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Company: iCIMS
Started: 1999
Located: Hazlet, NJ
Geography: Global
Market: Software-as-a-Service Talent Acquisition Solutions
Products: iCIMS Pre-Hire Solutions and iCIMS Post-Hire Solutions
Key Customers: Continental Airlines, Canon, esurance, Hershey’s and Whole Foods
Website: www.icims.com
Recent News:
iCIMS Honored for Outstanding Client Satisfaction in Both US & UK Awards
Growing Number of Healthcare Organizations Select iCIMS for Talent Management Needs
iCIMS Powers into 3rd Quarter with Unwavering Momentum
I asked Susan Vitale, iCIMS Director of Marketing a few questions about their business and her view of the SaaS market in 2009.
Did you start out as a Software-as-a-Service company?
The company started out in 1999 with as a broad ERP solution but was repositioned to just be a simplified ASP recruiting solution. Since we were late the Internet party, we never took any venture capital money and have been profitable since 2003. Initially we were focused on selling to small agencies and then over time switched to selling to corporate customers. Our target was companies that had less than 500 employees but over time we have scaled to support large, global organizations as well. iCIMS’ Talent Platform has always differentiated itself from competing vendors and recently has emerged as an industry leader, securing the position as the third largest talent acquisition software provider in the space - this ascension largely attributed to iCIMS’ focus on the customer experience.
Why do your customers buy from iCIMS?
iCIMS offers an alternative to disparate HR components and complex data integrations through the use of one, single-source coded platform, these clients are able to take advantage of the singular system for their entire employee lifecycle. We offer a very configurable talent platform that can be set up very quickly; in fact Hershey’s was set up in only two weeks. iCIMS offers a wide array of talent acquisition products that our customers can grow into over time, including workforce planning, onboarding, performance management, succession planning and even offboarding.
Our products are also easy to use and can interfaced with many popular payroll and HR systems.
What do you see as the key trend emerging in the SaaS industry?
In addition to being a leading provider in the North American market space, iCIMS is proving to be the solution of choice for mid-market organizations around the world. Since the grand opening of the company’s newest office in London, UK, iCIMS is taking the international market by storm, with Mid-Market organizations across the globe growing eager to take advantage of iCIMS’ end-to-end Talent Management tools. Just last month, iCIMS signed several international organizations including ALEC, which is based in Dubai and serves the middle east, and Optical Express, based in the UK and operating throughout most of Europe.
For iCIMS the ability to support a global organization’s talent requirements is increasingly important. We have recently expanded in Asia Pacific with the opening of a customer support center in Beijing, China. This was in response to our client’s use of talent around the globe, including Tyco Electronics who hires more than 75% of their workforce in Asia.
Another interesting trend is the use of Cloud Computing. A majority of our global clients are supported in data centers in the US, hosted by AT&T utilizing technology from Akamai. In fact we have more than 15,000 servers hosting all of our clients but we are starting to experiment with Amazon’s Cloud Computing capabilities, which could offer tremendous flexibility and cost savings for iCIMS.
What is your outlook for 2009?
2009 has been a tough year for most companies but iCIMS has been diversified across our business and growth this is year is faster than in 2008. We offer a very nice mid-priced replacement recruiting solution that is attractive to customers looking for a more modern, Internet-based solution.
Since day one, iCIMS has been dedicated to ensuring a positive overall customer experience and has molded the company’s offerings with this priority in mind. The Talent Platform’s cost-effectiveness, inherent configurability, ease-of-use, and industry acclaimed customer service all largely contribute to this commitment to an unparalleled customer experience, in fact our customer retention rates are at 97%. We are excited about the expansion possibilities within our customer-base of over 700 customers, because we can start with recruiting and offer them on-boarding, performance and other products.
Thank you to Colin Day, Susan Vitale and Caitrin O’Sullivan for contributing to this profile.
