Plateau News

Plateau Systems Unveils Latest Version of Industry Leading Talent Management Suite

2009-06-16T08:50:00.002-04:00

Plateau Talent Management Suite Version 6.1 Highlights Include New Organizational Dashboards, Enhanced Performance Review Capabilities and a Streamlined User Interface

Arlington, Va. - 16 June, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced the latest release of the company’s industry leading talent management suite. Featuring new, powerful and flexible talent planning capabilities, Plateau Talent Management Suite version 6.1 takes talent management to the next level by enabling organizations to implement an effective talent management strategy that will engage, develop and retain high performing workforces and create operational efficiencies that help organizations maximize their investment in talent management initiatives.

Plateau Talent Management Suite version 6.1 is an enterprise class on-demand application that consists of Plateau Learning, Plateau Performance, Plateau Compensation and Plateau Career and Succession Planning. Plateau OnDemand is in use by over 2.5 million users worldwide with some of the largest software-as-a-service deployments in the talent management space including six production customers with over 100,000 users each. This release introduces significant usability advancements and offers innovative tools for end users, managers, and organizational owners to better align individual development and performance with the achievement of corporate business goals. Specific product highlights include:

Organizational Dashboards introduce key functionality that allows managers to have a finger on the pulse of the organization, enabling them to be proactive in providing the direction and actions required to meet company initiatives, maintain compliance, and meet goals and deadlines.

Enhanced Performance Review Capabilities that streamline processes and provide more efficient and effective navigation, simplifying the performance review process for both users and supervisors.

Streamlined User Interface provides a reorganized interface integrating the entire talent management application, effectively breaking down the barriers that exist between different areas of the application. The home page provides a launching pad for talent management processes, and includes new features that allow for easier access to common tasks, your to do list, and key performance indicators for important talent management processes.

"The talent management challenges facing today's organizations are complex and rapidly changing," said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau Systems. "The complexities of today's economic environment necessitate organizations to better align the goals and development of individuals with the overall strategy and goals of the company. This alignment will maximize productivity gains while increasing operational efficiencies across the organization. Our latest release arms users with the information and enhancements they need to quickly address these challenges."

According to recent research from Gartner¹ , "Talent Management application investment can help, in the short term, to improve employee productivity and lower costs while reducing risks in critical roles. …Short-term investments in talent management applications build the foundation for longer-term benefits by enabling organizations to understand how talent-related investments drive specific business outcomes….Enterprises face significant talent challenges, yet HR organizations have difficulty building a strong business case for talent management application investments. The current economic challenges make it more important for HR organizations to focus more on short-term productivity improvement and cost and risk reduction, in addition to the longer-term strategic value."

Plateau Dashboards
Through interactive graphical charts, Plateau Dashboards deliver point-in-time analysis of key metrics that allow organizations to better manage their talent investments and monitor key outcomes. The charts are displayed in windows that allow the user to filter the data based on core attributes and to drill deeper into the data to uncover problems or opportunities. Flexible dashboard management allows administrators to assign ownership of the dashboard on a chart-by-chart basis, with the data secured at an organizational level. Dashboards in Plateau Talent Management Suite version 6.1 include:

Learning Item Completions: data on how many items and learning hours were completed by each organization within given time periods;

Learning Projections: data on how many items and learning hours are predicted for delivery within a given time period;

Curriculum Status: the current assigned curricula status of employees within a given organization;

Performance Review: the distribution of the overall scores for performance reviews in an organization; and

Goal Progress: the count of the Goals assigned to users in an organization for each status.

Enhanced Performance Reviews

Plateau Talent Management Suite version 6.1 introduces significant enhancements to Plateau Performance Reviews, including a redesigned performance review, enhanced control and transparency with user scoring, and improved employee and manager collaboration. Featuring simplified navigation and what-to-do-next instruction, Plateau Performance Reviews dramatically streamlines the performance review process and make it much easier for individuals and managers to better align their goals and review their results in the context of the overall organizational goals.

Availability

Plateau Talent Management Suite 6.1 will be generally available next month, and will be available on-demand or on-premise. Additional information on the features available in Plateau Talent Management Suite 6.1 is available online at http://www.plateau.com/6.1. For more information on Plateau, visit www.plateau.com.

¹Gartner Inc., “Building the Business Case for Talent Management Application Investments,” James Holincheck, 18 December 2008.

About Plateau
Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the United States Air Force and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

###

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
wendy.werve@plateau.com

Plateau Systems and iLearn Solutions Announce the Release of the Performance-Based SkillBuilder CORE Learning System to iContent Customers

2009-06-11T08:00:00.003-04:00

Arlington, Va. - 11 June, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced the expansion of its iContent offering, adding the performance-based SkillBuilder CORE Learning System to its iContent solution to provide an integrated learning and assessment solution. iLearn Solutions’ competency-based "Test-to-Learn" content system now includes CORE transferable job competencies, objective assessments, and SkillBuilder ecourses. The result is an integrated learning offering designed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the employee learning process.

"At iLearn Solutions our core objective is to simplify the process of competency management and employee development by making it possible for organizations to objectively evaluate employee skills and performance, quickly identify targeted opportunities for individual development, and measure the effectiveness of specific employee development activities and initiatives," said Joel Wilkinson, Sr. V.P. of Business Development and Partnerships. "By making our SkillBuilder CORE Competency Learning System available within iContent, we are making it possible for organizations of all sizes and across all regions to increase employee effectiveness and productivity in a cost-effective manner. Plateau’s iContent solution provides a user-friendly, feature-rich, learning and talent management solution for customers looking to deploy the SkillBuilder CORE Competency Learning System to optimize their employee development processes."

With iContent, users can procure learning and training materials from a wide range of vendors; accelerate content integration to deliver custom and third-party content faster and with little to no administrative headaches; and securely manage all custom and off-the-shelf content in a central location. More than 60 customers across the globe and within every major industry – including government, retail, manufacturing, healthcare and finance – are using iContent to make custom and pre-packaged learning and training material available to their users. Major global organizations, including Royal Ahold, Mercury Marine and Deltek, are using iContent to support both internal and external training and development needs.

iLearn Solutions’ innovative SkillBuilder CORE Competency Learning System incorporates the cycle of assessment and learning to support the development of critical organizational competencies:

Pre-learning iTests identify CORE competency strengths and gaps

SkillBuilder ecourses develop competency in gap areas

Post-learning iTests provide objective measurement of learning attainment

iLearn Solution’s newly released SkillBuilder CORE Competency Learning system is designed to streamline and optimize the assessment and learning process for businesses and organizations around the globe.

"Employee development and competency management have become even more important in these tough economic times as companies re-evaluate their business strategies and the workforce they need to execute their strategies," said Lee Wright, Sr. Director of Services, iContent at Plateau Systems. "iLearn Solutions’ SkillBuilder CORE Learning System allows companies to streamline competency gap assessments, providing a direct path to prescribed courses and shortening the time it takes to address gaps. By making these assessments available through iContent, iLearn Solutions is expanding its global reach and enabling global organizations to more quickly close competency gaps that impact business results."

Companies worldwide are realizing substantial benefits from adopting iContent as the preferred solution for on-demand content. By providing organizations with a single place to buy, manage, and store third-party and custom developed content, iContent speeds the availability and delivery of content, while simultaneously decreasing the time and labor costs associated with managing and storing learning and talent management content.

View more information about iContent at http://www.plateau.com/icontent/.

About Plateau

Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the United States Air Force and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

About iLearn Solutions

iLearn Solutions is a leading provider of talent management consulting services and performance-based employee development content designed to maximize employee productivity. iLearn Solutions is known for their catalog of assessment and learning content which is easily integrated into any Learning and Talent Management System. iLearn Solutions innovative approach integrates objective competency assessment with elearning to facilitate focused and effective employee development. iLearn Solutions is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with a network of operations, customers, and reseller partners in the United States, Europe, Canada, India, and the Middle East. Learn more at www.ilearnsolutions.com.

###

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
wendy.werve@plateau.com

Plateau Launches Compensation Management Resource Center

2009-06-02T13:21:00.001-04:00

Arlington, Va. - 26 May, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today launched its second informational microsite - the Plateau Compensation Resource Center. Similar to the Plateau Learning Resource Center, unveiled in March, the Compensation Resource Center provides materials including whitepapers, podcasts, toolkits and worksheets to individuals and organizations interested in developing best practices around compensation management, justifying their compensation investments and linking their compensation initiatives with broader talent management goals.

"The Compensation Resource Center, the second free resource center Plateau has created, was developed in response to the positive feedback and web traffic generated by our recently launched Learning Resource Center," said Jeff Kristick, SVP of Marketing at Plateau. "Learning Resource Center visitors are finding value in the quality, quantity and diversity of information available on the site, and have suggested that we create additional resource sites dedicated to other areas of talent management. With companies increasingly looking to integrate their employee compensation initiatives with broader talent management initiatives – from implementing pay for performance programs to leveraging non-monetary rewards to keep workers engaged and productive - we believed that a compensation management resource center would be timely, highly relevant and immediately valuable for talent management and business professionals."

In addition to accessing whitepapers, news articles and reports, product demonstrations, best practices tips, datasheets and customer videos and case studies, visitors to Plateau's Compensation Resource Center can register to attend online events, including an upcoming webinar on June 24 titled "Building the Business Case for Talent Management Application Investments." During this free webinar, Gartner analyst Jim Holincheck will provide guidance on how organizations can build a compelling business case in the current economy for funding talent management application investments, and will discuss costs and actions that are impacted by talent management investments, such as aligning pay with performance.

Plateau’s Compensation Resource Center provides educational materials, information and interactive tools, including a compensation worksheet, to help visitors build a strong business case for compensation management. To learn more about Plateau’s Compensation Solutions and the Compensation Resource Center, please visit Plateau’s booth #1232 at the Word at Work Total Rewards Conference later this month in Seattle. We welcome any comments and suggestions you might have. Click here to let us know what information you would like to see in the Compensation Resource Center.

About Plateau

Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the United States Air Force and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

###

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
wendy.werve@plateau.com

Plateau Delivers Twelfth Consecutive Year of Growth in 2008

2009-05-27T11:23:00.007-04:00

Despite Challenging Business Climate, Company Posts Double-Digit Revenue Growth, Increases Bookings, Expands Market Leadership and Market Share and Expands User-Base Across Talent Management and iContent Solution Lines

2008Highlights:

Financial Growth

5-year organic revenue CAGR of 25 percent +
Profitable for FY2008, project increasing margins for 2009
SaaS revenue grew 31 percent year/year
Achieved GAAP profitability in Q4
45 percent growth in revenues outside North America

Customers

Added more than 1,000,000 new users
Increased SaaS customer-base by 100 percent
Expanded international user base by 40,000
Maintained 99 percent+ customer retention rate

iContent

Exceeded 1,000,000 users
Increased iContent annualized bookings by 235 percent
More than 8,000 custom course titles under management
Launched, on average, 200,000 course per month

Arlington, Va. - 17 February, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the company has again posted a double digit revenue gain for its fiscal 2008, with recurring revenues again comprising more than half of the company’s total revenues. Despite the volatile business climate that overshadowed much of 2008, Plateau saw worldwide revenue and customer growth across all product lines, solutions, geographies, market sectors and industries.

"Over the past eighteen months, Plateau has significantly expanded our talent management suite and increased our global customer footprint. We continue to deliver increasing value to both existing and new customers," said Paul Sparta, Plateau's Chairman and CEO. "Our ability to execute, grow our customer base and achieve sustainable EBITDA and GAAP profitability in a challenging economic environment, coupled with our impressive 99 percent customer retention rate, reflects Plateau’s sound management philosophy and validates the strength of our business plan and investment strategies."

In 2008, more than 100 new customers licensed Plateau's talent management solutions, bringing its total number of users to more than 10 million. During the year, the company continued to enhance its core talent management solutions with the release of Plateau Talent Management 5.8 Service Pack 5 (SP5), which delivered powerful and flexible talent planning and succession management capabilities through the Plateau Talent Management Suite. Key enhancements of SP5 include improved talent management planning, enhanced real-time visibility into talent management operations and additional learning evaluation capabilities. These expanded features allow Plateau customers to better maximize their company’s talent, make informed decisions about their employees and workforce and more effectively and accurately measure the value of learning for both the individual and the company.

The company also saw increased demand for and customer adoption of its popular iContent solution. iContent, the industry’s first and only Content-as-a-Service (CaaS) solution, is a comprehensive solution for content management and administration, providing a single point of procurement, centralized management, hosting and an all-inclusive service-level guarantee. iContent ensures customers have one point of access, and a central repository for all third-party and in-house content.

Customers
Over the past year, leading organizations including Monsanto, HEI Hotels and Resorts, Mercury Marine, Luxottica Retail, Cadence Design Systems, Technip USA and Cubist Pharmaceuticals, as well as government organizations and agencies including the United States Department of Homeland Security and Defense Logistics Agency have selected Plateau’s talent management solutions to support their internal and external learning, training, performance, compensation and/or career and succession management initiatives.

Plateau’s OnDemand revenues grew 31 percent during 2008, with more than 25 percent of Plateau’s customers now leveraging Plateau’s OnDemand talent management solutions.

iContent
Momentum for and adoption of Plateau’s iContent solution continued to soar throughout 2008. In addition to a 235 percent increase in annualized iContent bookings last year, Plateau tripled its iContent customer base, adding global organizations including Deltek Systems, Thomson Reuters, and Canon USA, to name a few. Released in October 2006, Plateau’s iContent solution has surpassed one million users in just two years.

Over the past year, the iContent library also continued to grow, with more than 40,000 third-party and custom courses now under management. The company broadened its third-party content and video offerings in retail sales training, business leadership development, competency assessments and IT training, with the addition of several new leading video and content partners including: iLearn Solutions, Martec International, StarQuest Online, NIIT and Fifty Lessons.

Market Leadership
Over the past year, Plateau continued to earn recognition and accolades for its vision, innovation, market leadership and customer satisfaction and success.

In July, the company was recognized as a Leader in Gartner's 2008 Magic Quadrant for Corporate Learning Systems (CLS)¹, marking the sixth consecutive time the company has achieved this distinction. The company was positioned as a Visionary in Gartner's inaugural Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software.²
In October, Bersin & Associates recognized Plateau as a market-leading provider of employee performance management software in its Essentials of Performance Management Practices: Part 1 and Part 2. Plateau was specifically commended for its ability to integrate sophisticated learning and development activities with performance and talent management processes and the company’s steadfast commitment to customer satisfaction and comprehensive global services.

In November, global analyst firm IDC recognized Plateau as a Strong Performer in its 2008 Integrated Talent Management Marketscape.

In addition to the company’s achievements and accolades, several Plateau customers were acknowledged for their innovative and strategic use of Plateau’s talent management solutions in driving their businesses forward.

Bersin & Associates recognized Plateau customers CA and Luxottica as 2008 Learning Leaders in the Operational Excellence and Initiative Excellence categories, respectively, for demonstrating excellence in training and development.
Customers BB&T Corporation, Perkins+Will and B&W Pantex were recognized as 2008 BEST Award recipients for achieving success with their enterprise-wide learning and development initiatives. According to ASTD, these companies are BEST at Building talent Enterprise-wide, Supported by the organization’s leaders fostering a Thorough learning culture.
In the Federal sector, three Plateau customers - the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – took the top spots in 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey.

International Operations
Outside of North America, Plateau’s revenues grew 45 percent as the company continued to increase its international footprint in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. The company added several new high-profile customers including Caja Madrid, Spain’s fourth largest banking institution, and experienced significant growth in its international installed base, with several existing customers including Emirates Airlines and Thomson Reuters expanding their investments in Plateau’s talent management solutions. Plateau will continue to leverage investments in internal sales tools, methodology and technology to optimize sales execution across the organization in 2009.

###

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
wendy.werve@plateau.com

Deltek Deploys Plateau as Backbone for Deltek University's Internal and External Training Initiatives

2009-04-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

Arlington, Va. - 20 April, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that that Deltek, Inc. (NASDAQ: PROJ), the leading provider of enterprise applications software for project-focused businesses, has deployed Plateau Learning Management System (LMS) to support extended enterprise training initiatives. Using Plateau, Deltek is delivering training to its entire employee population as well as more than 5,000 external clients and partners via Deltek University through a single, consolidated system.

With more than 12,000 worldwide customers, Deltek is the market leader offering enterprise applications to project-focused businesses in numerous industries including government contracting, architecture and engineering, aerospace and defense, and consulting. Deltek has long been recognized for its focus on customer satisfaction and was recently awarded the 2008 ACE Award for Achievement in Customer Excellence. This is the second year in a row that Deltek has won this prestigious award. One of the core initiatives behind Deltek’s commitment to empowering users is Deltek University. Deltek University delivers training courses that educate customers on how to make the most of their Deltek applications, and offers users fast, cost-effective ways to keep pace with product and industry changes.

