Looking at you IBM, SAP, Salesforce, Workday, and Rackspace... Every year, certain major IT suppliers enter their most aggressive selling season as their fiscal year end approaches. When their sales and revenue pressure goes up, the pressure on customers goes up. Whether the target is more licenses, longer terms, higher commitments, or migration into higher margin products, suppliers will position these moves as strategic improvements, but they are often driven by internal quota demands, stock performance expectations, bonuses and compensation cycles. With Salesforce and Workday both closing their fiscal year on January 31, and IBM, SAP, and ...
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Pressure Season for Suppliers and Your Window of Opportunity As the calendar flips toward the end of the fiscal year for major technology suppliers, procurement teams are entering a critical, and often perilous, window. January fiscal year-end suppliers are pushing hard to “make the number,” and their account teams are laser-focused on closing deals that boost quarterly and annual performance metrics. That urgency can cut both ways. While suppliers will apply every sales pressure tactic in their playbook to close favorable deals for them, savvy buyers can use this moment to turn the tables and secure exceptional commercial outcomes, if they ...
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Decoding Workday's Flex Credits: AI Boon or Budget Black Hole? Today we’re dissecting Workday's latest play: the Flex Credits model unveiled at Workday Rising 2025 on September 16. Billed as a "smarter, more flexible" way to tap AI agents, it's essentially a consumption-based pricing pivot that's got CIO and HR Leaders buzzing, and procurement teams scrambling. Is this vendor ingenuity unlocking AI value, or just another revenue stream disguised as innovation? Drawing from our Client feedback, fresh announcements, analyst breakdowns, and real-time sentiment, I'll discuss what the potential short and long-term expectations should be and of ...
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Workday Sentiment Analysis Preface The days of relying on personal relationships to secure favorable deal terms are over. IT vendors are aggressively shifting their focus towards capturing a larger share of your value chain and more of your wallet share. Their maneuvers include: Subscription-based pricing models: IT vendors are locking customers into recurring fees with additional consumption costs, making it difficult to predict and control long-term technology costs. Reduced flexibility: Subscription access often comes with limited customization options, and tiered access that requires you to subscribe to more expensive levels that offer ...
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Where we were: Enter the Disruptor Workday's journey to becoming the market leader in the human capital management (HCM) space is a story of innovation, strategic partnerships, and capitalizing on market shifts. Founded in 2005 by former PeopleSoft executives, Workday entered a market dominated by the old guard, established players like SAP and Oracle. However, Workday differentiated itself by offering a cloud-based solution, a modern user interface, and a focus on user experience, which really resonated with both HR professionals and executives. Workday's growth was further fueled by its strategic partnerships. In 2010, it formed a key ...
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Workday has become ‘the rock’ of the HCM market and has been for some time. Like so many others, Workday started out as the small innovator and market disruptor and has become the standard by which HCM software is measured. They deservedly earned this moniker as they continued (for the most part) their spirit of rapid innovation coupled with operating stability that their customers could rely on. IF Workday said they were going to deliver, they usually did. You might say they have gained in certain circles the same moniker that IBM once held (but no longer) in their heyday which was ‘No one ever got fired for hiring IBM’. But we have to ask ...
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Introduction Workday was ranked #1 in NET(net)'s Top 10 HCM HRMS Suppliers for 2021 blog. The cloud-based system mostly known as a Human Capital Management (HCM) platform for global workforces is delivered as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and offers the following modules: Human resource management Business process management Reporting and analytics Benefits administration Compensation management Talent management Survey framework Employee and management self-service Program and Project Management Payroll and Workforce Management Professional Services Automation Enterprise Planning Higher Ed Student Support Spend Management Many ...
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As we've been saying for months, post (hopefully) pandemic Market Conditions are ripe for you to act in driving business value into your company. If you've ever dreamed of being the budget hero, this is it. With the tumult in the supplier marketplace around M&As, shifts of products to the cloud, small company disruptions, the supplier competition has never been as robust. Once you digest the list below and want more, we're happy to talk. There's nothing we like better than chatting about how to get more value from technology suppliers - especially now. Big Software SAP Nearly 100% of SAP deals come due in December. This is driven by ...
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Introduction: The WFA (Work from Anywhere) dynamic has challenged the traditional mission of HCM professionals. With these changes come new and unique ways that HCM and HRMS providers should be engaged and negotiated with. As you read through our top 10 providers, some strategic imperatives to keep in mind: Innovation: Shifts to WFA models require rapid, nimble, innovation focused providers. Keep this in mind when researching your renewal and or new agreements. Ensure the agreement’s terms and conditions meet YOUR expectations and projected business requirements – not the providers sales and margin goals. Return of the niche providers: HCM ...
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The Covid-19 pandemic has caused quite a bit of upheaval for IT and HR groups (and many others) as they support the immediate needs of their user communities and employees. To that end, the HCM suppliers have the tools that companies need to facilitate these requirements, but there are some warning signs that HCM customers should be wary of. We have noticed three prevalent themes coming through the ‘pandemic buying’ that are worth noting and taking heed when you see them. 1. Your HCM provider is offering a free trial of software you don’t currently own to “assist you during these times.” When you are offered anything for free, you are right ...
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