SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) trends are increasingly being embraced by the HR industry. HR functions like recruiting, employee engagement, and analytics are being transformed by adopting cloud-based SaaS systems, mobile apps, social platforms, and analytics tools. This allows HR to improve processes like benefits administration, payroll, and collaboration while also providing data insights. Major tech vendors are seeing over 50% annual growth for their cloud-based HR offerings. Companies like Cognizant have seen productivity gains from employee use of social tools like Yammer on their own devices. The adoption of SMAC technologies in HR continues to accelerate.

1. Knolskape 1www.knolskape.com
SMAC Trends in HR
Madan Panathula
Senior Learning & Talent Transformation Consultant

2. Context – Key Question
• Can SMAC work in HR? How are HR fraternity embracing
SMAC trends?
• According to Steve Cardell - President of Enterprise Services
and Diversified Industries at HCL Technologies:
– It isn’t just working but it is working amazingly
– HR is increasingly becoming the ‘Pioneers Of SMAC’
– HR can go on to become SMAC king
Knolskape 2www.knolskape.com

3. Why does SMAC work for HR?
• The reasons why SMAC is working for HR are:
1. Business wants more from HR now & SMAC helps HR
deliver it
2. HR has had a poor starting position with respect to
technologies, it wants to change it now
3. Significant innovation in the technology provider market
with respect to HR solutions
Knolskape 3www.knolskape.com

4. How can SMAC add value to HR?
• HR can create, deliver & capture value using SMAC:
1. Move to cloud based best practice solutions
2. Explore SaaS HCM systems
3. Use mobile devices to capture data from employees
4. Apps for pay slips, leave planning, sending/receiving reports
etc.
5. Social Platforms to drive collaboration & innovation
6. Analytics to churn out numbers that will let management
know that the investment is paying off
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5. SMAC Trends in HR
Knolskape 5www.knolskape.com
Cloud
•HRM SaaS vendors: Cornerstone,
OnDemand, SuccessFactors (an SAP
company) SumTotal Systems and
Workday are all growing in excess of
50% per annum
Mobility
•Allowing employees to access office
emails through their own devices has
improved productivity by 30% - People
Matters
Social
•Social Recruiting (LinkedIn) is replacing
traditional recruitment modes in many
of the organizations
•According to a Microsoft survey of
9,000 workers across 32 countries, 31
percent would be willing to spend their
own money on a new social tool if it
made them more efficient at work.

6. Industry examples
Knolskape 6www.knolskape.com
Cloud
• Oracle has started offering its Human Capital Management
tool – Oracle Fusion as SaaS.
• Ex: Standard Life, Brightcove, Elizabeth Arden and Travelzoo
Analytics
• Companies like Entelo, Gild, TalentBin analyze the online
activity of people to determine their merit & contribution.
• Companies like Microsoft & Facebook use this data to take
recruitment decisions
Mobile
• 20 %of Fortune 500 companies have a mobile-optimized
career site.
• Sodexo, developed both a mobile-optimized career site and a
smartphone app to pull together all the information about the
company’s recruiting efforts into one easy-to-access place
Social
• Organizations are bringing “social” inside the enterprise and
adopting tools such as Yammer, Adobe Connect and Google
Hangouts to make it far easier to find experts, collaborate with
peers and learn both from and with colleagues.
• Cognizant is extensively using Yammer now

7. Any Questions?
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8. Thank you 
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9. Appendix 1 – References
1. http://www.hcltech.com/blogs/idea-blogs/pioneers-smac-hr-are-
greatest-technology-innovators
2. http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2014/07/20/the-hot-hr-
technology-trends-of-2014/
3. http://www.peoplematters.in/article/2014/07/09/talent-
acquisition/effect-of-smac-on-talent-and-hr/6217
4. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2014/01/06/2014-the-
year-social-hr-matters/
Knolskape 9www.knolskape.com