The integration will help simplify not only business processes but also processes of recruitment, management of workforce and hiring-related decision-making.
SAP and IBM, the two companies which have had a strategic alliance for the last 40 years, now plan to integrate their human resources (HR) software and services on the cloud.
This integration will assist customers in simplifying their recruitment processes and also managing their workforces. It will also improve the business processes in addition to making fact-based hiring decisions.
The services will be rolled from mid-2015 and the first offering will be the integration of SAP SuccessFactors’ employee central solutions with IBM Kenexa’s talent acquisition suite.
This integration will enable IBM customers to move their HR information systems (HRIS) to the cloud with SAP’s SuccessFactors and protect their recruiting investments.
For customers of SuccessFactors, it will provide a broader set of options for recruitment, assessment and onboarding of candidates.
This offering is planned to provide speedier integration with committed ongoing support, services and skills from both SAP and IBM.
Later this year, the two companies also plan to integrate IBM’s Learning Content Management System (LCMS) and SAP’s SuccessFactors learning solution. The second integration will help customers get the right learning content across to the right person in the most efficient way possible.
In addition, this integration will provide the customers, of both the companies, with access to greater data sets and insights, for analytics and better decisions on hiring, growing and retaining their workforce.
The two companies claim that customers who choose a mix of SAP and IBM solutions will get an experience consistent with that of working with a single company.
“Collaboration in areas, such as implementation and ongoing support are key elements of this alliance,” according to an official communique.
Debbie Landers, general manager, Kenexa and Smarter Workforce, IBM, says, “This integration is expected to be a game changer for our clients who want to move more quickly to analytics-driven business decision making.”
Adding to that, Mike Ettling, president, HR Line of Business, SuccessFactors, says, “This partnership intends to make it easier for our mutual customers to leverage the cloud solutions that help them achieve their goals. So, they can focus more on their business and less on integrating solutions.”