SumTotal Systems Acquires Accero and CyberShift…from SumTotal Systems

Company Advances Leader Position in Strategic Human Capital Management and Raises the Standard for Complete Talent Management

HRchitect featured SumTotal Systems 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. SumTotal Systems appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on May 1, 2009. SumTotal Systems also competed in the HRchitect Beauty Pageant on Employee Performance Management Systems in February 2009, where they were crowned the winner. Dave Watkins, Softscape’s CEO and Co-Founder appeared on the HRchitect WebMingle on June 19, 2009.

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 14 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!

SumTotal® Systems, Inc., the innovator in strategic Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions, today announced the acquisitions of CyberShift, a leader in strategic workforce management and expense software, and Accero, experts in payroll and benefits software. These acquisitions advance and accelerate SumTotal’s vision and expand Talent Management to link mission critical processes across the broader strategic Human Capital Management (HCM) market. With over 3,400 global customers and 43 Million users, SumTotal represents the most complete strategic HCM solution delivering greater value to customers with cross-functional best-in-class capabilities.

Increasing labor costs have put additional pressures on organizations, driving the need for improved, global visibility of how organizations manage their workforce to reduce operational costs. The workforce is typically the largest expense to an organization (40-70 percent of costs), and how employees are acquired, on-boarded, trained, deployed, assessed, and rewarded directly impacts an organization’s ability to achieve its business goals and maximize profits. At the same time, the shift from simply managing transactional HR functions to enabling integrated HR processes is compelling organizations to simplify and improve their technology deployments to contain costs and eliminate silos of fragmented information. Significant cost reductions are achieved not only through the automation and optimization of related workforce processes, but also with the integration of functions to a single HR solution that leverages the latest cloud-based technologies.

“SumTotal has proven its ability to rapidly integrate multiple acquisitions in a short period of time while delivering real value to customers,” said Josh Bersin, president and chief executive officer, Bersin & Associates. “The acquisition of CyberShift and Accero gives the company a total end-to-end set of solutions for all elements of strategic human capital management.”

CyberShift, an industry leader in strategic workforce management and expense management software, offers innovative visualization and mobile solutions for time and attendance, advanced scheduling, absence management, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and leave management. CyberShift is the only enterprise solution vendor in Workforce Management with a true Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offering.  Accero has a long demonstrated history providing payroll and benefits software with advanced workforce intelligence capabilities for mid-size and large enterprises internationally, and specializes in complex corporate environments.

Collectively, these acquisitions add an additional 1,000 new customers with millions of global users making SumTotal one of the largest Talent Management providers in the industry and one of the most complete strategic HCM providers. With customers such as Dell, Google, Sony Electronics, AstraZeneca, HBO, Tommy Bahama, Aer Lingus, US Airways, British Airways, and Rolls-Royce, SumTotal maintains a market leader position with global presence in every market segment and deployed in over 160 countries. Customers gain the value of the most complete solution available, a larger customer community to share best practices, increased vertical domain expertise, and best-in-class functional capabilities. In addition, SumTotal will continue to support and innovate all product lines and ensure existing customer investments remain secure. This proven customer-centric model galvanizes SumTotal’s commitment to customers as the company rapidly integrates and advances its best-in-class capabilities.

SumTotal now offers customers the most complete HR solution that manages strategic HCM functions including Talent Acquisition (acquire to onboard), Talent Management (perform to reward), Talent Development (assess to develop), and Workforce Management (schedule to pay), including integrated core system of record. Customers achieve the benefit of a single comprehensive solution that addresses strategic HCM processes, at a lower total cost of ownership and with best-in-class capabilities and a superior user experience.

“Customers are requiring more end-to-end solutions for enabling strategic, high-value HCM processes across their entire organization, while having ‘one-hand-to-shake’ with their delivery partner,” said John Borgerding, CEO of SumTotal Systems. “We have raised the bar for how organizations manage their workforce by providing complete visibility and strategic planning in a single solution that enables better decision making. Traditional vendors only touch the surface and focus on process automation or record keeping, and point solutions only address process silos and don’t scale to all organizational models. SumTotal is the only vendor that can provide this new level of breadth and depth for customers.”
For more information on SumTotal Systems, please visit  www.sumtotalsystems.com.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

Accero Meets Growing Demand for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) with Accero On-Demand…from Accero

 

New On-Demand HCM delivery model provides anytime-as needed access for busy HR professionals while reducing clients’ IT burden

HRchitect includes Accero 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.

Accero Software (formerly Cyborg Systems), a leading provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions to mid-size and large enterprises, today announced the availability of Accero On-Demand, a hosted, subscription-based service that provides clients with affordable, secure, anytime-anywhere Web access to a full range of integrated payroll and human resources tools.

Through Accero’s new software-as-a-service(SaaS) business model, customers in the US, Canada and the UK can subscribe to the recently released version 6.0 of the Accero Cyborg application suite. The 6.0 release, widely considered to be the most feature-rich release of the Cyborg solution in over a decade, includes two key enhancements that support the SaaS delivery model; a new browser based user interface called Fast Forward and enhanced user and role based security.