To meet the needs of its expanding internal and external user base while conserving IT resources and systems, Deltek sought an LMS system that would allow them to house, manage and administer both internal and external training on a single platform while integrating with the company’s existing back-office systems. Cost reduction through streamlining was also a critical factor in the selection process as the company looked to automate certain administrative functions.

According to Deltek, "We went through a lengthy evaluation process and found Plateau to be our selection due to the attractive implementation schedule, available training services and strong history of customer satisfaction. It was also important for us to have a system that could power the learning process for employees and clients. With Plateau, we purchased a world-class LMS that fully met our needs."

Deploying Plateau Learning Management System allows Deltek to achieve its goal of consolidating internal and external training in one solution, and accelerates the delivery of training across the extended enterprise through Deltek University. Providing anytime, anywhere access to recorded sessions, Deltek can make training available to the largest possible audiences. In order to further simplify the customer experience, Deltek has integrated Plateau’s LMS with PayPal’s PayFlowPro Gateway to provide a seamless way for customers to procure training.

###

About Deltek
Deltek® (NASDAQ: PROJ) is the leading provider of enterprise applications software designed specifically for project-focused businesses. For more than two decades, our software applications have enabled organizations to automate mission-critical business processes around the engagement, execution and delivery of projects. More than 12,000 customers worldwide rely on Deltek to measure business results, optimize performance, streamline operations and win new business. Visit www.deltek.com.

About Plateau

Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
wendy.werve@plateau.com

Plateau Customers earn High Marks in 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey

2009-03-17T11:01:00.000-04:00

Plateau Congratulates Federal Agencies for Achieving Top Rankings Across All Survey Categories

Arlington, Va. - 17 March, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that three of its customers - Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - have taken the top spots in the 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey, according to results released by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) earlier this year. Conducted every two years, the 2008 survey gauged attitudes and impressions of more than 210,000 Federal employees from 57 agencies in four areas related to their overall work experience, including: Talent Management; Leadership and Knowledge Management; Results-Oriented Performance Culture; and Job Satisfaction. According to OPM, all agencies are accountable for ensuring the Federal Government has an effective workforce. The 2008 survey rankings reflect where agencies stand on meeting that expectation.

“Plateau is proud to be working closely with several Federal agencies to develop and deliver talent management solutions that directly support their agency-specific human capital initiatives as well as those defined in the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework (HCAAF),” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems. “We congratulate all of them, and especially NRC, NSF and NASA, for their leadership, innovation and success in setting and achieving aggressive human capital goals, and for their focus on developing, managing and retaining talented employees.”

In addition to ranking among the top five in each category in the survey, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ranked first, second and third, respectively, in the Talent Management Agency Rankings Index portion of the survey. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ranked first in the areas of Job Satisfaction and Leadership and Knowledge Management, with National Science Federation ranking first in Results-Oriented Performance Culture.

According to report, “The Federal Government depends on attracting, developing and retaining talented employees and ensuring they have the support and information to contribute to the mission of their agencies.” As a leading provider of talent management solutions for developing, managing and optimizing employee productivity, Plateau has become the learning, performance and succession management platform of choice for Federal government agencies.

For more information about how Plateau’s talent management solutions are assisting Federal agencies in addressing current Federal human capital mandates. For complete information about the 2008 Federal Human Capital Survey report and results, click here.

###

About Plateau
Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Media Contact:

Wendy Werve

Plateau Systems

703-678-0381
wendy.werve@plateau.com

Leading Industry Expert to Provide Insight Into How Organizations Can Protect Training and Development Budgets in Tough Economic Climates

2009-02-19T14:21:00.003-05:00

Upcoming Plateau Systems’ Webinar, Featuring Forrester Research Analyst Claire Schooley, will Focus on How Organizations Can Maximize their Investments in Training and Development to Weather the Current Economic Storm

Arlington, Va. - 17 February, 2009 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that registration is now open for its March 11, 2009 Webinar titled, “Top 5 Ways to Protect your Training and Development Budget in 2009,” featuring Claire Schooley, a senior analyst covering learning strategy and technology at Forrester Research.

In order to survive in today’s tough economic environment, organizations are being forced to cut valuable resources, skills and employees without having full visibility into the long-term impact these cuts will have on their business. In many cases, organizations are eliminating the very programs that can help them successfully navigate through the current downturn. Many will be tempted to cut leadership development programs, viewing them as “nice-to-haves,” rather than as critical business “must-haves.” Shortsighted approaches, however, will put organizations at a significant disadvantage when the economy does recover.

During this interactive Webinar, Schooley will discuss how organizations can leverage their training and development investments today to identify critical skills, positions, employees and initiatives within the organization. By aligning employee skills with the critical needs of the business, organizations can maximize employee productivity and performance and focus on achieving their immediate business goals.

Webinar attendees will learn how to:

Identify mission-critical training and development initiatives;

Translate training and development programs into revenue generating opportunities; and

Improve operations and maximize budgets.

WHO:	Claire Schooley, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research
WHAT:	Top 5 Ways to Protect your Training and Development Budget in 2009
WHEN:	Wednesday, March 11, 2009; 1:00 p.m. EST
WHERE:	Click here to register

For more information about Plateau, visit http://www.plateau.com/.

###

About Plateau

Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.plateau.com/.

Registration Now Open for Plateau's Annual User Conference - Insights 2009

2009-02-10T15:30:00.006-05:00

Insights 2009 in San Francisco to Highlight Best Practices and Emerging Trends in Talent Management

Arlington, Va. - 10 February, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that registration is open for its 14th annual user conference, Insights 2009, September 21-24, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco. Insights 2009 will provide a highly interactive forum where attendees can engage with industry experts and peers and share insights on the latest trends, technologies and best practices in talent management.

During the conference, themed: “Building Bridges to Talent Management: Leveraging Human Capital to Achieve a High Performing Workforce,” Plateau customers, partners and industry experts will discuss the importance of constructing and implementing a comprehensive talent management strategy that focuses on linking employee skills with organizational goals and priorities. Plateau executives will discuss the organizational benefits of connecting employees with internal and external peers, and share their views on how organizations can embrace collaboration and social networking to support their talent management objectives. Through technical and business breakout sessions and hands-on educational labs, attendees will learn how they can leverage their current talent management investments to meet immediate and long-term business goals amid today’s challenging business conditions.

Insights 2009 will also be a celebration of customer innovation, featuring the sixth annual Plateau Customer Excellence Awards. This program honors Plateau customers who have created outstanding value and addressed a variety of business challenges in their organizations through the use of Plateau's product and service offerings. Awards will be recognized in four categories, including Best Overall Use of Product, Best Launch to Organization (organizations with more than 10,000 employees), Best Launch to Organization (organizations with less than 10,000 employees), and Best Business Solution. Winners will be announced during the evening event on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. For more information on applying for a Customer Excellence Award, visit http://plateau.com/insights/awards.htm.

“Given the unprecedented economic and business challenges affecting today’s organizations, Plateau’s Insights 2009 conference agenda will feature practical sessions designed to help organizations maximize their Plateau investment and develop talent management strategies to successfully navigate through these dynamic market conditions,” said Jeff Kristick, Plateau’s senior vice president of marketing. “Through both formal and informal information exchange and knowledge-sharing, Insights attendees can expect to leave this year’s conference with actionable ideas on how to effectively build out their organization’s talent management initiatives and optimize their use of Plateau solutions.”

Last year, more than 400 customers, prospects and industry experts converged in Arizona to attend Plateau’s sold-out Insights 2008 featuring customer keynote presentations from Mary Tilley, HR Leader, W.L. Gore and Associates, and Connie Linardakis, EVP and Chief Human Resource Officer, Zions Bancorporation. Mary Tilley’s presentation focused W.L. Gore’s use of Plateau to support its unique organizational structure and complex processes around managing, assessing and rewarding W.L Gore associates. Connie Linardakis discussed how Utah-based Zions Bancorporation’s is leveraging Plateau’s integrated platform to unify and streamline the organization’s talent management applications and processes while maintaining autonomy for multiple subsidiaries. Click here to view highlights of Insights 2008.

Early bird registration and pricing will available at http://plateau.com/insights/index.htm until May 1, 2009. Special discounts are also available for groups and government attendees.

For more information about Plateau, visit http://www.plateau.com/.

###

About Plateau Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.plateau.com/.

Plateau Systems Debutes in Visionaries Quadrant in Employee Performance Management Software Magic Quadrant

2009-02-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Evaluation Based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute

Arlington, Va. - 6 February, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, announced today it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the visionaries quadrant in its “Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software”¹ (EPM). According to Gartner, “visionaries have been advanced in promoting the latest trends (for example, user experience) driving EPM solutions.”

The report notes that "customers typically want to buy new EPM solutions to “automate their EPM processes, improve the linkage between pay and performance, help support the development of the next generation of leaders in the organization, and/or improve employee/associate retention (and engagement).” As customers solve the challenges of automating EPM processes, improving the ability to link pay to performance and other issues, Gartner expects “the focus to shift to leveraging talent data to make better decisions about worker-related programs and investments.”

“As organizations of all sizes across virtually every industry continue to weather the current economic storm, business leaders are looking for every opportunity to minimize costs by maximizing resources,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems. “Right now, with people being an organization’s most valuable - and expensive - resource, employee skills and talents must be developed and utilized in way that directly supports the most critical and immediate goals of the business. Plateau is enabling organizations to do this by providing an integrated solution that allows users to link employee performance with development activities, synchronize goals across business units, and directly measure performance against those goals. We consider our positioning in Gartner’s recent Employee Performance Management Software Magic Quadrant to be further validation of Plateau’s ability to deliver the performance management capabilities organizations need to optimize their talent today.”

Plateau has expanded into performance management, succession management and compensation management (through the acquisition of Nuvosoft in February 2007).” In June 2008, Gartner positioned Plateau in the Leaders Quadrant in its “Magic Quadrant for Corporate Learning Systems.”² By integrating Plateau Performance with Plateau's award- winning Learning Management System (LMS), customers can tie learning and development activities to individual employee performance and development plans and employees can take immediate action to achieve their performance targets by launching relevant training when and where they need it. Using the latest release of Plateau Talent Management 5.8 SP5, customers can leverage powerful and flexible talent planning capabilities, including enhanced real-time visibility into talent management operations and additional learning evaluation capabilities to make more informed decisions about their talent and better gauge the value of learning for both the individual and the company.

Today, more than 10 million employees and managers from some of the world's most respected organizations rely on Plateau's talent management solutions to engage, develop, manage, and retain high performing employees and workforces. For more information about Plateau, visit http://www.plateau.com/.

¹ Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Employee Performance Management Software” by James Holincheck and Thomas Otter. February 3, 2009.
² Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Corporate Learning Systems,” Carol Rozwell and James Lundy. June 30, 2008.

###

About Magic Quadrant The Magic Quadrants are 208 and 2009, by Gartner, Inc. and are reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Plateau Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.plateau.com/.

Plateau Adds New Members to Customer Advisory Board

2009-01-27T12:41:00.001-05:00

Learning Experts Will Discuss Current Trends at Insights Conference

Arlington, Va. - 27 January, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, announced today that learning and talent management professionals from several leading global organizations, including W.L. Gore, Zions Bancorporation, Schering-Plough, and the U.S. Air Force Air Education Training Command, have recently joined Plateau’s customer advisory board. The board, comprised of senior level HR executives representing a wide range of industries and organizations, provides Plateau executives with real-world insight into industry trends and challenges and practical guidance on the development of Plateau’s products, solutions and services.

Currently, Plateau's customer advisory board is comprised of learning and talent management professionals from 11 major global organizations, including:

Bristol-Myers Squibb
CA
Capital One Financial
GE
Schering-Plough Corporation
Thomson Reuters
U.S Air Force Air Education Training Command
W.L. Gore
Zions Bancorporation

"From our inception, Plateau has focused on differentiating from other software providers by fostering a customer-focused culture within our organization,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “A key part of doing this successfully centered on involving and communicating with customers directly, and by creating an active customer advisory board. Through their active participation, constructive feedback on strategic priorities and willingness to openly share their real-world perspectives, concerns and recommendations, Plateau’s customer advisory board has been instrumental in ensuring our ability to make customers successful, and we are grateful for (or "we appreciate") their continued support."

Advisory board members will meet at Insights 2009, Plateau’s 14th annual user conference in September to share their perspectives and exchange best practices around maximizing learning and talent management investments in a dynamic economy.

For more information about Plateau, visit http://www.plateau.com/.

###

About Plateau Plateau led the charge in transforming corporate workforces in the mid-‘90s with its award-winning learning management system (LMS) platform, which streamlined the management and delivery of learning and training across some of the world’s most respected organizations, including General Electric, the American Red Cross and Capital One Services. Plateau expanded its LMS platform, and in early 2000 delivered the industry’s first fully integrated, J2EE-based talent management platform, which allowed organizations to link learning and training with employee performance to ensure that employee goals aligned with corporate objectives. Today, organizations around the world rely on Plateau’s software and solutions to drive innovation, facilitate collaboration and connect people in ways that support the organization’s most critical business objectives. Customers and industry analysts continue to recognize Plateau as a customer satisfaction leader and for its continued leadership, vision and technology innovation. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.plateau.com/.

AICC Certifies Plateau 5.8 Learning Management System

2008-12-12T13:36:00.002-05:00

Fourth AICC Certification Validates Plateau's Longstanding Commitment to Open Standards and Software Interoperability

Arlington, Va. - 12 December, 2008 – The Aviation Industry CBT Committee (AICC) announced today that Plateau 5.8 Learning Management System (LMS) has been formally certified as compliant with the AICC's Web-Based Computer Managed Instruction Systems (CMI) Guideline (AGR-010). This guideline ensures that AICC-conforming Web-based learning content and courseware interoperates with AICC-conforming LMS systems.

Plateau LMS was originally certified by the AICC in June 2001, and again in 2003 and 2005. It was recertified last month when an independent testing lab validated the compliance of Plateau 5.8 with CMI guidelines. In addition to AICC, Plateau also complies with Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM), the other major standard for ensuring interoperability between enterprise software and e-Learning content.

"With its fourth AICC certification, Plateau continues to demonstrate that it is an industry leader with a long- term commitment to interoperability," said William A. McDonald, AICC CMI Subcommittee chair and Learning Technology Architect at Alteon, Boeing's aviation training company.

For nearly a decade, Plateau Systems has been an active AICC member and a leader in the learning industry's effort to standardize communication between e-Learning content and enterprise software applications. Plateau’s Chief Technology Officer, Ed Cohen, has served as the chair of the AICC Training Infrastructure Subcommittee since 2004. As a subcommittee chair, Cohen has substantial input within the AICC's Executive subcommittee, which guides the organization's strategic direction and administration.

“We have worked collaboratively and consistently with the AICC and other leading standards bodies for the past several years to promote open standards that facilitate software interoperability in the e-Learning industry,” Cohen said. “This most recent certification of Plateau 5.8 LMS reinforces our commitment to creating a global standard for learning technology not only for our major aviation customers, but the entire industry.”

The AICC is an international association of technology-based training professionals. While its mission is to create open standards for computer-based training in the aviation industry, AICC guidelines are being used by software vendors across a variety of industries, and are paving the way for the global standardization of learning technologies.

Standards such as those set by the AICC and SCORM allow courseware and learning management systems to seamlessly convey and exchange information. They also ensure that the content and the learning management system will work together to provide not just learning material, but data that can be used to meet an organization's strategic goals.

###

About the AICC
The AICC's mission is to provide and promote information, guidelines and standards that result in the effective creation and implementation of CBT and WBT. The AICC has long been an advocate of interoperable learning technology. More information is available at the organization's Web site at http://www.aicc.org/.
For more information about Plateau, visit http://www.plateau.com/.

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.plateau.com/.

Plateau Congratulates Winners of ASTD Best Awards

2008-10-14T09:20:00.001-04:00

ASTD Recognizes Plateau Customers BB&T Corporation, Perkins+Will and B&W Pantex with BEST Awards for Demonstrating Excellence in Learning

Arlington, Va. - 14 October, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced three of the company’s current customers have been honored by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) with a 2008 BEST Award. BB&T Corporation, Perkins+Will and B&W Pantex were among 40 organizations recently recognized by ASTD for achieving success with their enterprise-wide learning and development initiatives. According to ASTD, these companies are BEST at Building talent Enterprise-wide, Supported by the organization’s leaders fostering a Thorough learning culture.

