Ventana Research Analyst Perspectives

SAP SuccessFactors Is a Leader in Learning Management Systems

Written by Ventana Research | Jul 27, 2020 5:49:34 PM

Here are some insights on SAP SuccessFactors drawn from our latest Value Index research, which provides a balanced perspective of Learning Management Systems (LMS) vendors and products that’s rooted in an understanding of business drivers and needs. Our continuous research and analysis of the market for business applications and technologies guide our comprehensive approach to this Value Index on Learning Management Systems 2020. Organizations can use it to evaluate existing suppliers and potential new technology partners; applying it can shorten the cycle time for an RFP. This approach not only reduces cost and time but also minimizes the risk of making a decision that is bad for the business. Using the Value Index will enable your organization to achieve the levels of efficiency and effectiveness needed to optimize learning management.

We evaluated SAP SuccessFactors and 11 other vendors in seven categories, five product-related (adaptability, capability, manageability, reliability and usability) and two concerning the vendor (TCO/ROI and vendor validation). To arrive at the Value Index rating for a given vendor, we weighted each of the seven categories to reflect its relative importance in an RFP process, with the weightings based on data derived from our benchmark research on LMS.

SAP SuccessFactors places third in this Value Index on LMS; the vendor is a Value Index Leader (top three) in the Usability, Reliability and Capability categories as well as in the aggregated Product category. Since acquiring top-tier SaaS- and PaaS-powered LMS player Plateau Systems in 2011, the company has made significant investments in Learning Management.

SAP SuccessFactors earns its highest scores in the Capability category due to strong functionality. The product can assist in the creation of learning programs that combine internal and external content and automate completion tracking for all content assets. Also, the product provides an open content network with access to expert-created content from many partners, including edX, OpenSesame, lynda.com, Harvard Business Publishing, Udacity, Coursera, and openHPI. SAP Jam offers collaboration features within and across learning communities, a robust recommendation engine and task-based on-the-job training (OJT).

The vendor’s lowest scores are in the Validation category. Performance there would improve had they provided more customer references and better ROI and business case support to prospects. The vendor does, however, provide plentiful case studies.

This research-based index is the most comprehensive assessment of the value of learning management systems (LMS) software in the industry. You can learn more about our Value Index as an effective vendor selection and RFI/RFP tool here and participating vendors can learn more about how to use the Value Index here.