Khalda…. why do so \u00a0much research into Workday?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nEnterprises are increasingly interested in SaaS applications, as they promise speed, cost effectiveness and simplicity. We\u2019ve seen great and growing interest in SaaS for HR functionality over the last several years and momentum behind the Workday HCM product has been especially strong. Today there are medium and large global enterprises alike deploying Workday, mainly because of its functionality, attractive user interface and its common code instance. Customers are increasingly fed up with constantly adding complexities to their application environments which is often the result of some of the on premise options.<\/p>\n
Most Workday deployments to date have been for North America-headquartered enterprises, in some cases including their international offices. In the next year we expect deployments in other regions to increase, particularly in Europe. In addition, other Workday modules are also in growth mode, including Workday Financial Management. So this is the right time to highlight the trends and the leading providers for plan, implement, manage, operate and optimize Workday services in this exciting growth market.<\/p>\n
So if SaaS is so easy, why do enterprises\u00a0actually\u00a0need a service provider?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWorkday wants to help its customers to be as self-sufficient as possible. To this end it has developed the innovative Workday Community, which is an online resource for all customers to ask questions, share experiences and even find partners. Customers can also find resources on the Workday Consulting Services Marketplace. These are invaluable \u2013 and our research shows, very popular \u2013 resources, but there are still massive opportunities for service providers to provide additional value-add services.<\/p>\n
While SaaS applications are generally easier to deploy than on premise applications, it does not mean that enterprises do not require any in-house services skills at all to make the SaaS adoption successful. Unfortunately, some enterprises have learnt this the hard way, by radically reducing their in-house IT team when deploying SaaS. Workday service providers have seen demand across the value chain of services, from consulting through to BPO services. For example, enterprises need to understand the implications of using a SaaS application including the organizational change management that may entail. Workday partners with a deep knowledge of HR and\/or finance have also brought deep functional expertise in a holistic manner to customers.<\/p>\n
So who are these partners offering to Workday the organization… and how did they do?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nWorkday\u2019s services ecosystem is one of a kind. For starters, it\u2019s a closed ecosystem, with Workday carefully selecting and inviting partners to join the club. To date there are 28 deployment partners, including Workday boutiques (such as Ataraxis and OneSource Virtual) , HR specialists (such as Aon Hewitt), consultants (such as KPMG) and global general service providers (such as Accenture and IBM). Moreover, all partner consultants are trained by Workday so that they all use a consistent deployment methodology to maintain the same high standard. As a result, there isn\u2019t a weak partner, as they are all at least technically very capable. The differentiators lie in commitment to developing proprietary technologies, customer engagement methodologies and having a clear vision for the market.<\/p>\n
In our Blueprint, the boutique partners shone, especially for their commitment to making customers\u2019 Workday experience a success. The HfS Blueprint Axis shown today captures a healthy mix of each category of service provider in both our Winner\u2019s Circle and our High Performers, highlighting the need for the global partners to not take their usual dominant position for granted.<\/p>\n
The members of our Winner\u2019s Circle for Workday Services include: Accenture, Collaborative Solutions, Deloitte, Meteorix, OneSource Virtual and Towers Watson.<\/p>\n
Our High Performers include: Appirio, Ataraxis, CPSG Partners, IBM, KPMG, Mercer and Sierra-Cedar.<\/p>\n
In our Blueprint we also profile the capabilities of other Workday partners including: Aon Hewitt, everBe, Hexaware Technologies, HP, NGA Human Resources as well as of Workday itself.<\/p>\n
Thanks for your great insight, Khalda. \u00a0So… to sum up this Blueprint research, how do you see this market evolving further down the road?\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n