The Research

Our collection of independent and objective technology research is designed to help you make smarter, data-driven decisions.

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ROI Case Studies

An ROI case study is a thorough examination of the actual benefits a customer achieved from a technology deployment.

Value Matrix

The Nucleus Research Technology Value Matrix is concise assessment of the operational value a solution delivers.

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  • Research R187

    Micro Focus after the spin-merger

    Nucleus predicted the pattern of mergers and acquisitions in the ECM space, expecting more shrinkage in vendors. The Micro Focus–HPE spin-merger appears to have been…

  • Research, Value Matrix R184

    Talent Management Technology Value Matrix 2017

    Year-over-year change in vendors’ placement within the Talent Management Technology Value Matrix is light. The biggest exception is Saba Software, which has catapulted into the…

  • Research R186

    Paychex provides midmarket value

    Human capital management (HCM) drives its value outward from payroll, the epicenter. To drive value for its customers’ midmarket solutions, the vendor need not offer…

  • Research R188

    The best bang for your cybersecurity buck

    Humans are the weakest link for cybersecurity. It does not matter how much money a company spends on its cybersecurity platform or how diligent a…

  • ROI Case Studies R189

    Host Analytics ROI case study: Anonymous

    A mid-sized software company switched from Adaptive Insights to Host Analytics corporate performance management solution, doubling their ROI. Usability issues were holding the company’s finance…

  • R190

    Deltek unifies cloud for professional services

    At its recent conference, Insight 2017, Deltek provided details about its new product devoted to professional services, Deltek for Professional Services. Touting a new, modern…

  • Research R183

    Informatica data security hits its stride

    Informatica’s Secure@Source is a data compliance and security solution that helps discover and manage critical enterprise data. Organizations can use Secure@Source to help meet compliance…

  • ROI Case Studies R182

    Salesforce ROI case study: Rack Room

    2018 ROI AWARD WINNER! Rack Room Shoes and Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse deployed Salesforce Marketing Cloud to expand, customize, and unify their marketing campaigns. The…

  • Research, Value Matrix R177

    CRM Technology Value Matrix 2H2017

    With embedded intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) frameworks, mobile advances, and investments in usability appearing in the latest releases from leading vendors, the customer relationship…

  • Research R181

    Kinaxis takes practical approach to SC planning

    At its recent conference, Kinexions 2017, Kinaxis demonstrated how it is helping its customers make fundamental shifts in how they plan and operate their supply…

  • Research R180

    Defining a community

    A user community is not just some administrator crawling through a support forum; it only provides value for customers if companies invest and make it…

  • ROI Case Studies R126

    Configit ROI case study: Anonymous

    One of the world’s largest capital equipment companies deployed Configit to streamline its product configuration processes. The company’s move from an aging application with performance…

  • Research, Value Matrix R161

    Analytics Technology Value Matrix 2017

    Analytics and business intelligence (BI) are not new concepts in the market place, but the exponential growth of offerings, lower total cost of ownership (TCO),…

  • Research R179

    Microsoft 2017 moving forward with BI

    The Microsoft Ignite and Envision 2017 conference hosted 25,000+ attendees in Orlando with three consistent themes: Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be everywhere, the client comes…

  • Research R176

    Oracle opens new worlds for CX

    At OpenWorld on October 2, Oracle announced new updates to its Customer Experience (CX) Cloud Suite as well as new updates to its Adaptive Intelligent…

  • Research R170

    Who leads the analytics market

    While the analytics market is fragmented and many vendors are fighting for a customer base, one company succeeds most at getting on short lists and…

  • Research R173

    SAP keeps customer data secure with Gigya

    On September 24, SAP entered into an agreement to acquire Gigya, a Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) provider that will enable SAP Hybris users…

  • Research R175

    The value of Velaro

    Velaro offers a comprehensive customer engagement solution that can increase the value of core customer relationship management (CRM) by up to 4.2 times. In addition…

  • Research R174

    HubSpot customer satisfaction

    In a survey of 45 current HubSpot Marketing customers, Nucleus found that 40 percent expect to leave for a competing solution within the next two…

  • Research R172

    Microsoft conference focuses on AI and MR

    At its recent combined conferences, Ignite and Envision, Microsoft outlined how it seeks to deliver technology designed to enable digital transformation for its customers. Focused…

  • Research R171

    Guidebook: Oracle Marketing Cloud

    Retailers are increasingly challenged to grow revenues and engage customers while managing costs. Nucleus found that retailers moving to Oracle Marketing Cloud were able to…

  • Research R169

    The reality of projecting ROI in HCM

    In projecting the return on investment (ROI) that a deployment of technology for human capital management (HCM) will deliver, buyers should avoid undue caution. In…

  • R166

    The value of the Deltek cloud

    Deltek delivered in the cloud helps companies control IT costs and scale their businesses. After conducting a series of interviews, Nucleus found customers leverage the…

  • Research R167

    Blockchain is not healthcare

    Blockchain is great technology that has yet to prove its value outside of the financial space. Yet companies, desperate to get on the “next big…

  • Research R164

    Acumatica announces 2017 Release 2

    On September 12, Acumatica announced the latest release of its cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, and a new manufacturing edition. With significant growth in…