The Plateau customers who earned BEST Awards this year are using Plateau’s Talent Management solutions in innovative ways to drive critical human capital initiatives across their enterprises. They include:

BB&T Corporation – Ranked number two on the ASTD BEST Award rankings, BB&T uses Plateau Learning and Plateau Analytics to deliver, manage and track enterprise-wide learning activities.

Perkins+Will – Ranked number seven on the 2008 ASTD BEST Award rankings, Perkins+Will has integrated Plateau Learning with the company’s internal HR solution and Plateau Virtual Learning System with Microsoft® Office Live Meeting to deliver live instruction quickly and cost effectively.

B&W Pantex – Ranked number 22 on the ASTD BEST Award rankings, B&W Pantex has deployed Plateau’s Learning Management System (LMS) to support its comprehensive learning strategy.

“BB&T, Perkins+Will and B&W Pantex have all achieved tremendous success with their learning and development initiatives, and they all appreciate the role learning plays in individual and organizational performance,” said Shelly Heiden, EVP Global Operations at Plateau. “Plateau is proud to be providing the tools these organizations depend on to support their critical human capital initiatives. We congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition from ASTD.”

Established in 2003, the BEST Awards Winner’s Circle is comprised of diverse organizations that span a broad range of global organizations and industries, including small and large private, public, and not-for-profit organizations. The Awards recognize organizations that create, support, and champion learning opportunities for results and a learning culture. The 2008 ASTD BEST Award winners are featured in the October issue of Training + Development (T+D), ASTD’s monthly magazine, and were honored during a reception on October 2 in Washington, D.C.

###

Cadence Design Systems Selects Plateau to Power Talent Management Initiatives Across Extended Enterprise

2008-10-02T09:05:00.003-04:00

Leader in Global Electronic Design Innovation to use Plateau Learning Management System, Virtual Learning System and iContent to Deploy and Track Training for Thousands of Internal and External Global Users

Arlington, Va. - 2 October, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDNS), the leader in global electronic design innovation, selected Plateau’s talent management solutions to deliver and manage training throughout its extended enterprise. By selecting Plateau’s talent management solutions for inter- and intra-enterprise use, Cadence’s 5,100 global employees and more than 13,000 external users - including partners and customers - can access training anytime, anywhere. This expanded investment in delivering 24/7 training to employees, partners and customers underscores Cadence’s commitment to making its customers successful by maximizing design team productivity and helping users reduce time-to-market.

Cadence Design Systems is a leader in the highly competitive electronic design automation (EDA) industry, where customer engineers depend on the quality of their industry-leading technologies and engineering services and their ability to constantly innovate to meet consumer demand for smaller and sleeker electronic devices. To meet this demand, Cadence maintains offices distributed worldwide – including China, India, Europe, Russia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and North America – and one of the electronics industry’s most robust partner and alliance programs. As a leader in EDA and sponsor of several significant initiatives across the electronics industry, Cadence is committed to ensuring that its design teams, alliance members and customers are up to date on the latest technology, techniques and methodologies required for achieving design success and remaining at the forefront of technological innovation.

Through Plateau Learning Management, Cadence will be able to deploy training across its extended enterprise and track its completion. Plateau will provide hosting for the solution, enabling Cadence to deliver its Internet Learning Series (iLS) self-paced Cadence Education classes to users who want to complete training at their own pace, anytime and anywhere. Cadence decided to migrate its previously disparate LMS solutions to Plateau in order to consolidate its internal learning services and external education services onto a single platform.

“Consolidating our internal and external LMS solutions through Plateau enables us to significantly reduce the administrative time we spent on the LMS and content solutions, and keep the focus on providing the training our employees, partners and customers need to maintain highly productive design teams,” said Ellen Tam, Vice President, Worldwide Field Operations, Cadence Design Systems. “In our review, we found that Plateau provided the industry’s leading talent management solutions for deploying and managing training within the extended enterprise.”

Cadence will also use Plateau to register its customers for instructor led training as well as Virtual Classroom Learning, a new innovative method of delivery where customers can remotely attend training classes-taking advantage of live instructions through a conference call - and perform hands on exercises using virtual lab environment with the instructor monitoring and answering their questions. Virtual Classroom and iLS offerings provide Cadence customers a unique opportunity to receive training more cost effectively and efficiently.

“Cadence is one of a growing number of leading organizations who recognize that delivering training to extended user communities is as critical to the company’s success as training and development of their internal employees,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau Systems. “Employee, partner and customer productivity is directly tied to Cadence’s ability to deploy knowledge across their extended enterprise, rapidly and efficiently. Using Plateau, Cadence can deploy, manage and track ongoing training throughout its extended enterprise to create tighter partner relationships and expand its competitive advantage.”

###

Plateau's Annual Insights 2008 User Conference Hits all the Right Notes with Global Customers

2008-09-18T12:09:00.004-04:00

Industry Experts, Visionaries and Leading Organizations Converge at Annual User Conference to Discuss the State of Talent Management and Share Industry Best Practices; Zion’s Bancorporation, Capital One, The U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Recognized for Talent Management Innovation as Plateau Customer Excellence Award Winners

Arlington, Va. - 18 September, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced the successful conclusion of its 13th annual Insights user conference. With more than 450 attendees from 160 global customer organizations, this year’s conference - held earlier this week in Phoenix, Arizona – marked the largest user conference in Plateau’s history.

Aptly themed “Blazing the Talent Trail,” this year’s conference was hotter than ever as Plateau customers and event-goers from around the world joined with colleagues and peers to exchange best practices, share success stories and lessons learned and network with fellow Plateau users. This year’s multi-track agenda featured keynote presentations delivered by Plateau executives, customers and guest speaker Dr. Robert Ballard, customer and partner breakout sessions, an interactive Buzz Panel, hands-on learning labs and Plateau product and services tracks, providing attendees with a broad range of opportunities to learn and engage with industry experts and other Plateau users.

Customers were also invited and encouraged to schedule one-on-one meetings with Plateau experts to discuss strategies and specific best practices around deploying and leveraging Plateau’s industry-leading products and services to drive increased business performance. Additional highlights from Insights 2008 included:

The release of Plateau Talent Management 5.8 Service Pack 5, Plateau’s flagship talent management suite that delivers powerful and flexible talent planning and succession management capabilities through the Plateau Talent Management Suite. The release arms Plateau customers with innovative ways to achieve their business goals through managing and developing talent, fostering employee growth and retention, and measuring the effectiveness of their talent management initiatives.

Renowned ocean explorer and guest keynoter, Dr. Robert Ballard, received a standing ovation after an awe-inspiring presentation highlighting the symbiotic relationship between technology and people. During his presentation, Dr. Ballard discussed the impact technology has had on exploration, and showed how technology is bringing important discoveries to schools, desktops and living rooms around the world, enabling others to connect and learn in real time. Dr. Ballard is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989, and the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998. Most recently he discovered the wreck of John F. Kennedy's PT-109 in 2003.

Customer keynote presentations from Mary Tilley, HR Leader, W.L. Gore and Associates and Connie Linardakis, VP and Chief Human Resource Officer, Zions Bancorporation. Mary Tilley’s presentation focused on how W.L. Gore is using Plateau to its unique organizational structure and complex processes around managing, assessing and rewarding W.L Gore associates. Connie Linardakis discussed how Zions Bancorporation’s is leveraging Plateau’s integrated platform to unify and streamline the organization’s talent management applications and processes while maintaining autonomy for multiple subsidiaries.

Plateau’s inaugural Buzz Panel, a lively discussion about current trends and perceptions in talent management, software-as-a-service, and the economy’s impact on talent management. The panel featured well-known talent management experts and personalities including Human Resource Executive Magazine technology columnist Bill Kutik, Josh Bersin from Bersin & Associates, Accenture’s David Smith, and Nathan Swanson from ThinkPanmure.

“The record attendance at this year’s Insights conference demonstrates that talent management has become a strategic corporate imperative and competitive advantage for virtually all organizations,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “By bringing our customers together at Plateau’s annual user conference, we are providing a forum where they can openly exchange information with their peers, engage with industry experts on business trends, and meet one-on-one with Plateau executives and experts to discuss strategies and best practices around using Plateau’s solutions to meet their corporate goals. This interactive dialogue inspires innovation and generates ideas that our customers can apply within their organizations, and it provides us with valuable feedback we can leverage to extend Plateau’s talent management offerings and industry leadership.”

Plateau also hosted its second annual Customer Advisory Board meeting comprised of Plateau customers representing a wide range of industries. During the meeting, members from global organizations met with Plateau executives to discuss the state of talent management and provided expert insight into how talent management is perceived within their organizations, how they are using Plateau’s solutions to drive business value within their organizations and how Plateau can continue to support their talent management initiatives.

Customer Excellence Award Recognition

Insights 2008 also served as the backdrop for Plateau’s Fifth Annual Customer Excellence Awards honoring customers who have demonstrated innovation and success in leveraging Plateau's software to meet business challenges. Conference attendees selected the final winners from a competitive field. Winners were announced at the Insights Evening Gala sponsored by Satyam. This year’s Customer Excellence Awards winners include:

Capital One for Best Business Solution

U.S Department of Agriculture for Best Overall Use of Product

Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for Best Launch to an Organization Under 10,000 Employees

Zion’s Bancorporation for Best Launch to an Organization with Over 10,000 Employees

“Our customers continue to impress us with the innovation they demonstrate and enthusiasm they exude around their talent management initiatives,” said Shelly Heiden, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Plateau. “With so many companies using our talent management solutions in ways we never imagined, it has become increasingly difficult to pick a few that stand out from the pack. This year’s winners have each demonstrated creativity and ingenuity in leveraging Plateau’s solutions to create value and achieve their corporate goals. We are pleased to recognize them as this year’s Customer Excellence Award winners.”

###

Plateau Systems Introduces Next Generation of Flagship Talent Management Suite

2008-09-15T08:21:00.001-04:00

Expanded Features in Plateau Talent Management Enhance Planning Capabilities and Real-time Visibility into Talent Management Operations

Arlington, Va. - 15 September, 2008 – Plateau Systems, leading provider of talent management softwaresoftware, services and solutions, today announced the latest release of its flagship talent management suite, delivering powerful and flexible talent planning and succession management capabilities through the Plateau Talent Management Suite. The release arms Plateau customers with innovative ways to achieve their business goals through managing and developing talent, fostering employee growth and retention, and measuring the effectiveness of their talent management initiatives.

Plateau Talent Management 5.8 Service Pack 5 (SP5) provides key enhancements in several areas of the suite including improved talent management planning, enhanced real-time visibility into talent management operations and additional learning evaluation capabilities. With these expanded features, Plateau customers can better maximize their company’s talent, make more informed decisions and more effectively and accurately measure the value of learning for both the individual and the company. Highlights of Plateau Talent Management 5.8 SP5 include:

An expanded Talent Profile that includes additional information from Plateau Talent Management and employee social interests and communities, giving you a more complete picture of your company’s talent.
Dynamic Talent Pools that broaden succession planning capabilities to enable talent identification, risk assessment, team building, internal recruiting and bench strength development.
Plateau Report Designer – a fully integrated robust reporting tool that allows for interactive reports to be built using a visual design environment, giving you greater control over the layout and content of your reports with full application security and without third-party reporting software
Enhanced survey features and additional reports that complement exam functionality in Plateau Learning, allowing a more comprehensive understanding of training effectiveness.
Enhanced global commerce capabilities with full support for multiple currencies, which allows companies to manage content pricing and costs in a global deployment.

According to a recent Bersin & Associates research bulletin, The Economic Benefits of an Integrated Talent Management Suite, those organizations with integrated talent management suites had returns on investment up to 250 percent higher than those with standalone systems for performance management, learning management, and recruiting. This bulletin also includes a review of Plateau Talent Management 5.8 SP5 and states, “These features clearly position Plateau for the ’next generation’ of talent management system applications, which integrate the HR-driven needs for management and planning with the employee’s need for social networking, collaboration and expertise location.” To read the Bersin & Associates bulletin, click here.

“The talent challenges plaguing today’s global economy require an integrated approach to talent management that enable organizations to align talent management efforts with their business objectives,” said Paul Sparta, chairman and CEO, Plateau Systems. “The expanded features and enhanced user experience we’re delivering in this latest release of the Plateau Talent Management Suite directly address these growing talent demands, and provide the relevant features our customers need in order to make integrated talent management a reality.”

Dynamic Talent Pools

Successful talent management and succession planning initiatives require an understanding of the characteristics, potential and areas of risk in your workforce and your ability to develop strategies on how to grow and retain talent or mitigate the effects of talent losses. With the expanded Talent Pools functionality in Plateau Talent Management, organizations can use pool-based planning to enhance succession management capabilities and to address broader talent management problems associated with talent identification, risk assessment, team building, internal recruiting and bench strength development.

Talent Pools are created using flexible, multi-dimensional searches of employee talent profiles. Once groups of employees are defined, organizations can manage, track, analyze and associate activities or succession plans with the pool members over time. Managers can use the resulting talent pools as a workbench when considering candidates for new positions and use the Talent Pool’s personalized display capabilities to enhance the decision-making process. Because Plateau Talent Pools are dynamic, additional candidates can automatically be added to the pool as soon as they meet the pool’s criteria. Pools also serve as a launching pad for additional information on each pool member or group of members. Managers can use Talent Pools to review individual members’ talent profiles or group several members together to compare relative competency gaps and compare qualifications. With Talent Pools, managers can group high potential and critical employees based upon performance data from Plateau Performance, placing the focus on tracking, developing and retaining critical employees. To facilitate employee development, managers can assign training and learning activities directly from Talent Pools.

According to the Bersin & Associates research bulletin, “Plateau’s product has now reached the level of maturity and richness that any Plateau LMS customer should strongly consider implementing Plateau’s talent management features before selecting another product.”

The report further states, “Plateau LMS customers who implement Plateau’s talent management software can quickly leverage all of the employee training history, demographic information, employee hierarchy data, and security and domain information in their talent management solution.”

Plateau Report Designer

Plateau Report Designer is an integrated enterprise-class report development platform that allows users to address unique customer reporting requirements. Plateau Report Designer frees customers from the additional expense and provisioning associated with the deployment and integration of third-party reporting tools. The reports provide real-time visibility into talent management operations and help address key questions regarding learning adoption and costs, performance review compliance and a broad range of other operational questions. Plateau Report Designer provides a flexible means to modify standard reports, produce ad hoc reports based on existing reports, create new reports and build completely new reports using a variety of chart styles.

Availability

Plateau Talent Management 5.8 SP5 will be generally available later this month. Additional information on the features available in Plateau Talent Management 5.8 SP5 is available online at www.plateau.com/SP5. For more information on Plateau, visit www.plateau.com.

¹Bersin & Associates, “The Economic Benefits of an Integrated Talent Management Suite,” Aug. 21, 2008, http://www.bersin.com/Lib/Rs/Details.aspx?Docid=10337574.

###

Plateau Systems Joins Red Hat Ready Partner Program, Certifies Plateau Talent Management on JBoss Application Server

2008-08-13T09:16:00.002-04:00

Support for Open Source Application Server Increases Customer Platform Choice, Lowers Total Cost of Ownership

Arlington, Va. - 13 August, 2008 – Plateau Systems, leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that the company has joined the Red Hat ISV Partner Program as a Red Hat Ready Partner. Additionally, Plateau announced that its industry-leading talent management solutions are now certified for use with JBoss Application Server 4.2.1.

The Red Hat ISV Program provides Plateau with easy access to the tools and resources necessary to develop and test its industry-leading talent management solutions on JBoss Enterprise Middleware. By joining the Red Hat ISV Partner Program and the Red Hat Ready Partner Program, Plateau will take advantage of the program’s co-marketing and co-branding offerings to expand the footprint of its talent management solutions within the global community of Red Hat customers.

As enterprises increasingly adopt open source and open standards, Red Hat’s JBoss Enterprise Middleware has become the leading choice for enterprise open source middleware. As the industry’s most widely deployed application server, JBoss Application Server has proven itself to be a reliable and scalable solution for users seeking a flexible architecture and simple development experience. By certifying Plateau Talent Management on JBoss Application Server, Plateau offers J2EE talent management solutions that extend the performance and availability, change and configuration, and code quality and optimization capabilities found in the JBoss Application Server.

“Plateau is committed to choice, and offering cost-effective options for companies who are investing in talent management solutions,” said Joe Herman, SVP, Product Management at Plateau. “This certification assures our customers that Plateau’s talent management solutions can readily be run on JBoss and offers an additional application server choice for deploying Plateau’s for flexible and scalable talent management solutions.”