“Many on-demand vendor products are condensed, scaled-down versions that limit customers to a narrow set of configuration parameters,” said Tom Malone, Accero CEO. “Accero On-Demand delivers broad configurability and full HCM functionality to meet our customer’s most complex requirements while at the same time freeing up their in-house IT resources from time-consuming chores such as managing upgrades and monitoring third-party maintenance agreements, as well as purchasing and managing hardware.”

Accero On-Demand is ideal for mid-size and large enterprises or major business units of large companies, where IT resources face a backlog of projects. Hosted in Accero’s SAS-70 Type II certified hosting centers, Accero On-Demand clients will benefit from scalable, high-availability and high-performance computing that likely surpasses the performance and reliability of in-house computing resources. As a hosted, on-demand solution, all hardware, software, security and network considerations are managed by Accero’s team of IT experts.

Accero On-Demand subscribers access the system via a secure, Web-based interface and manage day-to-day and periodic duties the same as if the Accero Cyborg solution were deployed locally. HR teams can easily manage the full hire-to-retire lifecycle of their global workforce, and key tasks can be distributed to a decentralized team. User authentication and role-based security controls each user’s access to specific features, functions and data sets.

Additionally, Accero announces the availability of Accero On-Demand PLUS, a variety of services designed to enhance the core SaaS solution and help clients to optimize their HCM investments. Services range from tax preparation and filing to year-end processing to position administration and open enrollment management. Customers can choose Accero On-Demand PLUS services on an ad-hoc basis or as part of their standard subscription service agreement.

Accero On-Demand taps into a growing market trend for robust business applications that are licensed via a subscription service and deployed and managed by the vendor. Gartner, Inc., the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, noted in a recent industry report that SaaS continues to gain in popularity. According to Gartner, worldwide SaaS revenue is expected to grow by 22 percent in 2009 (Gartner Market Trends: Software as a Service, Worldwide, 2009-2013).

Accero On-Demand’s availability, on the heels of the 6.0/Fast Forward release, demonstrates the speed with which Accero is emerging as an affordable, functionally rich alternative to traditional ERP vendors like SAP, Oracle and Lawson. The Accero Cyborg solution includes five industry-leading, best-of-breed HCM applications—notable for their configurability, robust functionality, rapid deployment and ease of use: Human Resources Administration; Benefits Administration; Payroll Administration; Employee, Manager and Benefits Self-Service; and Reporting Administration & Analytics.

For more information about Accero On-Demand, please visit www.accero.com.

 
Matt Lafata, HRchitect

Accero – Formerly Cyborg Systems – Celebrates 35th Anniversary as Leading HR and Payroll Solutions Provider…from Accero

 

Accero, a leading provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions to mid-size and large enterprises, is proud to announce the attainment of a major milestone; 2009 marks Accero’s 35th year in delivering cost-effective and scalable HCM solutions to businesses and governmental entities throughout North America and the United Kingdom.

 

Originally founded in 1974 as Cyborg Systems, Inc., Accero was acquired from Hewitt Associates in February of 2008 by Vista Equity Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. Backed by Vista, fully funded and cash flow positive, the company reemerged last year with a new name and a renewed investment in customer satisfaction, product innovation and new customer acquisition.

 

“Change is the one constant in the technology market, so it is remarkable to speak of success over even a ten-year period, let alone thirty-five years,” said Tom Malone, Accero CEO. “The enduring success of the Cyborg-Accero solution over this long time period is a testament to our continued focus on customer satisfaction, technology innovation and deep and robust product functionality. It also speaks to a tremendous level of customer loyalty for which we are very appreciative.”

 

Accero’s HCM solution suite, The Solution Series, is specifically optimized to support companies with 2500 or more employees. Highly configurable and scalable, The Solution Series is designed to manage complex requirements and high volumes that other HCM solutions simply cannot match. Accero’s success in meeting these requirements is validated by its impressive customer retention; the average Accero customer has been with the company for more than 15 years.

 

“We’ve been an Accero customer for over a decade, and during that time we’ve grown from 6,500 to over 30,000 employees,” said Pat Snodsmith, Vice President and HRIS Manager, at Regions Financial Corporation. “Honestly, we’ve never considered replacing Cyborg. It just works.”

 

In 2008, Accero focused on significantly enhancing The Solution Series product suite, and in February rolled out version 6.0, the most comprehensive upgrade to its core software package in more than ten years. In addition to substantial enhancements and new functionality, Accero introduced Fast Forward, a new browser-based user interface that significantly streamlines the use of the Accero system. The new user interface includes new employee query/list processing and reporting capabilities, quick links for faster navigation and an enhanced customizable workflow to optimize user efficiency.

 

Accero’s sales and marketing initiatives will focus on mid-size and large enterprises that are using or considering SAP or Oracle for their HR and Payroll needs. In addition, beginning in the second half of 2009, Accero plans to offer The Solution Series in a range of deployment options, from traditional licensed software to a hosted solution model to fully managed outsourcing, offering customers more choice in how they access the software and manage day to day HCM operations.

 

For more information on Accero, please visit www.accero.com

Matt Lafata, HRchitect