Cloud-based HR vendor has won the race against rival HRMS vendors to provide Canonical with a system that delivers huge time savings and functionality

“We believe the best way to fuel innovation is to empower our employees with the technology they need" says Canonical VP

Reading, UK 3rd October 2014 – Fairsail today announced that Canonical, the company behind disruptive open source operating system Ubuntu, has selected Fairsail as the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) vendor to replace its existing HR operations information systems and to scale its new talent management initiatives.

Canonical provides software and services to enterprises as well as government and education organisations around the world, to help migrate and manage their Ubuntu deployments. The company ensures Ubuntu runs reliably on every platform from PCs, tablets and smartphones to servers and the cloud. In just a few years, Canonical grew from 200 to over 600 employees in 30 countries as the company added new products and responded to significant global demand for Ubuntu. To support the increased scale of operations and continued growth the company recognised the need to invest in HR operations management.

Canonical operates in a high performing, fast paced, dynamic, global culture, and relies on its people, processes and systems to support an ongoing approach to managing talent proactively. Fairsail’s centralised system and standardised user interface replaces Canonical’s previous organic, distributed HR management systems, to provide a single, integrated experience for its employees. The HR system also provides the ability to easily scale as Canonical continues to grow.

“We chose Fairsail’s HRMS solution because it offers the breadth of functionality required by our HR team to deal with rapid growth and it delivers a better service to our distributed employees,” said Canonical VP of Operations, Steve George. “We can tailor Fairsail’s cloud-based system to our needs, simplify and automate our processes and streamline HR management. We’re expecting to see huge time savings by giving employees the tools to easily manage their own reviews, objectives, holidays, training and so on, reducing administration and enabling our HR team to focus on adding value.”

During the bid process a number of large traditional enterprise vendors were unable to match Fairsail’s mixture of functionality and flexibility that Canonical required. Canonical, which needs to be able to dramatically scale systems and processes to support substantial growth, selected Fairsail as the most capable system to support the business globally.

Looking after the culture of the company has been an important element of Canonical’s success. As a globally dispersed workforce, and with approximately 75% of employees working remotely, effective technology is a necessary way of life for Canonical employees. Alongside the Fairsail HRMS implementation, the business is currently implementing a new Talent Management strategy to ensure it is effectively and proactively managing its talent and presenting opportunities for career growth.

“Fast paced dynamic global companies like Canonical rely on collaboration, clear communications and reliable people to deliver on goals, and I am so pleased the company has chosen Fairsail as the HRMS partner to drive its approach to talent management,” says Fairsail CEO Adam Hale. “Fairsail will provide Canonical with a solid foundation for its programs, enabling it to focus on initiatives that will add value and growth and to drive its high performance culture.”