“Joining the Red Hat Ready Partner Program gives us an opportunity to leverage Red Hat’s brand and expertise in the enterprise open source market, and allows us to access additional Red Hat resources related to the JBoss Enterprise Application Platform,” continued Herman. “As a result, customers know that they can receive the highest level of support and service from both Plateau and Red Hat.”

The support for JBoss Application Server extends Plateau’s commitment to building the most advanced architecture in the talent management industry. Plateau provides the only integrated performance and learning management software delivered on a proven J2EE Web-based architecture currently being used by some of the largest, most successful companies in the world. The Plateau Product Architecture provides the best stability, scalability, extensibility and tools customer need to run talent management solutions and extend those solutions as their business evolves.

For more information on Plateau, visit www.plateau.com.

###

Plateau Partners to Showcase Talent Management Solutions and Services at Insights 2008

2008-08-11T10:05:00.001-04:00

Partner Round-Up Expo Highlights Solutions from Leading Business and technology partners including Satyam, General Physics, Verizon Business, BIRT Exchange and UKS

Arlington, Va. - 11 August, 2008 – Plateau Systems, leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced the Partner Round-Up Expo, which will take place during this year’s annual Insights user conference “Blazing the Talent Trail” September 14-17 in Phoenix. During the Expo, featuring the latest in talent management and IT solutions from Plateau's partners, conference attendees will have an opportunity to view new, industry-leading solutions and services offered by Plateau’s application, content, technology and integration partners.

“Because partners are critical to our business and our ability to make Plateau customers successful, we invest heavily in cultivating relationships with proven application, content, technology and integration providers who share our commitment to delivering real customer value,” said Jeff Kristick, SVP Marketing at Plateau. “By leveraging the knowledge, expertise and technology of our partners, Plateau is able to provide customers with practical, progressive solutions that deliver real value by enabling them to reach across their entire enterprise to employees, customers, partners and vendors.”

Satyam, a leading global consulting and IT services company, heads the expansive list of partners scheduled to participate in this year’s Expo. As a Diamond sponsor, Satyam will be a featured speaker at the conference and will also sponsor the “Denim and Diamond’s” Gala where Plateau’s annual Customer Excellence Award winners will be announced. Additional Plateau partners scheduled to exhibit include General Physics, Verizon Business, Adobe, BIRT Exchange, UKS and Vertex Solutions. For a complete list of sponsors and exhibitors, please visit http://www.plateau.com/insights/expo.htm.

The Partner Round-Up Expo will open Sunday evening during the Welcome Reception, and continue through the conclusion of the conference on Wednesday. For complete event details and registration information, please visit the Plateau Insights 2008 Web site at http://plateau.com/insights.

###

Plateau Systems Extends iContent Offerings with Three New Content Partners

2008-08-07T10:37:00.002-04:00

Perpetual Demand for Talent Management Solutions that Expedite Training and Reduce Administrative Burden Drives iContent Expansion

Arlington, Va. - 7 August, 2008 – Plateau Systems, leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced the expansion of its iContent solution offerings, adding three new partners: Martec International, StarQuest Online and NIIT. These partners bring new retail, sales, customer service, leadership and information technology titles to the iContent catalog and enable the creation of specialized custom-content for unique training needs. With these new partnerships, iContent now offers more than 30,000 talent management assets that span a broad range of business, technology and leadership development topics as well as custom content.

With iContent, users can procure talent management materials from a wide range of vendors; accelerate content integration to deliver custom and third-party content faster and with little to no administrative headaches; and securely manage all custom and off-the-shelf content in a central location. By providing organizations with a single place to buy, manage, and store third-party and custom developed content, iContent speeds the availability and delivery of the content while simultaneously decreasing the time and labor costs associated with managing and storing it. More than 40 customers across the globe and within every major industry – including government, retail, manufacturing, healthcare and finance – are using iContent to make custom and pre-packaged learning and training material available to their users. Major global organizations, including Royal Ahold, Mercury Marine and CA, are using iContent to support both internal and external training and development needs.

Martec International is a leading consulting and training practice specializing in retail sales training, including buying and merchandising, supply chain and store operations. In the United States, Martec markets pre-developed e-learning programs in conjunction with the National Retail Foundation’s (NRF) University, Wired. Martec’s training materials leverage the expertise of consultants who are former retailers and the courses they develop are based on real-world experience in retailing and retail technology. Delivering this content through iContent will make Martec’s courses accessible to a broader user base and will enable those in the retail industry to strengthen sales techniques and extend market knowledge to increase sales. For a limited time, organizations can register for a free 30-day trial of the iContent/Martec solution. During this trial, users can access a variety of training titles including Solution Selling, Buying and Merchandising and Understanding Retail. For more information about the trial or to sign up, contact Kevin Mosher at 703-678-0312 or kevin.mosher@plateau.com.

StarQuest Online, a division of StarQuest Learning Systems, Inc., provides blended e-Learning solutions that develop people in the areas of leadership and management development, sales effectiveness, and customer service. The StarQuest blended design combines the latest educational technology with robust reinforcement guides and tools for managers and trainers to facilitate discussions with their team members. This blend results in more learning, faster, with better retention of knowledge and greater returns on investment. Through the partnership, iContent users from across industries will have access to StarQuest’s course offerings ranging from change management and business strategy and leadership, to customer service and team development.

NIIT is a multinational IT learning solutions company which specializes in IT education and training through cutting edge instructional design methodologies and curricula development. Through their iContent partnership, Plateau will collaborate with NIIT to help iContent users with their custom content development needs. With more than 20 years of experience developing custom courses in various subjects for global customers in a wide range of industries, including IT, sales, insurance, medicine and concrete construction, NIIT will work with iContent users to design and create specialized content for their unique learning environments.

“With the creation and consumption of custom and pre-packaged content increasing and becoming more ubiquitous, integrating and managing that content continues to be one of the largest challenges for both learning and IT departments across organizations of all sizes,” said Lee Wright, Sr. Director of Services for iContent, at Plateau. “iContent is offloading this significant administrative burden by assuming the end-to-end management of the entire content procurement and administration process. Alleviating this headache and reducing the time and cost organizations are spending managing what amounts to content chaos allows organizations to shift their focus, time and budgets to other strategic initiatives within their organization.”

Spurred by corporate imperatives increasingly highlighting talent management as a strategic priority in today’s market, more than 300 Plateau customers are expected to attend this year’s conference. A record number of customers have already submitted Plateau Customer Excellence Awards entries, which will be announced at the Insights Gala.

View more information about iContent at http://www.plateau.com/icontent/.

###

Plateau Announces Keynote Speakers and Agenda for Insights 2008, Extends Early Bird Pricing

2008-08-01T09:13:00.002-04:00

Legendary Explorer and Oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard, Heads Impressive List of Speakers and Presenters; Offers Personal Perspective on Managing, Developing and Rewarding Talent

Arlington, Va. - 1 August, 2008 – Plateau Systems, leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced the agenda and speakers for its 13th annual Insights user conference, “Blazing the Talent Trail.” The conference, which runs from September 14-17, at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, features an action-packed agenda and star-studded line-up of speakers and presenters including industry pioneers and visionaries, talent mavericks and mavens and innovative, trend-setting customers, as well as interactive educational tracks.

This year, conference-goers are invited to attend Plateau’s inaugural Buzz Panel, moderated by Plateau CEO, Paul Sparta. Plateau has lassoed in talent management experts Bill Kutik, Technology Columnist, Human Resource Executive Magazine; Josh Bersin, CEO & President, Bersin & Associates; David Smith, Managing Director, Talent & Organization Performance, Accenture and Nathan Swanson, Partner, Human Capital Management Research, ThinkPanmure to discuss current trends in talent management, software-as-a-service, and the economy’s impact on talent management. During this session, panelists will also field real-time questions from the audience.

Featured Speakers and Presenters

Renowned oceanographer and explorer Dr. Robert Ballard, who made several amazing discoveries, including the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989, and the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998, will discuss his philosophy on identifying and training high-performing individuals and building successful teams. During his presentation, Dr. Ballard will share his insight on the importance of developing and rewarding team members and how retaining strong performers is critical for sustaining successful business ventures.
Mary Tilley, HR Leader at W.L. Gore, will discuss her organization’s extensive and inclusive process for managing its employee talent. W.L. Gore utilizes an annual multi-rater assessment approach to ensure that all employees are ranked and commented on by their peers regarding their contribution to the organization. Through a series of meetings and feedback discussions, this input is reconciled and used in making compensation recommendations.
Carol Rozwell, VP Distinguished Analyst at Gartner, will lead an interactive workshop on how Web 2.0 and social software are affecting organizations’ traditional approaches to learning. Attendees will learn how embracing a social learning culture can benefit their organizations by enabling more informal, collaborative learning, how social learning platforms can help bridge learning styles across multi-generations, and how organizations can effectively govern social learning behavior and content.
Connie Linardarkis, Chief Human Resources Officer at Zions Bancorporation will present real-world best practices for consolidating and centralizing HR systems and transactional operations in a post-acquisition environment. She will discuss how this streamlined approach has enabled Zions Bancorporation to maximize HR alignment with local business outcomes and continue its growth.

Industry thought leaders and Plateau customers from leading global organizations including A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, Deltek, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Qualcomm Inc., Yahoo, and Zions Bancorporation and government agencies including the U.S. Department of Labor and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will present case studies and best practices that highlight Plateau’s role in helping them create high performance workplaces. During the conference, Plateau’s SVP Product Management, Joe Herman, will present Plateau’s vision and product roadmap and Ed Cohen, CTO, will discuss the evolution of content and trend towards Content-as–a-Service (CaaS), content’s corollary to the popular software-as a-service (SaaS) paradigm.

Throughout the conference, attendees will have an opportunity to participate in more than 45 additional customer and Plateau-led sessions focused on various aspects of Talent Management, including learning, performance, talent management, competencies and development, training, technology integration. Conference sessions are aligned across four tracks – Learning, Performance, and Products and Services and will feature real-world customer case studies presented by HR and learning practitioners and hands-on Learning Labs and Open Demos led by Plateau experts.

Sessions will include the following topics:

Performance Management Trends and Systems
Global Expansion of a Learning Management System (LMS)
Successful Implementations of Talent Management Systems
Connecting with a Virtual Audience
Best Practices for Leveraging Learning and Performance
Talent Management in the Public Sector

###

Sponsors & Partners
Plateau consistently leverages its alliances with leading business partners to deliver best-in-class solutions to its customers. Throughout the conference, attendees will have access to the Insights Partner Expo, featuring the latest in learning and IT solutions from Plateau's alliance partners.

For complete event details or to register, please visit the Plateau Insights 2008 at http://www.plateau.com/insights/index.htm.

Plateau Launches "Roadmap to Performance Management" Seminars

2008-07-22T09:12:00.000-04:00

Educational Breakfast Seminars in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Atlanta to highlight relationship between performance management and talent management strategies

Arlington, Va. - 22 July, 2008 – Plateau Systems, leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced its “Roadmap to Performance Management,” series of East Coast breakfast seminars to be held in August in Washington DC, Tyson’s Corner, Va., and Atlanta. During these free seminars, talent management experts from Human Capital Institute (HCI), will join Plateau customers including W.L Gore and the United States Department of Labor and Plateau partner PriceWaterhouse Coopers to present best practices and discuss the critical role performance management plays in helping organizations achieve a successful talent management strategy.

In today’s challenging business environment, organizations must align employee performance with the goals of the organization, and effectively reward top talent for their individual and collective contributions to the organization. Designed for HR leaders, Plateau’s “Roadmap to Performance Management” seminars will provide attendees with an action plan for building and executing a talent management strategy through a combination of case studies, research-based presentations and real-world insight and discussions.

"With workforce productivity and retention remaining top priorities for executives across the board, performance management is no longer an organizational option, it’s a must,” said Jeff Kristick, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Plateau. “Plateau’s road show will offer attendees a unique opportunity to interact with industry experts and other HR professionals and gain greater insight into best practices for not only developing and managing talent, but also aligning training with organizational goals.”

WHAT:	Plateau’s Roadmap to Performance Management
WHEN / WHERE:	For each location, breakfast and registration will open at 8:00 a.m.; program will run from 9:00 a.m to 11:45 a.m. Washington, DC: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 Marriott at Metro Center 775 12th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005 Northern Virginia:Thursday, August 14, 2008 Marriott Tyson’s Corner 8028 Leesburg Pike Vienna, Va. 22182 Atlanta: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 JW Marriott Hotel Buckhead Atlanta 3300 Lenox Road Atlanta, Ga, 30326
WHO:	Allan Schweyer, Human Capital Institute’s Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Research, has been confirmed to speak during the Northern Virginia and Atlanta breakfast seminars. Nigel Leeming, Human Capital Institute’s Senior Vice President, Public Sector, has been confirmed to speak during the Washington, D.C. seminar. Plateau customer James L. Roe, Global HR Information Systems Leader, W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. will present at the Northern Virginia seminar; Plateau partner Renee Romulus, Director, Advisory Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers will present in Atlanta; and customer Michael Gerwitz from the United States Department of Labor will present in Washington, DC.
REISTRATION:	http://plateau.com/roadshow/2008/registration.html

“Plateau’s Roadmap to Performance Management” breakfast seminars, are free to attend. For more information, please visit http://plateau.com/roadshow/2008/index.html.

###

Plateau Delivers Enhanced Talent Management Analytics Offering

2008-07-16T09:51:00.002-04:00

Latest Version of Plateau Analytics offers on-demand, actionable information to track and improve talent management effectiveness

Arlington, Va. - 16 July, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today released the latest version on Plateau Analytics, a pre-configured solution for performing analysis on learning and performance data captured and managed in Plateau’s Talent Management suite. By monitoring critical learning and performance processes, this enhanced version of Plateau Analytics delivers relevant, actionable information organizations need to more effectively manage, organize and optimize their workforce.

"One can think of different talent management capabilities as levers that managers and executives can use to affect business results. Managers and executives need to decide what levers (or combination of levers) they should pull to achieve the desired business outcome. Once you decide which levers to pull, that should drive how you configure and use the talent management applications,” said Jim Holincheck, Managing Vice President at Gartner, Inc..* “Talent management applications implemented by themselves do not provide the insight necessary to determine which levers to pull; they are the levers.” Moreover, “to unlock the strategic value, customers need a well-integrated set of talent management applications that provides the data foundation for workforce analytics to help users understand what levers they need to pull to address specific business issues or to drive specific business outcomes."

Plateau Analytics enables companies to more effectively align talent management initiatives with business objectives, and analyze data in various combinations to uncover trends and exceptions related to the impact of specific talent management initiatives on business performance. For example, with Plateau Analytics, organizations can easily ascertain the status of employee certification required by a regulatory change, what competency gaps exist in critical job positions, the total cost of training, employee progress against development plans, and the impact of talent management efforts on employee competency assessments over a specific period of time. Plateau Analytics aggregates this data and consolidates it into high-level snapshots that give executives a big picture view and enables them to maximize the value of their organization’s talent management investment.

Comprised of four major components, Plateau Analytics includes a Data Warehouse that stores a copy of all Plateau Talent Management learning and performance data; an Extract and Load (ETL) process that connects to Plateau Talent Management and populates the Data Warehouse; an Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) framework for report creation and management; and more than 35 pre-defined reports. Unlike competitor offerings that pull information directly from the operational databases behind their Talent Management Suite, Plateau Analytics pulls its information from a Data Warehouse, giving it increased ability to display and analyze trends – including the vital ability to compare and contrast current and past performance, which is only possible through a Data Warehouse. Additionally, by offering pre-built Data Warehousing, ETL, OLAP and reports, Plateau Analytics eliminates costs and time investments associated with custom development and integration, enabling users to achieve faster ROI.

Plateau Analytics offers a number of new features, including:

Performance enhancements, including an updated Data Warehouse and ETL, which has been fully tested with large, complex data sets;
Two categories of performance-related reports, including Plans and Goal Completion and Succession Planning;
Measure thresholds and custom number formatting, which allows administrators to identify values within one or more measures of particular interest and specify the most appropriate level of precision;
An 'All Users' Measure, which provides insight into the total population of users and allows easy comparison within the population that meets the reporting criteria;
An ad hoc reporting feature, which allows administrators to create new analysis directly against a Data Warehouse cube; and
The ability to save and publish custom reports for other administrators to use and run.

“An explicit link exists between talent management, improved productivity and business operations performance,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau Systems. “By harnessing their talent data and using comprehensive analytics, all levels of the organization have the ability to make more informed management decisions and truly understand the business impact of their organization’s talent management initiatives.”

For more information about Plateau Analytics, visit www.plateau.com.

* Gartner, Inc. “Unlocking the Strategic Value from Talent Management Application Investments,” James Holincheck, Dec. 26, 2007.

