Human Resources: SuccessFactors Helps CDW Develop Executive Leadership and Robust Succession Management Programs

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(January 30, 2008)--SuccessFactors, Inc. (Nasdaq: SFSF), the global leader in on-demand performance and talent management solutions, announced today that CDW Corporation, ranked No. 342 on the FORTUNE 500 and a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education, is using the SuccessFactors Performance and Talent Management Suite to create a robust succession management program that maps out key positions within the company and identifies employees to fill those positions.

Succession management is one of the most important – and most often overlooked – aspects of any company’s human capital management strategies. The ability to plan ahead in case key executives or managers leave the company, or a more dramatic event such as the impending retirement of millions of Baby Boomers, is critical for companies looking to avoid the financial and practical headache of a full-blown talent search.

CDW decided to concentrate on succession planning in order to create stronger leadership benches and move from a slotting process to a more proactive executive talent management process. Using data compiled from SuccessFactors performance reviews, CDW identified top performers and their competencies and goals, eventually building a comprehensive employee talent profile that took several factors into account including employee certifications, mobility interest, career history and more. The company then determined employee job readiness and risk of loss and used SuccessFactors to create an organizational depth chart that identifies potential successors at every key position in the company.

“When we approached our succession planning initiative, we knew that we needed an in-depth system that would give us a comprehensive view of our executive and managerial bench strength, so we would have insight into exactly where our strengths and weakness are,” said Tess Reinhard, director of organizational capabilities, CDW. “SuccessFactors gives us the technological backbone to do all of this and more. Using SuccessFactors, we were able to take data from performance reviews about a potential candidate’s strengths and competencies and match those up with requirements for key positions we had identified, potentially eliminating painful and costly talent searches.”

“Every one of our customers has pain points within their talent management strategies, and the solution starts with getting a clear view of what the strengths and weaknesses are in a company’s talent pool,” said Paul Albright, chief marketing officer for SuccessFactors. “Using SuccessFactors to accurately assess and evaluate its workforce, CDW has been able to attack this issue, and organize and prioritize the future of its workforce all while getting incredible new insight into its employees.”

SuccessFactors is a broad, organically integrated suite of performance and talent management software, which includes recruiting management, goal management, succession management, 360 Degree Review, compensation planning, learning and development, and analytics and reporting applications. The solution creates a company-wide network of information related to employee performance, including skill-sets, interests, career aspirations, ability to relocate, experience, languages spoken and more. By providing deep, real-time, company-wide visibility into such critical performance data, companies are able to make better, more informed decisions about how to promote, recruit, compensate, reward and manage their entire employee base.

About SuccessFactors, Inc.

SuccessFactors is the leading provider of on-demand employee performance and talent management solutions that enable organizations of every size, across every industry and geography, to realize their employees’ potential and thus drive business results. Its hosted service is organically built from the ground up - providing a fully integrated, modular suite of performance and talent management applications that provide customers with immediate process benefits and tangible return on investment. Fueled by customer success, SuccessFactors currently has more than 1,400 customers across over 60 industries, with more than 2 million end users in over 150 countries using the application in 18 languages. The company currently employs more than 700 people worldwide, all passionately focused on delighting customers through prompt and effective execution and constant improvement driven by customer feedback. SuccessFactors’ customers include Kimberly-Clark Corporation, MasterCard Worldwide, Textron, Sutter Healthcare, Direct Energy, Volkswagen of North America, Lancaster General Hospital, and McDermott International, Inc. Founded in 2001, SuccessFactors has multiple offices worldwide collaborating for strong local support and measurable success of customers.