workday

Workday, Inc. is an American cloud computing company that provides enterprise software for human resources, finance, and planning. Its core offerings include Workday Human Capital Management (HCM), Workday Financial Management, and Workday Planning, along with related modules such as payroll, time tracking, expenses, recruiting, and analytics. The software is delivered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform and is sold primarily through subscriptions. Workday serves a global base of customers across large enterprises, mid-market organizations, and public sector institutions.

The company was founded in 2006 by Aneel Bhusri and Dave Duffield, both former executives at PeopleSoft. It positioned itself as a cloud-first alternative to traditional on-premises ERP and HR systems. Workday completed its initial public offering in 2012 and trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker WDAY. Since its IPO, the company has expanded its product line and geographic reach, emphasizing a single data model, regular cloud updates, and a strong emphasis on integration and user experience. It has grown its ecosystem through partnerships with global system integrators and independent vendors.

Technology and delivery: Workday operates on a multi-tenant cloud platform with a common data model designed to support analytics, reporting, and real-time insight. The company follows a regular release cadence, delivering new features twice a year, with customers able to opt in to updates. Security, data privacy, and compliance are central considerations, and Workday provides APIs and connectors to facilitate integration with other enterprise systems.

Market position and scope: Workday competes with other cloud ERP providers such as SAP SuccessFactors and Oracle Fusion Cloud, particularly in HCM and financial management. It is recognized for its integrated approach to HR and finances, though potential customers weigh total cost of ownership and implementation complexity when selecting a solution.