###

Plateau and Accenture Deliver Flexible Learning Management Solutions to 14,000 Employees Across Caja Madrid's 2,000 Branches

2008-07-15T09:01:00.001-04:00

Spain’s Fourth Largest Retail Bank to Deploy Plateau Learning Management System for enterprise-wide compliance training and online learning

Arlington, Va. - 15 July, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Spain’s oldest financial entity and fourth-largest financial group, Caja Madrid, has selected Plateau Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver compliance training and online courses to the bank’s entire employee population. During a competitive evaluation process, Accenture, which will host the solution, recommended Plateau as the best technical fit for Caja Madrid’s needs.

As Spain’s fourth largest banking institution, Caja Madrid provides a full range of retail, corporate and private banking products and services, serving 6.7 million customers in all segments from families and SMEs, through to major corporations and public and private institutions. With more than 75 regional offices and an extensive network of branch offices, ensuring high levels of employee productivity and efficiency is critical to Caja Madrid’s continued success and growth. Understanding the critical role talent management plays in its ability to meet customer needs and maintain business growth, Caja Madrid decided to transform its current learning management system. After significant evaluation, Caja Madrid chose Plateau and Accenture to update the bank’s learning management systems.

“Caja Madrid’s growth and expanding business have determined the need to evolve from a highly customized solution to a new learning management system that enables faster and more flexible accommodation to the new challenges,” said Diego Sánchez de Leon, Accenture EALA Talent & Organization Performance Lead Partner. “At this point, Caja Madrid has engaged Accenture to help them select a state-of-the-art, SCORM 2004-compliant platform that is aligned with the capabilities required for their growth strategy and that supports the high standards of service they provide. After evaluating several vendors against detailed technical criteria, Plateau was determined to be the best platform for Caja Madrid, largely due to its scalability, extensibility, and ease of use – all of which will be critical as Caja Madrid continues its growth and expansion.”

Hosted by Accenture in Spain, Plateau LMS provides a centralized application that will allow Caja Madrid to deliver and manage on-demand workforce training across all of its 14,000 employees. They will be able identify training requirements, deploy learning across all 2,000 branches and track course completion. Plateau LMS maintains records of training delivered for compliance purposes, enabling Caja Madrid to measure and track learning and certification-related activities. Using Accenture to host the solution will provide Caja Madrid with high levels of reliability and security, access to experienced system administrators and performance assurance.

“Caja Madrid’s modernization efforts reflect what we’re hearing from customers around the world regarding their talent management initiatives,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau Systems. “In order to stay competitive and deliver the level of customer service expected of one of Spain’s largest retail banks, they must have an enterprise learning strategy that enables them to develop their talent to its fullest potential. In addition to giving Caja Madrid the competitive edge they need to develop their workforce, deploying Plateau LMS provides the flexibility that allows them to keep key custom processes and functionality developed on their previous platform intact."

###

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With 178,000 people in 49 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$19.70 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2007. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

Plateau Positioned in Leaders Quadrant for Leading Industry Analyst Firm's Corporate Learning Systems Magic Quadrant

2008-07-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

Leading Analyst Firm Evaluates Plateau’s Talent Management Solutions for Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision

Arlington, Va. - 2 July, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that Gartner, Inc. has positioned Plateau in the Leaders Quadrant of its recently released “Magic Quadrant for Corporate Learning Systems (CLS), which evaluated 14 vendors in the corporate learning systems market.¹

The Gartner Magic Quadrant represents Gartner's judgment of vendors' ability to execute and the completeness of their vision in a technology market. Gartner identifies Leaders as those vendors who “must not only meet the market's current requirements, which are continually changing, but also anticipate future requirements. Also fundamental is the ability to articulate how they will address these requirements as part of a vision for an expanded CLS. In addition, Leaders have a proven track record of financial performance and an established market presence. Their installed base gives them a strong presence in the CLS market, and they demonstrate continued growth in customers and revenue. In terms of vision, they are perceived as thought leaders, with well-articulated plans for product development, marketing and channel support. Leaders have the highest combined scores for Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. These strategic providers will continue to drive the market forward by broadening their CLS functionality and integration. Buyers can expect that, as a group, Leaders will be considered as part of most new product purchases and will continue to have high success rates in winning new business.”

“Over the past several years, Plateau has demonstrated a consistent ability to deliver products, solutions and services that solve our customers’ growing workforce and corporate learning challenges,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau Systems. “We view Plateau’s positioning in Gartner’s Leader’s Quadrant as validation that we’re continuing to execute and deliver world-class talent management solutions that enable our customers to seamlessly manage and leverage their talent to increase productivity and maximize employee performance.”

According to Gartner, “The justification for using a CLS is that it aids the process of educating employees, partners and customers, so that an enterprise can achieve its desired level of business performance sooner than if people had been left to work things out for themselves. As attitudes toward training have matured, enterprises have come to appreciate the need to create engaging content that enhances the learning experience and increases retention.” Gartner continued, “The degree of integration of individual e-learning applications into a single packaged product varies widely [in the CLS market]. This has caused confusion and disillusionment among buyers, but has become a significant differentiator for those CLS vendors that offer more complex offerings. Vendors that score more highly for Completeness of Vision (the horizontal axis on the Magic Quadrant) tend to have more comprehensive offerings as well as integration with installed employee performance management applications.”

More than 250 organizations and 10 million users have adopted Plateau’s talent management solutions, including the largest corporate, non-profit and government learning institutions. Plateau Learning increases workforce productivity and performance by managing training across the extended enterprise. The solution provides management of learning processes and data, development and deployment of online and offline learning and evaluation content, and secure auditing and reporting of regulatory compliance information.

For more information about Plateau, visit www.plateau.com.

¹Gartner, Inc., “Magic Quadrant for Corporate Learning Systems,” Carol Rozwell and James Lundy, June 30, 2008.

###

About the Gartner Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2008 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of adaptable Web-based software for developing, managing and optimizing organizational skills and talent to increase workforce productivity and business operations performance. Plateau’s software is being used by some of the world’s largest, most successful enterprises, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, Internal Revenue Service, and Wendy’s International. Industry analysts, including Forrester Research and Bersin & Associates, have rated Plateau a leader in functionality, technology, and customer satisfaction. The company is headquartered in Arlington, Va. For more information on Plateau, visit www.plateau.com.

Plateau's CEO Paul Sparta Talks Talent on Bill Kutik's Radio Show

2008-05-14T09:00:00.003-04:00

Sparta to Discuss Talent Management Trends, Including SaaS, Integration and Industry Consolidation Following Taleo's Acquisition of Vurv

Arlington, Va. - 14 May, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Plateau Chairman and CEO, Paul Sparta, will be a featured speaker on today’s episode of Knowledge Infusion's dynamic online series, The Bill Kutik Radio Show.

During the show, airing at noon EDT, Kutik and Sparta will discuss the never-discussed difficulties of Software as a Service (SaaS), the hype in Talent Management software, and the real problems of integration—plus Taleo’s acquisition of Vurv.

"Paul Sparta is one of the most outspoken software CEOs in Talent Management. He’ll tell us what he really thinks about the Taleo acquisition of Vurv, the hype around Talent Management, and whatever else he feels like," said Bill Kutik, Co-Chair, HR Technology Conference & Exposition.

WHO:	Plateau Systems CEO Paul Sparta
WHAT:	Bill Kutik Radio Show
WHEN:	Wednesday, May 14, 2008; 12:00 PM EDT
WHERE:	Listen online at http://www.knowledgeinfusion.com/coe/community/coe/radioshow. Archives of the show will be available online at this link following the live broadcast. Login is required to access replay, registration is free.

Produced by the Knowledge Infusion Center of Excellence and hosted by Bill Kutik, one of the leading independent analysts in the HR technology marketplace, the Bill Kutik Radio Show is a bi-weekly talk show featuring unedited and unrehearsed conversations with the industry’s key thought leaders. The Bill Kutik Radio Show airs at noon (12:00 PM) EDT every other Wednesday.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in an Eco-friendly, LEED certified building in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
Wendy.werve@plateau.com

Registration Open for Plateau's 13th Annual User Conference

2008-05-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

Insights 2008 Expected to draw Leading Industry Experts and Plateau Customers from More than 100 Organizations

Arlington, Va. - 12 May, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, is pleased to announce that registration for it’s 13th annual user conference to be held September 14 - 17, 2008 at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix, AZ is now open. To register for the conference, visit http://plateau.com/insights/. Early bird rates will be in effect until July 30, 2008 and special discounts are available for groups and government attendees.

Themed “Blazing the Talent Trail,” this year’s conference will feature an instructive, forward-thinking agenda aimed at equipping attendees with information on the latest trends, best practices and practical applications in talent management. Conference highlights include networking opportunities, hands-on educational labs, keynote presentations and breakout sessions focused on a wide range of topics including: the business case for performance and compensation management, the role of social networking and Web 2.0 in talent management, leveraging learning and your LMS to support performance management and broader talent initiatives and how Plateau’s unique approach and flexible delivery options make it possible for any organization – from large enterprises to small and mid-sized companies - reap the benefits of SaaS deployments.

Attendees will have the opportunity to attend customer-delivered presentations that demonstrate the value Plateau’s solutions are delivering in solving specific business challenges. During the conference, attendees are encouraged to participate in interactive sessions with industry experts and meet one-on-one with Plateau staff from product management, professional services and customer support to discuss the topics that are top-of-mind within their organizations.

This year’s conference features Plateau’s 5th Annual Customer Excellence Awards, honoring Plateau customers who have delivered value and addressed a variety of business challenges in their organizations using Plateau’s product and service offerings. For more information on applying for this award, please visit http://www.plateau.com/insights/awards.htm.

Plateau consistently leverages its alliances with leading business partners to deliver best-in-class solutions to its customers. During the conference, attendees are invited to explore Plateau’s Partner Expo to learn about the innovative solutions offered by Plateau’s application, content, learning technology and integration partners. For more information on participating in the Partner Expo, visit http://www.plateau.com/insights/expo.htm.

###

Plateau Expands iContent Library with Addition of Competency Assessments from iLearn Solutions

2008-05-02T09:20:00.001-04:00

Leading Content providers Jump on iContent Bandwagon as Plateau Continues to Pioneer Industry’s First Content-As-A-Service-Solution

Arlington, Va. - 2 May, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced that iContent users can now access iLearn Solutions’ iTest assessments using Plateau’s iContent solution. iTest assessments allow organizations to evaluate individual employee job-skill strengths and gaps and assign specific activities to close those gaps, enabling more effective, focused and measurable employee development.

"iLearn Solutions content provides iContent customers with an objective means for evaluating skill and competency strengths and gaps," commented Danny Larsen, President of iLearn Solutions. "Offering our “assess-to-learn” content solutions through iContent facilitates focused, performance-driven talent management. Our iTest assessments, included in the comprehensive Employee Development Gold bundle, enable organizations to prescribe targeted training and validate learning acquisition on a per-employee and organization-wide basis."

Using iContent, the industry’s first content-as-a-service-solution, users can browse, purchase and deploy iLearn Solutions’ Employee Development Gold bundle, a collection of 100 iTest assessments spanning a broad range of business, technology, and leadership development topics. The assessments can also be purchased individually or in the following sub-bundles: Professional Transferable Skills, Sales and Customer Service Skills, Desktop Software Skills, Management and Leadership Skills.

iTest assessments are designed, developed, updated and validated based on a standardized “iLearn as iTest” methodology, incorporating principles of applied learning, in-depth labor market research, job task analysis, subject matter expertise and psychometric analysis. Published in a “Ready-to-Deploy” format that easily integrates with any SCORM or AICC-compliant Learning Management System (LMS), iTest assessments can be implemented and mapped to standard or organizational-specific competency models and learning catalogs with minimal effort. By administering iTests pre and post learning, organizations can measure and link ROI with specific employee development initiatives.

“Though long considered the lynchpin of employee development, competency management remains a complex priority for today’s organizations,” said Paul Sparta, Chaiman and CEO, Plateau Systems. “iLearn Solutions’ iTest assessments are reducing the labor, cost and consistency challenges around competency management by providing a framework that allows organizations to objectively assess employee skills and performance. By making these assessments available through iContent, iLearn Solutions is expanding its global reach and enabling global organizations of all sizes to increase employee effectiveness and overall business productivity in a cost-effective way.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

About iLearn Solutions
iLearn Solutions is known for its comprehensive catalog of Ready-to-Deploy iTest Assessments and iLearn Solutions Objects for use with corporate Learning Management Systems. The combination of assessments and learning objects facilitates efficient and effective career and job competency evaluation and development within any organization. iLearn Solutions learning and assessment content products span a broad range of business, technology, and leadership development areas.

Plateau to Propel Mercury Marine’s Service, Sales and OEM Online Learning Initiatives

2008-04-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

Dealers and Partners in the U.S. and Canada will have 24/7 Access to Multilingual Sales and Services Training through Mercury University

Arlington, Va. - 21 April, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Mercury Marine, the world leader in marine propulsion technology, will deploy Plateau’s Talent Management and iContent solutions to provide its dealers and partners with greater access to the most advanced sales and service training programs in the industry. Plateau’s solutions will streamline the delivery and management of Mercury University sales and service training programs across more than 5,000 Mercury Marine dealers and OEM partners throughout the United States and Canada.

“Our dealers and partners are critical to our leadership in the global marine industry,” said Brad Weber, Director of Field Service Development and Operations for Mercury Marine. “Our reputation, along with the reputation of our dealers and partners, relies on our ability to evolve with our industry. By providing the most up to date training around the marine industry through Mercury University, we are arming our dealers and partners with valuable tools and services they need to achieve their business goals. Mercury’s ongoing investment in technologies and services that benefit our dealers and partners is a significant competitive differentiator and a primary reason we have expanded our leadership in this industry.”

Underpinned by Plateau’s Learning Management System, Mercury University will be accessible anytime, anywhere and to any user across Mercury Marine’s extended enterprise. Plateau will allow administrators to track training and course completions and deliver tests and exams to assess knowledge and provide certifications for Mercury’s dealers and OEM partners. This new learning management system will provide Mercury Marine’s dealers and partners with immediate, 24/7 access to the company’s sales and service related training programs, eliminating the delays brought about by differing time zones, business hour availability, and delivery of training disks.

Underscoring its commitment to providing users with anytime, anywhere access to training, Mercury University will deploy Plateau Offline to provide dealers and partners throughout North American with access to learning material even when they are not connected to a network. This option allows users to download and complete course content from their desktops and ensures that the training results will automatically synchronize the next time they reconnect to the system. This feature also allows users to pause training and resume at a later time from that point, without having to reload or restart the course.

Mercury University will utilize Plateau’s popular iContent solution to manage, deliver and track all of its training content across its partners and dealer ecosystem. Through this content-as-a-service offering, partners and dealers will have access to Mercury University’s industry-leading training content anytime, anywhere in a secure, hosted environment.

“Talent management is moving beyond the corporate boundaries of employee training and becoming an important piece of an organization’s extended enterprise,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “We understand that dealers and partners are critical to a company’s business, and by giving Mercury University the tools and technology to train and test their business partners, regardless of location, time or on-line status, they can be confident their company’s reputation and products continue to be the best in the industry.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

About Mercury Marine
Mercury Marine is the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines. A $2.3 billion division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), Mercury and its 6,200 employees worldwide provide engines, boats, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications. Mercury’s industry-leading brand portfolio includes Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Mercury and Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron electronic controls; Mercury inflatable boats; Mercury SmartCraft electronics; and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils. In 2008, Mercury Marine’s OptiMax engine was ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Two-Stroke Outboard Engines" by J.D. Power and Associates for the third consecutive year. More information is available at mercurymarine.com.

Plateau CEO to Speak at Bersin & Associates IMPACT 2008

2008-04-15T09:00:00.002-04:00

Industry Visionary to Offer Insights on the Future of Talent Management

Arlington, Va. - 15 April, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Plateau Chairman and CEO, Paul Sparta, will be a featured speaker at Bersin & Associates' inaugural IMPACT 2008 conference being held at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL. from April 22-24, 2008. As a participant in the interactive "Insights into Learning Management Systems" panel session, Sparta and other industry leaders will discuss the evolution of the LMS market, its convergence with talent management, and how current trends like Software as a Service (SaaS) and collaboration are driving technology innovation. As a premier sponsor of this sold-out event, Plateau will be showcasing its talent management solutions in the Demo Center.

