Event Report - Ultimate Connections 2018 - More HCM, more WfM and more Xander

March 19, 2018

Ultimate Software had their yearly user conference, Ultimate Connections at the Wynn in Las Vegas, from March 11th till 14th 2018. The event was very well attending with over 4k+ customers and prospects, Ultimate had to find a new home for Ultimate Connections as the conference has outgrown the Bellagio. I wasn't able to attend, but Ultimate was so kind to rope me in remotely into keynote and analyst meeting sessions, very much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take a look at the event video first (if it does not show up - please check here):

 

Here is the 1 slide condensation (if the slide doesn't show up, check here):
 

 

 

 
Want to read on? Here you go:

 
 
 

[Factuall Correction] UltiPro Workforce Management, including both Time and Scheduling have been generally available since January, 2018.



 

Overall MyPOV

Good to see Ultimate follow up on its substantial road map promises made at Ultimate Connections 2017 and deliver product across the announced areas. Equally good to see more application of Xander in 'natural' AI application areas as with Recruiting, elimination of bias and improving Performance Management. The move into Workforce Management is a natural expansion of Ultimate footprint, welcome by Ultimate clients. It will be a few years, realisitically though, till the Ultimate Scheduling capabilities will match the leading best of breed workforce management solutions. 
 
On the concern side the variety of the Ultimate platform sticks out. While all technology ensembled are proven, it looks more like a yearbook of technologies that were up and coming in the last three to four years back. While the variety does not hurt Ultimate customers at the moment, the vendor will have to strive for a more unified and harmonized platform in the not too distant future.
 
But overall good to see the progress by Ultimate delivering on promises and pushing the AI yardstick further. It remains interesting that no major HCM player except fot Ultimate has named its assistant (yet) and it's unlikely the key HCM players will match or expand the scope that Ultimate offers today and announced for 2018 with Xander. A good position for Ultimate customers. Stay tuned.    
 
Holger Mueller
Vice President and Principal Analyst Constellation Research
Holger Mueller is VP and Principal Analyst for Constellation Research for the fundamental enablers of the&nbsp;cloud, IaaS, PaaS and next generation Applications, with forays up the tech stack into BigData and Analytics, HR Tech, and sometimes SaaS. Holger provides strategy and counsel to key clients, including Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Product Officers, Chief HR Officers, investment analysts, venture capitalists, sell-side firms, and technology buyers.<br>&nbsp; Coverage Areas: Future of Work Tech Optimization &amp; Innovation<br>&nbsp; Background: Before joining Constellation Research, Mueller was VP of Products for NorthgateArinso, a KKR company. There, he led the transformation of products to the cloud and laid the foundation for new Business… Read more
Published
March 19, 2018
Author
Holger Mueller
Categories
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Future of Work Tech Optimization Innovation and Product-led Growth New C-Suite Data to Decisions Next-Generation Customer Experience Digital Safety, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Revenue Optimization
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