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In the current economic environment it is difficult to build a successful software business based on what worked in the ’90’s or even a few years ago. The rules have changed and you need to run your software business differently today in order to thrive and generate profits.
Everyone in the software industry is talking about Software-as-a-Service but what does it really mean to how you run your business? What does a SaaS P&L look like, what are the metrics you need to be tracking, what are the best practices for running a SaaS business and how do you benchmark your company against your peers?
The good news is that Montclair Advisors and OPEXEngine are offering a FREE 45-minute webinar on how some of the best software companies in the industry have “Bridged the SaaS Continuum”, including SaaS poster children like Salesforce.com, Taleo, Concur and Omniture.
Bridging the SaaS Continuum
Tuesday July 28 at 2 pm EST / 11 am PST
Useful information that you will learn include:
* Why the SaaS business model is so different.
* Review of the ever-changing SaaS market landscape.
* Examining SaaS company P&L’s.
* Discuss SaaS business metrics.
* How to benchmark your company against peers in the SaaS industry.
* SaaS Continuum tools and best practices ideas.
Everyone in the software industry is talking about Software-as-a-Service but what does it really mean to how you run your business? What does a SaaS P&L look like, what are the metrics you need to be tracking, what are the best practices for running a SaaS business and how do you benchmark your company against your peers?
This informative session will be presented by leading SaaS experts including Kevin Dobbs, Owner and Managing Partner at Montclair Advisors and Lauren Kelley, CEO at OPEXEngine. Click above to register for this valuable event today.
Company: Kenexa
Started: 1987
Located: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Geography: Global
Market: On-demand Enterprise Recruitment Management
Products:
Recruitment Process Outsourcing
Key Customers: Cablevision, ConAgra, Hilton Hotels, Pitney Bowes and SAP.
Website: Kenexa
Blog: Kenexa Blog
Recent News:
Hiring Becomes More Precise With Kenexa’s Enhanced Interview Assessment Solution
Kenexa Thought Leader To Present At Dubai School Of Government
I asked Ron Hanscome, VP of Product Strategy a few questions about Kenexa and his view of the SaaS market in 2009.
Did you start out as a Software-as-a-Service company?
Kenexa began operations in 1987 as a provider of recruitment services to a wide variety of industries. In 1993, we offered our first automated recruitment management system, and by 1997, we had expanded to provide employee research, employee performance management technology and consulting services. In late 1997, responding to growing demand from our customers, we embarked on a strategy to provide comprehensive human capital management services integrated with on-demand software. Since that time Kenexa has participated in the evolution of HCM software from hosted applications to full multi-tenant SaaS, and all current (as well as future) solutions are built according to this model
Why do your customers buy from Kenexa?
Many prospective customers today are looking for more than just a technology solution, or even process optimization along with technology; they are looking for solutions that truly impact their organization’s critical outcomes. They are also looking for providers that are able to partner with them to truly understand their business and help them to build a better workforce.
We help companies identify the right individuals and create the right environments to enhance individual and organizational performance. The formula i X e = s is our foundation for maximizing business success. When you multiply the right individual by the right environment, success is inevitable.
The i in our formula stands for individual. Successful companies are built one person at a time.
The e in our formula stands for environment. High performing organizations result from work environments that create engaged, aligned and motivated employees.
The s in our formula stands for success. Success refers to the ability of an organization to realize every part of its mission and vision, while driving measurable business outcomes.
The multiplication sign in our formula is the secret to unlocking human potential. It is the factor that separates Kenexa from every other company in the marketplace. While other companies have tools to affect either the i or the e, Kenexa has the solutions to impact both, and thus multiply business outcomes.
Through science supported by more than 100 applied human scientists and 600 HR professionals, technology based on expertise and extensive research and development, business processes reinforced by more than 1,400 professionals, and customized consulting with every business partner, no other business in the HR industry can do what we do for organizations.
What do you see as the key trend emerging in the SaaS industry?