WHO:	Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems. Paul Sparta is a pioneer in learning and performance management. He has been the guiding force at Plateau Systems since its inception in 1996. During his tenure, Plateau has earned numerous awards and accolades from industry analysts, business organizations, and leading trade and business publications. Sparta was honored as the recipient of the Ernst & Young Software and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2004. He continues to lead Plateau's vision, growth, and expansion into new markets. Sparta is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the consulting industry. He has authored several articles on workforce productivity and the role of performance management and development.
WHAT:	Panel session, "Insights into Learning Management Systems." In this audience-driven panel session, Sparta will offer his perspectives on current learning and talent management trends and the future of integrated talent management initiatives and technologies. Key topics will include movement to the SaaS delivery model and the coalescing learning and talent management markets.
WHEN:	Wednesday, April 23, 3:45 to 4:45 p.m.
WHERE:	Bersin & Associate's IMPACT 2008 The Renaissance Vinoy Resort 501 Fifth Avenue Northeast St. Petersburg, FL 33701
INTERVIEWS:	Media are invited to contact Wendy Werve at 703-678-0381 or wendy.werve@plateau.com to schedule an interview.

As the industry's first research conference focused on enterprise learning and talent management, IMPACT 2008 will cover the latest research findings, issues, trends, and best practices related to all areas of corporate talent management. Executive presenters from more than 50 organizations - including Plateau customers TD Commerce Bank and CA, and iContent partner, Ninth House -- will lead the agenda's 21 sessions. Josh Bersin will open the conference with "Insights of the Perennials: Lessons from Enduring Organizations," in which he will discuss the critical role talent management plays in driving and sustaining business success.

According to Bersin, conference attendees will gain valuable, real-world insights on how organizations should leverage enterprise learning and talent management to drive business value.

Full details, including the conference agenda, session descriptions, and speakers, are available at http://impact.bersin.com. Bersin & Associates analysts will present highlights from a range of recent research projects, including the soon-to-be-released Corporate Talent Management Factbook, conducted in partnership with Human Resource ExecutiveÒ magazine, and The Training Measurement Book, which encourages a business-based approach to measuring training effectiveness.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in an Eco-friendly, LEED* certified building in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

* LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
Wendy.werve@plateau.com

Plateau Posts Record Results, Ups the Talent Management Ante

2008-04-02T09:00:00.004-04:00

Company Achieves Record Revenue Growth, Earns Recognition for Market Leadership, Technology Innovation and Superior Customer Service and Continues Global Expansion

Plateau FY 2007 Highlights:
Revenue

Total revenue increased 58% year-over-year
Recurring revenue comprised 47% of total revenues
Deferred revenue grew 54% year-over-year

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

SaaS revenue increased 167% year-over-year
Total SaaS bookings were up 97% year-over-year
SaaS represented 67% of all new business

Customers

Total customer base grew 25%
Over 100 customers world-wide implemented
Plateau’s Talent Management solutions
Licensed users increased by 1.3 million

Arlington, Va. - 2 April, 2008 – Plateau Systemsa leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the company posted a revenue gain of 58% for its fiscal 2007, with recurring revenues comprising nearly half of the company’s total revenues. Over the past 12 months, increased demand for Plateau’s talent management solutions - driven largely by Plateau’s focus on delivering high-quality solutions that make customers successful - resulted in the addition of more than 1.3 million new users and numerous awards and industry recognition from customers, media and industry analysts. In early 2007, the company completed the acquisition and integration of Nuvosoft’s compensation functionality into the Plateau talent management suite. The company again outpaced competitors in delivering robust, highly-scalable talent management solutions with the releases of Plateau Schedule Builder and Plateau Question Editor (PQE) and continued to enhance end-user experience across Plateau’s performance management, learning and compensation processes and applications. During the year, the company continued to evolve its popular iContent offering, which remains the industry’s premier, one-stop solution for purchasing, managing and deploying content.

“Plateau’s commitment to establishing and maintaining open, collaborative relationships with our customers has been the key to our continued momentum and success. Over the past several years, Plateau has been fortunate to work closely with our customers to design, develop and deploy effective, high-quality talent management solutions that drive real business value,” said Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau. “As organizations in our space seek to differentiate by bolting low value, ad-hoc ‘bell-and-whistle’ features and functionality that reflect the trend of the moment onto their products, Plateau remains focused on delivering thoughtful, scalable, fully integrated and interoperable solutions that advance strategic talent management, increase organizational efficiency and optimize business performance and results for our customers.”

Several leading financial publications and business organizations recognized Plateau’s financial performance throughout 2007, acknowledging the company’s growth, revenue, stability and viability. The Red Herring named Plateau a Red Herring 100 winner, recognizing the company as one of the most promising private North American technology companies. For the fifth consecutive year, Deloitte named Plateau to its Virginia Technology Fast 50 list, based the company’s percentage revenue growth over a five-year period.

Customers

Over the past year, more than 100 leading global organizations spanning a variety of industries including airlines, manufacturing, state and federal government, and technology have purchased and implemented Plateau’s talent management solutions. Market-leading customers including Canon U.S.A., Department of Homeland Security-Fire Academy, Emirates Group, Informatica, Malaysia Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and W.L. Gore, as well as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which awarded Plateau contracts of more than $10 million last year, are using Plateau to support their strategic learning, performance, compensation, and career and succession management initiatives.

SaaS

Plateau’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) revenues, including subscription-hosting, grew 167% during 2007, with more than 60% of new customers choosing to deploy through Plateau’s SaaS offerings. The company’s momentum in this area was fueled by its success in deploying two of the industry’s largest enterprise talent management projects in a SaaS model. In the commercial sector, a single customer deployed Plateau’s talent management solutions in a fully-validated (for FDA compliance), hosted environment across more than 600,000 users in 20+ languages. In the public sector, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs selected Plateau’s SaaS and hosted talent management and iContent solutions to accelerate and streamline management and delivery of critical learning and development for more than 400,000 internal and external users.

Market Leadership

Plateau was widely recognized for its innovation, market leadership and unmatched dedication to customer satisfaction and success in 2007. In May the company received a “Positive” rating in the Gartner “MarketScope for Employee Performance Management Software, 2007.”¹ Bersin & Associates recognized Plateau’s leadership in customer satisfaction and market share, ranking the company the Overall Customer Satisfaction Leader for Global Enterprises in the Bersin & Associates 2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction Study. The firm further recognized Plateau as a Global Enterprise market share leader in the “Learning Management Systems 2008: Facts, Practical Analysis, Trends, and Vendor Profiles” report and awarded the company the highest possible ratings for Customer Satisfaction and Completeness of Vision in its Talent Management Suites: Market Realities, Implementation Experiences, and Vendor Profiles study. Plateau also earned three Gold Awards for its customer satisfaction and market share leadership from the eLearning Guild Member Choice Awards.

Closing out the fiscal year, Plateau scored a talent management “hat-trick” as the first and only talent management provider to be rated a leader in learning, performance, and integrated performance and compensation in Forrester Wave Reports. These reports included the February 2008 “Forrester Wave: Enterprise Learning Management Suites, Q1 2008” report and the August 2007 “Forrester Wave™: Integrated Performance and Compensation Solutions, Q3 2007.”

International Operations

During 2007, Plateau continued its global expansion, announcing the opening of an Asia-Pacific headquarters as well as several offices throughout EMEA and North America. The company significantly increased its revenue and doubled its customer base, adding several blue-chip customers including Rolls Royce, Siemens India, Swiss Re, Irish Life and Permanent, and Malaysia Airlines, who are using Plateau’s solutions to more closely align employee performance and productivity and broader organizational goals.

To support its international growth, Plateau more than doubled its international employee base and established partnerships with several leading resellers and consulting organizations including Universal Knowledge Solutions (UKS) and EDUTECH in the Middle East, LearnChamp, Ingenia and Crealogix in Europe, and Human Capital Solutions (HCS) and SeerPharma in Asia-Pacific.

In 2007, Plateau renewed its Safe Harbor certification and will continue to comply with The International Safe Harbor Privacy Principles set forth by the European Union (EU) as part of the Directive on Data Protection.

iContent

As the industry’s only multi-vendor internet solution for procuring, distributing, hosting, and managing custom content, Plateau’s iContent solution continued to gain traction and momentum with customers, partners and industry visionaries throughout 2007. In the past twelve months, more than 30 organizations including the U.S. Department of Labor, Canon U.S.A., Commerce Bank and Western Union, have purchased iContent.

Bersin & Associates' “Learning Management Systems 2008: Facts, Practical Analysis, Trends, and Vendor Profiles” report hails iContent as a ground-breaking solution for eliminating the content integration challenges and issues currently plaguing LMS customers. The report states that “the company deserves much credit as a pioneer in addressing the problems of learning content integration with its integrated iContent service offering.” iContent won numerous awards throughout 2007 including Top Training Product of Year from Human Resource Executive® magazine and Most Innovative New Product in E-Learning from E.Learning Age magazine. It also won the prestigious Platform Innovation award in the Bersin & Associates 2007 Learning Leaders Program.

Plateau expanded the functionality of iContent with increased content management and entitlement security capabilities, allowing administrators to view and manage all usage information for their organization's custom and commercial content from a single centralized location. The company also added Course Preview, which will allow users to view a snippet of course content before they purchase; the iContent Flex Card, which acts as a debit card for purchasing content via the iContent portal; and the Custom Course Upload, which allows iContent users to upload custom content developed for their specific organization.

Over the past year, iContent’s talent management content library continued to grow, with more than 30,000 custom developed and third-party assets now available through the offering. The company expanded its third-party offerings in key areas, including compliance, finance, healthcare, business and leadership, and technology training, with the addition of 14 new partners, including: CourseAvenue, Element K, getAbstract, KESDEE, LearnWright, Ninth House Quality Food Training, and WeComply.

###

¹ Gartner “MarketScope for Employee Performance Management Software, 2007” by Jim Holincheck. May 14, 2007

Plateau to Support Canon U.S.A.’s Talent Management and Training Initiatives Across North America

2008-02-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Arlington, Va. - 26 February, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in imaging and office solutions, will deploy Plateau’s hosted and on-demand Talent Management and iContent solutions to support Canon Academy, Canon U.S.A.’s new corporate university and learning management initiative in North America.

Through the Canon Academy, powered by Plateau’s award-winning iContent, Canon U.S.A. employees will have on-demand access to a variety of business, IT and compliance training content. Using iContent, Canon U.S.A. can purchase, manage, and deliver all content securely from a single, centralized solution, giving employees access to a database of more than 30,000 talent management assets that span a broad range of business, technology and leadership development topics.

The new learning management system will help Canon U.S.A. better identify training requirements, track completion, and tie training program objectives directly to its business goals for 10,000 employees across Canon’s U.S.A.’s North American enterprise, which includes more than 30 sales and support offices.

By providing hosted and on-demand talent management solutions, Plateau is helping companies such as Canon U.S.A. optimize their IT infrastructure, specifically around delivering training solutions, and is helping further reduce the impact on the environment by making it possible for organizations to reduce time, travel and resources used for in-person training. Plateau’s hosted iContent solution, for example, allows Canon U.S.A. to synchronize workforce productivity with the Company’s commitment to environmental conservation and carbon footprint reduction. By providing an automated solution that makes it possible for Canon U.S.A employees to access learning and training – at anytime and from anywhere – iContent reduces the need to transport employees to different locations for scheduled, instructor-led training sessions. A fully automated solution that delivers, tracks, and records all learning and training activities electronically, iContent is an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible solution for organizations looking to eliminate redundancy and streamline training delivery and administration while reducing resource consumption.

As part of its corporate philosophy of Kyosei, Canon U.S.A. recognizes that its environmental accountability and responsibility, including energy and resources conservation, needs to be incorporated into all of its business operations.

“In addition to meeting our aggressive, enterprise-wide talent management needs and the launch of Canon Academy, Plateau’s solutions reduce resource consumption and environmental impact, allowing us to honor and fulfill our commitment to eco-responsibility, while helping us continue to nurture and support Canon U.S.A.’s greatest asset – its people,” said William Gilbert, vice president and general manager, Human Resources, Canon U.S.A.

“Every business has a responsibility to take an active role in protecting our environment, whether by implementing recycling programs, purchasing computer hardware that meets EPEAT standards, supporting green commuting programs, or making a corporate commitment to partner with other companies that are taking proactive measures to reduce their impact on the environment,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “In acknowledging our own responsibility, Plateau has established its corporate headquarters in an Eco-friendly, LEED* certified building, and is delivering industry-leading solutions that support global talent management initiatives while at the same time helping customers like Canon U.S.A. meet their environmental and energy conservation commitments.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in an Eco-friendly, LEED* certified building in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

* LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2007†, with global revenues of $39.3 billion, is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is on the 2007 BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/pressroom.

† IFI Patent Intelligence, January 2008

Media Contact:
Wendy Werve
Plateau Systems
703-678-0381
Wendy.werve@plateau.com

Mike DeMeo
PR Manager
Canon U.S.A., Inc.
516-328-4928
mdemeo@cusa.canon.com

Malaysia Airlines Selects Plateau to Support Talent Management and Regulatory Compliance Initiatives

2008-02-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

Growing List of Airline Customers Rely on Plateau for Training, Performance and Career and Succession Planning

Arlington, Va. - 20 February, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Malaysia Airlines, one of Asia's largest airlines and Malaysia's national carrier, has selected Plateau's highly-scalable, web-based talent management solutions to support compliance training, reporting, and performance management across its global workforce. Malaysia Airlines joins a growing list of award-winning airlines such as Northwest Airlines and Singapore Airlines that use Plateau to support a wide-range of employee, partner and contractor talent management initiatives.

“Plateau’s proven experience and understanding of our industry as well as its technology’s ability to scale across our enterprise made them the ideal choice to support our talent management needs,” said Khairuddin Hamzah, Assistant General Manager, Engineering Training and Human Resources at Malaysia Airlines. “Plateau gives our employees access to consistent training anytime and anywhere. We now have a clear view of employees’ performance and development and can better track their activities and training to ensure that we are meeting all industry regulations.”

According to Bersin & Associates, compliance-related training for airlines is particularly challenging since these companies have large and geographically dispersed employee populations, a wide range of job roles, and an array of regulatory requirements and compliance issues.

“By accurately tracking and documenting employee training, Malaysia Airlines is ensuring its continued success and ranking as one of Asia’s top airlines,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “The airline industry is one of the most prominent leaders in global operations expansion, and as a result, they have put great emphasis on the planning and execution of talent management initiatives. With Plateau’s ability to scale and provide global access, we are the ideal talent management solution for the travel and transportation industries.”

Initially, Plateau will help Malaysia Airlines address these challenges by providing ground technical staff with online training they can access at anytime, from anywhere. Through Plateau’s intuitive user interface, Malaysia Airlines can easily identify training requirements, target and assign learning and training activities, deploy learning simultaneously across the enterprise and track course progress and completion. By automating the certification process, Plateau allows Malaysia Airlines to measure and track certification activities, ensuring that the company meets current local, industry and international regulations. Plateau’s Learning Management and Performance Management solutions are seamlessly integrated, providing Malaysia Airlines with a closed-loop process that helps close employee performance and development gaps through targeted learning activities.

Malaysia Airlines has more than 18,000 employees and flies more than 48,000 passengers to some 100 destinations across six continents, everyday. The airline, which holds a lengthy record of service and best practices excellence, having received more than 100 awards in the last 10 years, joins an impressive list of airline customers including Emirates Group, Northwest Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, and Singapore Airlines who have deployed Plateau enterprise-wide. Recognized by leading tourism and business publications including Travel & Leisure Magazine, Conde Nast and Fortune Magazine, these airlines have invested in Plateau’s best of breed talent management solutions to elevate their business operations and ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining compliance with aviation regulations.

Plateau continues to earn awards and accolades from customers and industry experts for its elegant talent management solutions and for its commitment to making customers successful. In addition to earning top ratings for customer satisfaction and completeness of vision in Bersin & Associates' latest talent management suites study, Talent Management Suites: Market Realities, Implementation Experiences, and Vendor Profiles, Plateau was recently recognized as a leader in the February 2008 “Forrester Wave: Enterprise Learning Management Suites, Q1 2008”, and in its Forrester Wave™ Integrated Performance And Compensation Solutions, Q3 2007 report. As the first and only talent management provider to be rated a leader by Forrester across the three critical talent management areas of learning, performance, and integrated performance and compensation, Plateau provides customers with a seamless talent management solution that also provides deep, stand-alone functionality for learning management, performance management, compensation management, and career and succession planning.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Named a Leader in Enterprise Learning Management Suites by Independent Research Firm

2008-02-14T08:50:00.001-05:00

Company Announces that it has Scored Talent Management Hat-Trick as the First and Only Talent Management Provider to be Rated a Leader in Learning, Performance, and Integrated Performance and Compensation

Arlington, Va. - 14 February, 2008 – Plateau Systems, aleading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced it was named a leader in the February 2008 “Forrester Wave: Enterprise Learning Management Suites, Q1 2008” report. In this evaluation, Plateau received the highest vendor score in the strategy category among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate. This report follows Forrester's recent recognition of Plateau as a leader in the performance solutions segment and the integrated performance and compensation management segment of the August 2007 “Forrester Wave™: Integrated Performance And Compensation Solutions, Q3 2007” report.

