ISG to Assess Workday Ecosystem Providers in the U.S., Europe and APAC

Information Services Group (ISG) , a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm, has launched a research study examining the strengths and competitive positioning of partners providing services for the Workday human capital management (HCM) ecosystem.

The study results will be published in a series of comprehensive ISG Provider Lens™ reports, called Workday Ecosystem, scheduled to be released in September 2025. The reports will cover how providers leverage AI-driven solutions including Workday Illuminate, coupled with predictive analytics and intelligent process automation, to streamline HR operations and boost workforce productivity for enterprises.

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Enterprise buyers will be able to use information from the report to evaluate their current vendor relationships, potential new engagements and available offerings, while ISG advisors use the information to recommend providers to the firm’s buy-side clients.

Workday’s Spring 2025 release, with more than 350 new features and innovations such as Workday Illuminate, Workday Orchestrate and AI agents for HR and finance, is expected to revolutionize the way digital HCM services are delivered by its partners and consumed by enterprise clients. The Built on Workday initiative, introduced in mid-2024, has already empowered partners to develop specialized applications that enhance the ecosystem’s existing HCM and finance solutions.

“Workday’s ability to ensure superior user experience has led it to capture more than 40 percent of the cloud HCM market,” said Aman Munglani, director and principal analyst, ISG Provider Lens Research. “The introduction of AI agents for HR and finance will transform enterprises’ business models, reinforcing Workday’s commitment to innovation and enhanced user experience.”

ISG has distributed surveys to more than 70 Workday ecosystem providers serving the U.S., Europe and APAC markets. Working in collaboration with ISG’s global advisors, the research team will produce four quadrants representing the Workday HCM services the typical enterprise buys based on ISG’s experience working with its clients. The four quadrants are:

• Transformation Services, evaluating providers based on their capabilities in Workday consulting, strategy and advisory services, with an emphasis on digital HCM transformation, adoption of emerging technologies and organizational change management. Leaders in this quadrant assist clients with accelerating their digital transformations and expediting time-to-value by addressing their industry-specific challenges.

• Deployment and Integration Services, assessing providers on their expertise in core and Phase X process implementations, data migration practices, and integrations with CRM, ERP and complementary enterprise systems. Providers in this space demonstrate deep functional knowledge, along with the ability to strategically analyze deployment readiness, while addressing unique industry challenges and process requirements.

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• Performance and Optimization Services, studying providers’ expertise in managing, enhancing and optimizing Workday environments that incorporate their application management services, robust change management and release management practices and effective business-specific customization capabilities. Key evaluation criteria for providers in this quadrant include transparency, flexibility and scalability.

• Innovation on Workday, evaluating providers based on their ability to develop custom applications on the Workday Extend platform while leveraging AI components from Workday Illuminate. Providers here are measured on their competency in creating both client-specific and industry-focused applications and hosting them in the Workday Marketplace.

Geographically focused reports from the study will cover the global Workday HCM ecosystem and examine products and services available in the U.S., Europe and the APAC region. ISG analysts Ashwin Gaidhani (U.S., APAC) and Gaurang Pagdi (Europe) will serve as lead authors of the report.

A list of identified providers and vendors and further details on the study are available in this digital brochure. Companies not listed as Workday ecosystem providers can contact ISG and ask to be included in the study.

All 2025 ISG Provider Lens™ evaluations feature expanded customer experience (CX) data that measures actual enterprise experience with specific provider services and solutions, based on ISG’s continuous CX research. Enterprise customers wishing to share their experience about a specific provider or vendor are invited to complete this online survey. Participants will receive a copy of this report in return for their feedback.