At Kenexa we don’t really think of SaaS as an industry unto itself; rather, we believe that SaaS is a way to deliver our solutions in an effective, efficient manner to our customers. To be successful, providers in the talent management space need to be able to embed their consulting and domain expertise as well as their applied human science into their solutions; without it they will not be able to deliver demonstrable business impact to their customers. This requires developers, domain experts and scientists to work collaboratively in new ways – those that can quickly implement this new approach will see greater success and market penetration.
What is your outlook for 2009?
Despite the tough economy, Kenexa is still seeing significant interest in its SaaS integrated talent management solutions. More than ever, organizations are looking for proven ROI and business impact, and our unique blend of science, consulting, business process expertise, and technology is resonating with the market. Kenexa continues to invest in its solutions while maintaining a strong focus on profitable growth. With no long-term debt and a strong cash position, our long-term viability is another reason that prospective customers will continue to choose Kenexa. We also expect to continue our strong trend of selling additional products into our customer base.
Company: Xactly Corporation
Started: 2005
Located: San Jose, California
Geography: Global
Market: Sales Performance Management
Products: Xactly Incent
Key Customers: Cablevision, CNET, DHL, Invitrogen, John Hancock, Motorola, PayPal, Salesforce.com, SuccessFactors, and Time Warner Cable.
Website: Xactly Corporate Website
Recent News:
XACTLY NAMED TO JMP SECURITIES’ HOT 100 SOFTWARE COMPANIES
XACTLY NAMED FINALIST FOR 2009 SOFTWARE INNOVATION AWARD
XACTLY NAMED 2009 AMERICAN BUSINESS AWARDS FINALIST
XACTLY CORPORATION WINS BEAGLE RESEARCH’S 2009 “CRM WIZKIDS” AWARD
I asked Chris Cabrera, Xactly’s Chief Executive Officer a few questions about his business and his view of the SaaS market in 2009.
Did you start out as a Software-as-a-Service company?
From the company’s inception, Xactly architected its application suite from the ground up to be 100% multi-tenant SaaS. Xactly currently provides the market’s leading SaaS application allowing companies to replace spreadsheets and automate the process of sales compensation management.
Why do your customers buy from Xactly?
The vast majority of companies today rely on a disjointed combination of Excel spreadsheets, email, manual and paper-based methods to manage the sales compensation function. Some companies evaluate packaged or on-premise sales compensation management solutions, but typically find these products complex, time-consuming, and too expensive to purchase, deploy, operate and manage
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Xactly offers the leading pure SaaS solution for automated sales compensation management, allowing customers to move beyond spreadsheets to effectively design, deploy, manage, communicate and audit their sales compensation programs—and more effectively drive greater top- and bottom-line performance.
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What do you see as the key trend emerging in the SaaS industry?
There seems to be a theme around cloud computing recently which can confuse buyers with promises of hosted infrastructure providing scalability versus true multi-tenancy which provides ultimate flexibility, productivity and sharing of one application for many. The cloud is not meant to reduce the imperative of multi-tenancy (as compared to single-tenancy or virtual-tenancy), but does serve as a better visual to aid in the notion that there is no need for anything on-premise. The cloud also helps companies to better appreciate the interoperability benefits between best-of-breed SaaS vendors (e.g. Xactly, Salesforce.com, SuccessFactors, Workday, etc.).
What is your outlook for 2009?
We are very bullish on the future of SaaS and specifically the sales performance management market. Regardless of company size or industry, Xactly helps companies impact the behavior of their sales teams, enabling customers to discover new and innovative ways to motivate sales behaviors to directly impact the bottom line. We certainly expect to see more consolidation in the SaaS market, but at the same time, we expect to see deeper interoperability between true SaaS applications, offering customers best-of-breed integrated solutions exposing the power of what is possible with SaaS.
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Thank you to Chris Cabrera, Karen Steele and Samantha Morre for contributing to this profile.
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