“We are pleased that Forrester has recognized Plateau as a leader in its Enterprise Learning Management Wave, and take great pride in being the first and only talent management solution provider to have been named a leader in this report as well as Forrester's Integrated Performance and Compensation Solutions Wave,” said Paul Sparta, CEO, Plateau Systems. “Learning, performance, and compensation are clearly key components of any company's talent management strategy. By delivering a seamless talent management solution that also provides deep, stand-alone functionality for learning management, performance management, compensation management, and career and succession planning, Plateau allows customers to grow their talent management strategy and solution in line with their business goals, and allows them to do so without having to trade functionality for integration, and vice versa.”

Forrester's report evaluated 12 leading learning management vendors - across 90 criteria - according to current offering, strategy and market presence. Plateau was awarded the top score in the Strategy category, receiving the highest possible score for Product Enhancement. According to the report, “Plateau plans to continue to build out its talent management suites, as well as to develop capabilities in Web 2.0 technologies.” Forrester further states: ”in our user reference checks, Plateau received the highest marks of all vendors for knowledgeable, honest, and supportive sales, implementation, and customer service teams.”

According to Forrester, learning suites are “quickly becoming a critical component of an organization's talent management efforts.” Forrester went on to note that “pure-play vendors like, Plateau Systems (along with 3 other vendors), have created or acquired performance management, succession planning, and compensation capabilities and have integrated these components into a talent management suite that complements the learning suite.”

With organizations recognizing the value and benefits of deploying unified, extensible talent management solutions, Plateau is seeing an increased demand among its customers for a complete, integrated talent management suite. In a recent interview in Talent Management Magazine, Plateau customer Dave Roberts, vice president of talent management at Western Union, highlighted the value of Plateau's complete offering, stating, “one of the key strategic areas of focus is integration. We want a one-stop shop for the various clients of talent management. The company had a history of very siloed, separated talent management processes. We're pulling those together around a set of key talent imperatives, things that people in the organization need to do in order to drive the business forward and accomplish the strategic goals of the business.” According to Lisa Jacoba, Western Union's SVP of Talent Management, “Our hope is to utilize the data on the performance and learning sides, and then integrate all of that to help us make some of those key decisions when we have to back fill a role or get into a new line of business, and really use this as our search engine to look at the talent and make some decisions on how to mobilize our talent.”

Further demonstrating its strength in providing comprehensive talent management solutions, Plateau debuted as leader in The Forrester Wave™: Integrated Performance And Compensation Solutions, Q3 2007. According to that report, “Plateau (along with 3 other vendors) established early integrated performance and compensation leadership, thanks to their depth of functionality.” Forrester added that with “their (Plateau and one other vendor) history in learning and Plateau's well-defined forward looking strategy gives [them] a leg up in career development planning, and they are good options for companies with a strong emphasis on integrating learning into their overall talent management strategy.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Named a Leader in Integrated Performance and Compensation Solutions by Independent Research Firm

2008-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Plateau Recognized for Depth of Functionality and Forward-looking Strategy

Arlington, Va. - 23 January, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced it was named a Leader in the recently updated Forrester Q3 2007, Integrated Performance and Compensation Solutions Wave™ report. Plateau was among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate in this Wave and was recognized as a Leader for its integrated Performance and Compensation solution and for its stand-alone Performance Management solution.

After evaluating several talent management solutions across 95 specific performance and compensation criteria, Forrester found that Plateau Systems “established early integrated performance and compensation leadership, thanks to their depth of functionality.” Forrester acknowledged in the report that learning vendors, like Plateau, provide strong performance and compensation solutions and that with its “history in learning and Plateau’s well-defined forward looking strategy [it] has a leg up in career development planning, and [they] are good options for companies with a strong emphasis on integrating learning into their overall talent management strategy.”

The report stated that “performance and compensation is the linchpin of strategic HR” because “performance management and compensation solutions enable the measurement and alignment of individual and team goals to corporate goals.” Forrester further highlighted the importance of an integrated approach stating “without complete visibility, it is very difficult to assess the overall strengths and weaknesses of your workforce and potential gaps that will affect productivity, forecast future needs, and ultimately measure the bottom-line results of performance and compensation systems.”

“Forrester’s research highlights the value and importance of integration and transparency as it relates not only to performance and compensation management, but to the broader talent management market as well,” said Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau Systems. “While there is certainly an important connection between performance and compensation, the relationship and intersection points between performance and learning management are even more profound. Organizations looking to capitalize on and maximize employee productivity and performance must have a cohesive solution that allows them to identify, train, align, assess, reward and deploy their talent in a way that supports the achievement of broader corporate goals. As a recognized leader in this market, Plateau is committed to driving real business results for our customers by delivering complete solutions that enable this full lifecycle approach to talent management.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Earns Top Ratings for Customer Satisfaction and Completeness of Vision in Bersin & Associates' Latest Talent Management Suites Study

2008-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Report Highlights Plateau’s Comprehensive Global Services, iContent Solution, and Industry Leading Customer Satisfaction as Key Differentiators

Arlington, Va. - 16 January, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced it was awarded the highest possible ratings – four stars – in the areas of Customer Satisfaction and Completeness of Vision in Bersin & Associates’ study Talent Management Suites: Market Realities, Implementation Experiences, and Vendor Profiles. The study points to the growing demand for complete talent management solutions and recognizes Plateau’s comprehensive approach, which includes integrated performance and development planning; integrated career and development planning; and integrated performance management and succession management. Of the 20 vendors profiled in the report, only two earned the highest scores in both of these categories.

Highlighting Plateau’s top scores for customer satisfaction and completeness of vision, the study recognizes that the company’s talent management solution, combined with its superior support, drives business value and tangible results for customers. Bersin & Associates specifically identifies Plateau’s Comprehensive Global Services, its iContent solution, and Industry Leading Customer Satisfaction as the key differentiators behind Plateau’s ability to maximize customer value.

The study further notes that Plateau provides a comprehensive talent management suite that helps organizations solve the challenges associated with multi-faceted, often complex, talent management initiatives. The report identifies performance management as a key component of Plateau’s talent management offering, specifically referencing its “ability to support integrated performance management and learning management” and its “functionality to address competency gaps and support performance-driven learning programs.”

“Plateau is consistently recognized as a leader in customer satisfaction, largely due to its ability to cultivate strong relationships as a partner and trusted advisor to its customers,” stated Leighanne Levensaler, principal analyst for Bersin & Associates. “With proven customer satisfaction ratings and high marks in other critical talent management areas, the company is well-positioned to continue its leadership in 2008, especially as more organizations pursue integrated talent management initiatives.”

Research for Bersin & Associates’ Talent Management study began in August 2007 with an extensive, quantitative survey capturing responses across more than 700 HR, learning and development (L&D), and information technology functions. In addition, Bersin & Associates conducted more than 50 in-depth interviews with HR and talent management executives as well as detailed vendor briefings with 20 providers of talent management suites. These vendor briefings included system demonstrations that focused on integrated talent management use cases, as well as a presentation and discussion of the vendor’s company background and product roadmap.

“Bersin’s report validates the trend we are seeing with organizations demanding comprehensive talent management solutions that provide interoperability between key talent management functions, from employee on-boarding, and learning, training and development, to career and succession planning, performance management and compensation,” said Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau Systems. “Plateau is leading this charge as one of industry’s only providers of truly integrated talent management solutions. Since Plateau’s talent management applications are built on a single code base, users can navigate seamlessly, through a consistent interface, between multiple talent management applications. By enabling organizations to share employee data across key talent management applications, Plateau’s integrated suite provides real-time visibility into all aspects of an organization’s talent, making it possible for managers to continuously align and refine and assess employee goals and performance to support broader corporate objectives. By delivering a self-sustaining talent management process that drives the entire talent lifecycle, Plateau’s talent management suite is delivering real business value to customers and helping them maximize employee performance and organizational productivity in a way that directly and positively impacts the corporate bottom line.”

This report follows Bersin’s recognition earlier this week of Plateau’s iContent solution. Bersin & Associates 2007 Learning Leaders Program named iContent a winner in the Platform Innovation category for transforming the way organizations purchase, manage, and deploy custom and third party content.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Joins Customer CA and Partner Ninth House in Bersin & Associates' 2007 Learning Leaders Winner's Circle

2008-01-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Company’s iContent Solution Wins for Platform Innovation; Customer CA Recognized for Technology Excellence for Its Enterprise-Wide LMS Implementation; iContent Partner Ninth House Recognized for Business Process Innovation

Arlington, Va. - 14 January, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that its iContent® solution (http://www.plateau.com/icontent/), was recognized as a winner in the Bersin & Associates 2007 Learning Leaders Program in the Vendor Innovation/Platform category. Bersin & Associates, the only research and advisory firm solely focused on What Works® in enterprise learning and talent management, recognized iContent as an innovative content management platform based on criteria including innovative features; ease of use, implementation and flexibility; and business value. Plateau joins customer CA (NYSE: CA), which was named the sole winner in the Technology Excellence category for its enterprise-wide implementation of Plateau's LMS, and iContent Partner Ninth House, which was recognized for Vendor Innovation/Business Process.

The Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program utilizes detailed criteria compiled from years of research to evaluate and recognize organizations that have delivered and/or implemented employee learning and development solutions that drive significant business improvement.

iContent won for transforming the way organizations purchase, manage, and deploy custom and third party content. Using iContent, organizations worldwide can search for, preview, and buy titles from leading global content providers – anytime, anywhere, and from any geographic location - all from a single place. Organizational content assets – including third-party resources and custom content – are securely stored and managed in a single repository. iContent provides services for testing and updating content, managing multiple providers, and content integration. Per-transaction pricing models allow customers to predict and control costs.

“iContent is a comprehensive solution for content administration, providing a single point of procurement, centralized management, hosting, and an all-inclusive service-level guarantee,” stated Leighanne Levensaler, Principal Analyst at Bersin & Associates. “iContent ensures customers have one point of access, and a central repository for third-party and in-house content. In addition to learning content, candidate assessments, certification exams, and employee surveys can be hosted and managed through iContent.”

Bersin & Associates' Learning Leaders Program also recognized Plateau customer, CA, as the sole winner in the Technology Excellence category. CA won for its enterprise-wide implementation of Plateau's LMS, which consolidated and replaced the company's nine legacy Learning Management Systems. iContent partner, Ninth House, also won in the Business Process Innovation category for its blended leadership training which combines high-quality online courses; classroom work sessions and materials; a performance support system; and evaluations and metrics.

“This award validates Plateau’s commitment to developing flexible, cost-effective solutions that allow customers, regardless of geographic location or time zone, to easily administer and manage learning across their global enterprises,” stated Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Bersin’s Learning Leaders award not only validates Plateau’s leadership in delivering global learning and talent management solutions that drive real business value, it reinforces our commitment to ensuring business success by also recognizing Plateau’s strategic customers and partners like CA and Ninth House as Learning Leaders.”

###

About Bersin & Associates
Bersin & Associates is the only research and advisory services firm focused solely on research in enterprise learning and talent management. Bersin & Associates' WhatWorks(R) research and research-based services are designed to deliver actionable direction and to help improve operational effectiveness and business impact.

Bersin & Associates research members gain access to a comprehensive library of best practices, case studies, benchmarks, and in-depth market analyses designed to guide professionals in making fast and confident decisions. Research areas include planning and strategy, learning programs and delivery, talent management, technology and infrastructure, and measurement and analytics. Member benefits include in-depth advisory services, access to proprietary webcasts, on-site analyst visits, and strategic workshops. For more information, go to www.bersin.com or call 561 455 0622.

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

iContent Expands Compliance and Business Content for On-Demand Training

2007-11-27T08:30:00.000-05:00

New Partnerships with getAbstract, KESDEE, LearnWright, Quality Food Training, and WeComply Strengthen iContent Solution with 4,000 New Offerings

Arlington, Va. - 27 November, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced the expansion of its iContent solution (http://www.plateau.com/icontent/), adding specialized content from five new partners: getAbstract, KESDEE, LearnWright, Quality Food Training, and WeComply. These partners bring 4,000 new business, finance, and compliance titles, in industries such as biotech, pharmaceuticals, and food packaging, to the iContent catalog. iContent users now have access to more than 30,000 talent management assets that span a broad range of business, technology, and leadership development topics.

According to a recent Bersin & Associates report, content integration is one of the top challenges facing organizations implementing learning management systems, and even well-funded and well-staffed technology groups are supporting multiple sources of content with various levels of integration with their systems. iContent addresses these challenges by providing a single point of access to talent management materials, accelerating content testing and integration to deliver content with less time and effort, and managing all content centrally and securely, with or without a learning management system.

“Through partnerships with content providers like getAbstract, KESDEE, LearnWright, Quality Food Training, and WeComply, iContent provides users with the widest variety of global talent management content in a single solution, from compliance to professional development and industry-specific materials,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “With iContent, users can simplify procurement and reduce their content management costs, while improving the way these materials are distributed and integrated into employee development programs. By eliminating the burden of locating, integrating, and managing content from multiple vendors, iContent allows users to focus on more strategic activities and using these materials to meet their talent management needs.”

iContent’s compliance offerings now include materials from LearnWright, Inc., Quality Food Training, and WeComply. LearnWright, Inc.(www.learnwright.com) offers multimedia training designed for the health and life science industries. iContent users involved with the development, testing, and manufacturing of Finished Pharmaceutical Products, Biotech Products, and Blood and Plasma Products , can use this training to comply with regulatory and quality requirements. Through the offerings from Quality Food Training (www.qft.co.uk/index.htm), a training and consultancy company working throughout Britain, Ireland and Europe, iContent users in the food and packaging industry have access to materials ranging from food safety and hygiene to forklift training and risk assessment. In addition, WeComply (www.wecomply.com) gives iContent users ocompliance training related to different workplace issues such as Business and Law, Discrimination and Harassment, Financial Integrity, Healthcare, and Information Security

Content from getAbstract and KESDEE significantly expands iContent’s current finance, risk, and business offerings. getAbstract (www.getabstract.com) offers thousands of business book summaries from topic areas such as Leadership & Management, Sales & Marketing, Finance, HR, and IT. KESDEE’s (www.kesdee.com) offerings, which include 500 accredited courses spanning approximately 1500 hours of e-learning, provide iContent users with access to finance topics that include Credit Risk Management, Anti-Money Laundering, Insurance, and Accounting. KESDEE also provides On-line Tutorials for Risk Manager Certification Exams, such as Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and Professional Risk Manager (PRM).

Companies are realizing substantial benefits from adopting iContent as the preferred solution for purchasing, delivering, and managing learning and talent management content. By providing organizations with a single place to buy, manage, and store third-party and custom developed content, iContent speeds the availability and delivery of content, while simultaneously decreasing the time and labor costs associated with managing and storing learning and talent management content. View information about iContent at (http://www.plateau.com/icontent/.)

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems to Sponsor Human Capital Management: Federal 2007 Symposium

2007-11-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Plateau and Former OPM Executive to Host Competency Management Roundtable at Premier Federal event

Arlington, Va. - 13 November, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced its participation in Human Capital Management: Federal 2007 (HCMF 2007), the premier Federal symposium on human capital management November 14-16 at the Hilton Embassy Suites in Washington DC. As a symposium sponsor, Plateau will host a roundtable on November 14 at 4:20PM featuring John L. Martin, former OPM HR Line of Business Special Counselor for eGovernment and eTraining Project Manager as the moderator. This practical discussion will outline key competency management best practices and show how they can be applied to current initiatives across Federal agencies. Because the roundtable discussions are designed to be interactive, attendees participation and input is encouraged.

WHAT:	Join Plateau Systems and John L. Martin, former OPM HR Line of Business Special Counselor for eGovernment and eTraining Project Manager, for an interactive and instructional roundtable titled: “Managing Competencies In The Federal Government.” Attendees will discuss best practice approaches for Federal agencies to consider as they build out their competency frameworks and overall competency management strategies. Roundtable participants will also exchange thoughts and ideas around the unique challenges Federal agencies face on this front and the critical role competency management plays in the President Management Agenda.
WHEN:	Wednesday, November 14, 2007, from 4:20 – 5:45 pm in Capital B Ballroom
WHERE:	Human Capital Management Federal Conference at Hilton Embassy Suites – Washington, D.C. Convention Center 900 10th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Symposium attendees are also encouraged to visit Plateau at booth #8
INTERVIEWS:	Media are invited to contact Wendy Werve at 703-678-0381 or wendy.werve@plateau.com to schedule an interview.

