists funding them.
Two SaaS recruiting tools to be aware of: Evolv and PeopleMatter.
Evolv is science-based talent intelligence software that goes beyond job-matching according to skills. It matches applicants to job types based on behaviors, motivation, and workstyle. The company claims its SaaS tool reduces attrition by 20-30 percent and improves operating margins by 20 percent. Its $15.75 million in VC funding will be used to expand to global markets.
PeopleMatter was launched in September after acquiring the software assets of Columbia-based Acadia… Read the rest
As the economy recovers from the recession, talent acquisition is a significant focus of many companies. But the hiring process has changed thanks to technology enhancements, globalization, new regulatory mandates, and workforce demographics.
I spoke with Angela Hills, Executive Vice President of Pinstripe, a leading recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) service provider, about the considerations companies should keep in mind when they turn to a third party to manage through the recruitment process.
Q: What are the biggest needs companies currently face in their recruitment efforts?
Hills: We are seeing an increased focus on global solutions. As companies expand globally and… Read the rest
Services companies – including finance, HR, and consulting – comprise a fast-growing segment of cloud computing adoption, with 22 percent of these companies with fewer than 1,000 employees reporting they are using or planning to deploy cloud solutions, according to a recent survey.
In addition, 22 percent of the survey participants in companies with 100+ employees reported they plan to use cloud services in the second half of 2010.
These statistics are among several findings in a global survey of 1,500 IT professionals at SMBs.
TalentFusion, a Leading Recruitment Process Outsourcing provider, has acquired Fulbright Executive Search, a premiere executive search firm. All Fulbright employees and clients will migrate over to the TalentFusion RPO platform.
Even if your business is not already a client of TalentFusion or Fulbright Executive Search, this is important news in the outsourcing world. Pamela Fulbright, founder of Fulbright Executive Search, explains why:
“The industry is migrating towards an RPO model for most recruitment business.”
Fulbright has been in business for over twenty years, delivering executive level retained search services to Fortune 1000 firms around the world, with a focus on the US… Read the rest
Buyers in the HR and benefits administration space can expect some change and the benefits of added competition, with ADP expanding its presence in the benefits administration market.
ADP, a leading provider of HR, payroll and benefits administration services, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Workscape, Inc., a leading provider of integrated benefits and compensation solutions and services.
Based in Marlborough, Mass., Workscape serves a broad client base, including numerous Fortune 250 companies, and provides solutions to more than 3.5 million users with services deployed in over 180 countries, 48 currencies and 70 languages.
According… Read the rest
Who would be on your list of movements pulsating through the outsourcing world today? Here are the three that made my list.
REMEMBER WHEN?
You probably won’t be surprised to see that ACS’s acquisition of ExcellerateHRO from HP (announced earlier this week) made the list. But it’s not because of what it signifies in the human resources market for ACS. It’s because this is a classic specimen that should remind us of the need for ensuring an outsourcing contract is flexible (if not short-term) to allow for exiting a contract sooner than anticipated. That’s not to say that customers now shifted from HP… Read the rest
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