  • ROI Case Studies R125

    Skillsoft ROI case study: General Motors

    General Motors (GM) deployed Skillsoft to deliver a cost-effective training solution with improved employee access and to support its business objectives with an on-line solution…

  • Research R162

    The logic behind a prefix in HCM

    Several vendors of technology for human capital management (HCM) have the prefix “pay-” in their name. In many cases, these vendors’ origins are in technology…

  • Research R165

    Infor Project Max update

    What Infor is calling the new “personal enterprise” – also internally known as Project Max – fits the principles of Nucleus’s Dark Cockpit. Infor’s Project…

  • ROI Case Studies R163

    Vertica ROI case study: AmeriPride

    2018 ROI AWARD WINNER! AmeriPride deployed the Vertica Analytics Platform from Micro Focus as part of a total data system overhaul, resulting in huge productivity…

  • Research, Value Matrix R160

    HCM Technology Value Matrix 2017

    Nucleus’s analysis shows that nearly 90 percent of the value in human capital management (HCM) resides at its epicenter. For vendors in this year’s HCM…

  • Research, Value Matrix R159

    ERP Technology Value Matrix 2017

    The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) market continues to shift as cloud technology matures and vendors strive to deliver more industry-specific capabilities in their core products….

  • Research R158

    Apttus extends the value of edge CRM

    Apttus’ incentive compensation management (ICM) solution for enterprises, released August 22, extends the value of edge customer relationship management (CRM). Nucleus found that edge applications…

  • Research R157

    A closer look at Genesys PureCloud

    Genesys PureCloud is a cloud contact center solution. In examining the experiences of PureCloud customers, Nucleus found rapid time to deployment (typically two to three…

  • Research R156

    IFS invests in field service and iot enablement

    During 2017, IFS made strategic investments, acquiring companies to extend its field service and aviation management business arms. The vendor also invested in its Internet…

  • Research R143

    A closer look at Qstream

    Nucleus found that the Qstream sales enablement application provides triggered training driven by an assessment of individual sales people’s weaknesses. Qstream provides sales teams with…

  • Research R153

    Where talent is most important

    In terms of return on investment (ROI), it’s not in talent management. Nucleus’s analysis shows most of the traditional buckets of talent management deliver the…

  • ROI Case Studies R134

    Ceridian Dayforce ROI case study: Rubios Coastal Grill

    Rubio’s Coastal Grill deployed Ceridian Dayforce human capital management (HCM) application to streamline and automate HR processes with a single-source cloud application. The existing manual…

  • Research R151

    GDPR and privacy security

    The European Union General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will preplace the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC on May 25, 2018. These new regulations will expand a…

  • Research R152

    Evaluating LinkedIn vendor strategies

    Social selling is becoming an important part of sales teams’ strategies to extend relationship selling. After a contested LinkedIn acquisition battle, Microsoft emerged the winner…

  • Research R150

    Aptean community delivers continual value

    Aptean delivers value from continual improvements, closely engaging with customers. Nucleus found that Aptean customers are able to work with the vendor to bring customizations…

  • Research R149

    Salesforce advances ecosystem at TrailheaDX

    At TrailheaDX, Salesforce’s second annual developer conference, more than 4000 attendees learned about new Einstein Platform Services, Trailhead learning paths, and Unified Platform Services to…

  • ROI Case Studies R148

    Snowflake ROI case study: iovation

    iovation deployed Snowflake’s cloud data warehouse to accelerate their product development, improve analytic query efficiency, and enhance understanding of company data. The company tried several…

  • Research, Value Matrix R147

    ECM Technology Value Matrix 2017

    Enterprise content management (ECM) has experienced another disruptive year with multiple mergers, expansion of compliance for regulations regarding personal information privacy, and a distinct shift…

  • Research R146

    Separating the walk from the talk with Workday

    Of all the stars in technology for human capital management (HCM), Workday’s always seems to shine the brightest. Listen to the vendor, and it’s easy…

  • Research R145

    OutSystems extends customer value

    OutSystems provides a cost-effective path to creating and modernizing enterprise applications and services. The vendor’s platform enables customers to quickly develop applications that can wrap…

  • Research R141

    Cybersecurity and AI

    Cybersecurity faces a massive labor shortage in the coming decades. Various estimates put the number as high as 1.5 million cybersecurity jobs unfilled already. Artificial…

  • Research R142

    The new Salesforce Service Cloud

    On July 27, Salesforce announced the next generation of Service Cloud, built on the Salesforce Lightning component-based framework. Customer service agents will find productivity gains…

  • Research R144

    The ROI of Machine Learning

    While artificial intelligence (AI) is still in a vague infancy with unclear value as far as enterprise software is concerned, the combination of growing data…

  • Research R140

    Cornerstone OnDemand expands its domain

    Early last month, Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) held its annual conference for users, partners, and other stakeholders. Directions in roadmap announced this year rest on the…

  • ROI Case Studies R139

    Flores and Associates ROI case study: Under Armour

    To improve the administration of benefits plans and increase employee participation in them, Under Armour Inc. turned to third-party administrator (TPA) Flores & Associates, LLC….