In the early days of cloud talent management, data integration was a single data feed from the system of record. The process was simple. The customer IT team used SQL and a stored procedure to create and send an encrypted file using SFTP. We reversed the process at the other end.

Talent management operated as an entity separate from other business functions. We were rarely asked to export information from talent management to other platforms.

Integration Explosion
What has changed? Almost everything.

• Talent management suites expanded and grew in sophistication. Vendors who began their development in performance and goals evolved into succession planning, compensation, training and development, and eventually into core HR processes. Learning management system vendors expanded into performance and recruiting. Recruiting vendors moved into performance and learning.
• Ancillary services moved onto cloud platforms, creating a demand for more integration. A talent management implementation now requires integration with an assessment vendor, a background check provider, a document signing application, e-Verify, and regulatory agencies.
• Companies began connecting their platforms to their supply chain vendors, logistics, and distribution channels, requiring still more integrations.
• Many companies pursue a best of breed (BoB) strategy instead of complete functional suites. It created a demand for integration between cloud services, each of them with a different data structure. It seems every day a new specialized product or service arises that pushes companies toward BoB.

Data Avalanche
About five years ago business leaders began to see the value of integrating all the disparate data streams into analysis tools to make better business decisions. Big Data was born.
We now have the need to manage many dynamic streams of information from many sources: databases, applications, web pages, mobile devices, robots, and the entire Internet of Things.Continue reading...