BigRedSky

2004 Consensus Software Awards

Product Description

BigRedSky is a modulised web-based Human Capital Relationship Management (HCRM) suite of products that allows organisations to manage the employee relationship "from hire to retire"; by redefining the roles of recruitment companies, advertising & media companies and internal human resources processes. Therein, reducing cost and streamlining recruitment, advertising, promotions, internal transfers (redeployment) and severance options.

BigRedSky is easily deployed. Users with a basic level of internet expertise require minimal training to become proficient. Each module within the BigRedSky suite is highly flexible and provides the capability to configure a solution that suits the unique requirements of hiring organisations. The modules can also be integrated with third party Human Resource Information Systems.

The BigRedSky Human Capital Relationship Management system has four core modules; e-Recruitment, e-Promotions (also Academic Promotions to suit tertiary institutions), Redeployment and Severance, each of which automate many labour intensive manual tasks and reduce double handling of information. The e-Recruitment module enables hiring managers to recruit better people faster. The e-Promotions module ensures organizations "leaders of tomorrow" are always front of mind for emerging opportunities. Redeployment tracks skilled internal people for project work, new employment opportunities or transfers while Severance offers allows organizations to publish, review and authorise severance options and for employees to confidentiality apply.

Innovation

BigRedSky is changing the way talent is attracted, assessed, acquired and administrated by large corporate and government organisations - and saving them a fortune in the process.

The BigRedSky system streamlines talent management processes from hire to retire, including recruitment, redeployment, internal promotions and secondments. It automates manual tasks, eliminates double handling of information and enables an organisation to manage entire processes from within one system.

BigRedSky is delivered as an ASP via the Internet. The only two state governments that have outsourced whole of government online recruitment solutions have selected BigRedSky to provide the service. We are also short-listed on what will be the third whole of government solution deployed in Australia.

The WA Government employs more than 110,000 people. From February 27, 2004, every agency will use the system to advertise job vacancies - the WA Government system automates recruitment advertising tasks, including placement of media. It also helps manage complex processes including redeployment - a sensitive process whereby displaced employees are considered for certain vacancies prior to the vacancy being formally advertised. BigRedSky also provides the government with its own job board for all vacancies to be advertised. The portal provides valuable services to candidates that informs them about new jobs and streamlines the application process. Candidates can register online to be informed of job opportunities and store their details and documents for future use. BigRedSky is the WA Government's first whole-of-government ASP solution.

Corporate clients such as Caltex, BAE Systems, Edith Cowan University and Sons of Gwalia have also reduced their talent acquisition and management costs through the implementation of BigRedSky. The flexibility of BigRedSky means that each client has a customised system that can be deployed in 10 business days.

The application has been developed in open source, which provides Empired with a significant competitive advantage in the market place in relation to software licence fees. Most of our competitors provide online recruitment systems - that is simply where BigRedSky starts.

Performance

The Western Australian Government is poised to save more than $3.5 million per annum in hard costs as a result of implementing BigRedSky. The provision of the BigRedSky portal has enabled the WA Government to heavily reduce costs relating to press advertising, printing and mailing of job packs and postal correspondence with applicants.

To demonstrate the WA Government's commitment to the BigRedSky ASP and the service being provided by Empired, the WA Government Media Office is launching a TV, radio and press advertising campaign on February 29. The campaign will be focussed on informing jobseekers about the government's new online service for advertising job vacancies - and its move away from traditional press advertising.

More than 300 users have bee trained in readiness for the launch of the system. In the case of the Victorian Government online recruitment solution also provided by Empired with its BigRedSky product, more than public sector 40 agencies have signed up to use the service since October 2003. This brings the total number of client organisations to more than 60 in Victoria.

Our product support has been described as a breath of fresh air by clients such as Caltex. We are committed to working with customers to help the customer achieve the objectives they desire through the implementation of our system. The strategy is working…our clients are our best advocates for the system and they play a vital role in the BigRedSky system's ongoing development.

Real world performance has also been of the highest order. Since we started collecting performance related data in 2001, BigRedSky has achieved uptime of more than 99.9% against a service benchmark that guarantees 99.5%. There has also never been a product related outage.

Potential

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of BigRedSky is its untapped potential in most of Australia and international markets.

The flexibility of the application is such that it can be configured to suit many talent management processes. All of the modules that we have developed have originated from the core BigRedSky technology framework. The application has been sold into corporate markets, local government, state government and small to medium businesses. Our smallest client employs 35 people and our largest employs more than 110,000.

The standard "off the shelf" e-recruitment module can be customised and deployed within days. Given the degree of flexibility within the application, BigRedSky can be modified to suit any application and assessment process.

The application as a talent management solution has market potential throughout Asia Pacific, USA and the UK. We are now actively exploring opportunities in these markets and formulating strategies for the establishment of distribution channels into those markets.

However, the application is more than talent management…the BigRedSky system can be configured to manage tender processes, local government building applications and academic student enrolments. Therefore the product offers both horizontal and vertical market opportunities in Australia and internationally.

In 2003 Empired was ranked by Deloitte Touche Thomatsu as the 4th fastest growing technology company in Australia with three year growth of more than 950%. In the same year we were ranked 14th in all of Asia Pacific (including China and India) This year we exceeded that performance with three year growth of more than 1,000%.

The BigRedSky product has recently been acknowledged as a finalist in the WAITTA for the second consecutive year and the Directors of the company were finalists in Ernst and Young's 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year (Young Entrepreneurs) and were recently listed as two of the most outstanding young executives in WA through WA Business News prestigious 40 under 40 awards.

Other information the judges should know

ePromotion Brochure (pdf)

Recruitment Brochure (pdf)

WAITTA Presentation (PowerPoint Presentation)

Content2004Copyright©Empired Ltd
Format2004Copyright©Consensus Pty Ltd

End of page