Human Capital Management: Federal 2007 (HCMF 2007) supports the government’s initiatives towards human resource transformation. By providing a venue for all human capital leaders and professionals in the federal sector to discuss the issues, brainstorm for solutions, and discover successful implemented programs, attendees have the opportunity to validate their current human capital management plans and apply tools and strategies to maximize the value of their human capital. For further information about or to register for this event, visit http://www.wbresearch.com/hcmfusa/index.asp

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

iContent® named Most Innovative New Product in E-Learning by E.Learning Age Magazine

2007-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Solution Recognized for Significantly Improving Customers' Learning Initiatives

Arlington, Va. - 12 November, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that e.learning age magazine selected iContent (http://www.plateau.com/icontent/) as the most innovative new product in e-learning at its third annual E-learning Awards. Judges recognized iContent, the industry’s only multi-vendor Internet solution for procuring, distributing, hosting, and managing custom content, for changing the way organizations use technology to support their learning and training efforts.

The E-Learning Awards recognize excellence in the e-learning industry across 11 categories and honor organizations for positive contributions to customers’ learning initiatives. A judging panel from the eLearning Network, the industry’s foremost e-learning association, assessed finalists during a rigorous, multi-phased review process that included live demonstrations and presentations to the panel. The panel selected iContent and the other award winners for delivering the most significant benefits to end-user organizations and providing the greatest contributions to the field of e-learning over previous solutions or approaches.

The e.learning age award follows Human Resources Executive®magazine's recognition last month of iContent as a Top Training Product of 2007.

“These top industry awards and recognition validate iContent as a global, flexible solution that is delivering real value by simplifying and improving the way organizations manage and distribute their talent management content,” said Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau Systems. “As an organization committed to and widely recognized for making customers successful, Plateau will continue to develop and deliver intuitive, elegant, and straightforward talent management solutions like iContent that deliver significant value and return on investment to our customers.”

iContent is a next-generation solution for managing and delivering talent management content. It is the industry’s first and only centralized solution that allows organizations to buy, manage, and deploy third party and custom content – all from a single location. Customers are using iContent to expedite the delivery of critical learning and talent management content to their employees and end users, while reducing the time and costs associated with managing and integrating this broad range of content.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems Introduces Industry's First Solution to Streamline Complex Training Activity Scheduling

2007-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Plateau Schedule Builder Automates and Simplifies Training Schedules, Recommending Optimal Scenarios Based on Resource Availability, Learning Requirements and Organizational Goals

Arlington, Va. - 21 October, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced Plateau Schedule Builder™, enabling customers for the first time to build efficient training schedules based on training demands and available resources. This innovative solution simplifies the allocation and scheduling of assets to support organizations’ complex talent management needs, saving time and money traditionally spent coordinating and managing various resources, such as instructors, simulators, classrooms, or equipment.

With today’s organizations more focused than ever before on aligning their training and development efforts with their company’s business strategy, employee training is becoming increasingly critical to an organization’s overall talent management strategy. In fact, according to Bersin and Associates, North American organizations spend more than $55 billion on training every year, with large organizations spending even more.

Complex, highly distributed organizations often face unique challenges around coordinating and managing the many assets, locations or personnel required to support their training activities. Until now, they have been forced to rely on static approaches like whiteboards and spreadsheets to manage training scheduling. These approaches are limited in their ability to model resource use and they lack the flexibility necessary for adapting to changes that arise after creation of the original schedule.

Using Plateau Schedule Builder, organizations can create, maintain, and ensure the accuracy of training scenarios. Taking into account various parameters and assumptions for demand and resource constraints, Plateau Schedule Builder dynamically generates multiple scenarios, which users can review and compare, ultimately selecting the one that best meets their training and organizational needs. Once the customer selects a scenario, Plateau Schedule Builder automatically adds the scheduled offering to Plateau’s Learning Management System (LMS), where it is made available to users. Users can then enroll in the offerings following standard business processes directly through their LMS.

Plateau Schedule Builder identifies scenarios that utilize the fewest resources (instructors, locations, etc.), over the shortest amount of time and with the least number of training hours. It then prioritizes training needs, so that critical training demands take importance over less essential items. This allows customers to identify organizational goals, such as cost, or utilization, and then allocate training demands accordingly. Organizations can also create multiple long-term schedules or scenarios that span any duration, from weeks to years, so that they balance the needs of different groups with the capacity and availability of training resources, increase scheduling efficiencies, and decrease the number of times users reactively adjust schedules.

With Plateau Schedule Builder, users can more effectively manage and allocate training resources across the entire organization. By increasing the efficiency of creating and managing training scenarios, Plateau Schedule Builder helps customers expedite goal achievement and increase the effectiveness of other components within their talent management strategy, including performance, compensation and career and succession planning.

“Large organizations are continually grappling with complex training schedules that span various groups and require numerous resources, and until now, no automated solution has been available to meet their demands,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Plateau is committed to simplifying these intricate processes, so that our customers can save time and money coordinating and managing all of the moving parts required to meet their training needs. With Plateau Schedule Builder, organizations can now proactively balance corporate constraints with training demands, prioritizing the most important items and create long-term plans that help them meet their overall corporate talent management objectives. This is the first time organizations have access to this level of coordination and management, as Plateau continues to lead the industry in customer support and innovation.”

Plateau Schedule Builder is immediately available for customers who have deployed Plateau’s Learning Management System, which is part of the Plateau Talent Management Suite. For more information, visit www.Plateau.com.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Accelerates International Expansion, increasing presence in Australia and Asia

2007-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

New Asia-Pacific Office Addresses Global Demand for Plateau’s Talent Management Offerings

Arlington, Va. - 17 October, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced a new Asia-Pacific headquarters office located in Sydney, Australia to support the growing demand for talent management solutions throughout the region. As the company’s global customer base continues to grow, Plateau is increasing its sales and customer support resources for organizations requiring best-in-class talent management solutions to help train employees, retain essential staff and fill critical competency gaps.

According to a 2006 report from staffing services and employment provider Manpower Inc., 40 percent of companies worldwide are having difficulty filling jobs and 61 percent of employers in Australia find it difficult to identify qualified candidates. To address this worldwide shortage, a recent Business Week study: “Talent Management: The New Business Imperative,” states that each company must “estimate the gaps in its industry and determine the skills it needs to meet the business objectives,” so that it has “the right people in the right places at the right time and at the right price to execute is business strategy.” The study goes on to state that “Tight integration [between all talent management components] would produce a robust database of information about the competencies of individuals that is available to decision makers throughout the enterprise.”

With Plateau, companies in Asia-Pacific can address the growing shortage of qualified workers by taking a proactive approach to talent management, focusing on the skills and capabilities of their current team to fill internal gaps, and enabling employees to develop their own career paths. Plateau’s fully integrated talent management solution allows organizations to improve performance management and personnel development of its employees by tying performance reviews to development requirements. This helps these organizations to better prepare employees for achieving career goals and potentially fill upcoming competency gaps.

To support its expanded Asia-Pacific presence, Plateau is also working with leading partners to deliver product and customer support. These partners include Human Capital Solutions (HCS), which helps organizations to implement HR and Learning Strategies through a mixture of professional services, content provision and IT solutions; and SeerPharma, Asia-Pacific's leading and largest professional consultancy specializing in the delivery of technical compliance and validation, QA knowledge and training solutions to the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology industries.

“The talent crisis is affecting companies worldwide, and these organizations are looking for proven solutions to help them better understand their current competencies, where there may be gaps and where they may be at risk,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “By expanding our presence and resources in this region, Plateau is delivering an integrated talent management solution that allows companies to improve their overall workforce productivity through strategic training, evaluation, compensation, and retention activities.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Swiss Re Selects Plateau to Support Global Learning Management Initiatives

2007-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Company Deploys Plateau Learning to Align Employees with Corporate Objectives, Increasing Productivity and Efficiency of Global Workforce

Arlington, Va. - 16 October, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Swiss Re, the world’s leading and most diversified global reinsurer, has deployed Plateau Learning to define and develop its training courses and assess job function competencies across its global operations. With integrated learning and competency assessment capabilities, Swiss Re can align employee training with corporate objectives and compliance initiatives.

According to the recent “Learning Management Systems 2008: Facts, Practical Analysis, Trends, and Vendor Profiles” report from Bersin & Associates, “Organizations with well-implemented learning management systems see 25 percent to 35 percent improvements in effectiveness and efficiency.” With operations in more than 25 countries, Swiss Re takes a proactive approach to aligning its expectations and interests with those of its stakeholders and continues to conduct benchmarking and implementation of best practice standards. Swiss Re is using Plateau Learning to manage the training and assessments its regionally dispersed employees so that they can meet these company standards.

“One of our greatest challenges is building an efficient and productive global organization with such a diversified and dispersed workforce,” said Hanspeter Brunner, Head Swiss Re Academy. “Plateau delivers a comprehensive and uniform solution for training and assessing the competency of all of our employees. We will have a centralized view of our entire worldwide employee base, so that we can assess the strength of our organization and address areas where we may need to improve the breadth and depth of our expertise.”

With Plateau Learning, Swiss Re will be able to customize system access and trainings to specific job families, so that managers have the flexibility to either designate attendees or allow open enrollment for certain training courses. To support Swiss Re’s global workforce and regional compliance efforts, including Sarbanes-Oxley and eCode, Plateau delivers specialized distance learning programs. These online programs can be either pushed directly to or proactively accessed by the employee, and for the most critical trainings users receive automatic reminders as the completion deadlines approach.

Providing a single, consolidated source for Swiss Re’s user information and data, Plateau Learning will manage all aspects of employee training from course enrollment, approval, and delivery to reporting. With Plateau’s intuitive user interface and graphical reporting capabilities, managers can monitor employees’ course progress from start through completion and assess employees’ skills against pre-defined competencies. It also delivers job family-specific views into Learning Curricula so that all users can view predefined required and recommended trainings for their specific job.

“Recognized worldwide as a leading provider of financial services products, Swiss Re must comply with strict governance regulations as well as handle volatile and ever-changing markets, and Plateau provides the platform for ensuring that all employees are trained and evaluated to support the company’s business and growth objectives,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “As Plateau expands our presence in EMEA, Swiss Re joins the ranks of other global enterprises that turn to Plateau’s leading Talent Management solutions to address the needs of all its workers and regional offices throughout its European headquarters and 25 countries around the world.”

###

About Swiss Re
Swiss Re is the world’s leading and most diversified global reinsurer. The company operates through offices in over 25 countries. Founded in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1863, Swiss Re offers financial services products that enable the risk-taking essential to enterprise and progress. The company’s traditional reinsurance products and related services for property and casualty, as well as the life and health business are complemented by insurance-based corporate finance solutions and supplementary services for comprehensive risk management. Swiss Re is rated “AA-” by Standard & Poor’s, “Aa2” by Moody’s and “A+” by A.M. Best.

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

iContent® named Top Training Product of 2007

2007-10-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Plateau’s Solution Selected for Demonstrating Excellence and Innovation to HR Community

Arlington, Va. - 12 October, 2007–Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Human Resource Executive® magazine named Plateau’s iContent® solution as a Top Training Product of 2007. The magazine's 19th annual awards competition recognized iContent, the industry’s only multi-vendor Internet solution for procuring, distributing, hosting, and managing custom content, for its innovation, ease of use, and the value it delivers to the human resources community. Award recipients were honored this week at the 10th Anniversary HR Technology Conference and Expo® in Chicago.

“Despite efforts to meld technology and content, most attempts have so far fallen short,” stated Human Resource Executive magazine. “But now, with the release of iContent, Plateau Systems has successfully solved many of the shortcomings that have been evident in previous offerings.”

Created in 1989, Human Resource Executive’s Top HR and Training Products award recognizes leading-edge products that provide value and innovation to the human resource industry. After briefings and product demonstrations, editors selected the Top Five Training and Top 10 Human Resource products from a record number of submissions. Products are selected according to their innovation, the value it brings to the human resource function of an organization, ease of use, and how well it delivers on its promises.

“Earning recognition as a top HR solution highlights the value iContent is providing customers and further validates Plateau’s leadership and success in delivering innovative, elegant, and easy-to-use talent management solutions,” said Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau Systems. “By providing organizations with a flexible, cost-effective solution that solves complex content fulfillment, distribution and management issues, iContent is addressing and alleviating one of HR’s most expensive and time-consuming pain points.”

iContent is a next-generation solution for managing and delivering talent management content. Introduced less than a year ago, it provides a single place where customers can locate, store, and deliver thousands of third-party packaged content offerings as well as customer-specific content, increasing the value of their current talent management software solutions with minimal effort. iContent speeds the availability and delivery of content – regardless of the Learning Management System an organization uses - while decreasing the overhead costs and frustration associated with managing and storing learning and talent management content. View information about iContent at http://www.icontentportal.com.

"Since launching iContent at last year's conference, we have seen significant adoption across a wide range of customers and industries, from large enterprise customers like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to highly-regarded financial services institutions and organizations including Western Union and Commerce Bank," said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau. "Recognized by HR Executive as one of the industry's top training solutions, iContent blends technological innovation with usability, simplicity, and proven customer service into the only-one-of-its kind solution that is addressing and resolving critical, costly, and time-consuming HR challenges. iContent represents a pivotal evolution for the industry and we will continue to enhance and extend this solution as it becomes more and more critical to organizational talent management initiatives."

The enhanced iContent solution will be available in November. Conference attendees can visit Plateau at booth # 1001 to learn more about these new capabilities, the iContent Flex Card, and how to become an iContent trial user.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems Expands Award-Winning iContent® Functionality with Increased Content Management, Security and Usability

2007-10-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Company to Preview New iContent Features and Offer Free iContent Trial to HR Technology Conference Attendees

Chicago - 10 October, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, announced today at the HR Technology Conference and Exposition that it has significantly expanded the functionality, features, and footprint of its popular iContent solution. iContent is the industry's only web-based, one-stop shop solution for purchasing, distributing, hosting, and managing third-party packaged and custom-developed talent management content. In addition to increased content management and entitlement security capabilities, the company will announce three new iContent features, including Course Preview, which will allow users to view a snippet of course content before they purchase; the iContent Flex Card, which acts as a debit card for purchasing content via the iContent portal www.plateau.com/icontent; and the Custom Course Upload, which allows iContent users to upload custom content developed for their specific organization.

iContent's enhanced entitlement security will allow administrators to view and manage all usage information for their organization's custom and commercial content from a single centralized location. By restricting content access to authorized individuals, iContent entitlement protects an organization's proprietary, often competitive, content by preventing unauthorized users from viewing, accessing, copying, or sharing it without permission.

Plateau has also added Course Preview and Custom Course Upload features to iContent. Course Preview allows users to preview or "test-drive" course content before they purchase to ensure that it meets their learning, training, and development needs. The Custom Course Upload feature allows iContent users to host and manage their custom content in the iContent infrastructure. Once uploaded to iContent, these courses are tested and integrated into the customer's learning management system (LMS). Customers who do not have an LMS can select the iContent eLearning Delivery System during the check out process, which will allow them to access their courses from through a limited-use, hosted version of Plateau's learning management system (LMS). This provides a flexible, cost-effective way for smaller organizations and business units with limited budgets to purchase, access, track, and report on learning and training activities material on an as needed basis – without having to purchase or deploy a full-fledged LMS.

In addition to new functionality, Plateau announced the new iContent Flex Card, eliminating the hassle of individual payment transactions every time a content need is identified. Similar to a gift card, organizations load their iContent Flex Card with a set amount, and training administrators swipe the card to pay for content needs throughout the year. As the balance decreases, users can reload the iContent Flex Card. To preview this innovative "procure-as-you-go" model, Plateau is inviting HR Technology conference attendees to try iContent free from the comfort of their desktop. Those interested in experiencing the simplicity and value of iContent can stop by Plateau's booth to learn how they can obtain a free iContent Trial Card that will provide trial access to select iContent courses for a limited time.

Recognized as one of the Top Training Products of 2007 by HR Executive, iContent is currently supporting the training efforts of many of the world's leading organizations with more than 25,000 courses in areas such as business, leadership development, legal, healthcare, workplace and safety compliance from a constantly growing list of content providers. Current iContent partners include Brightline Compliance, CourseAvenue, Drug-Free Business Solutions, Element K, getAbstract, Medcom Trainex, MedSenses, Monitor Group, Ninth House, PureSafety, SkillSoft/Thomson NETg, and WeComply.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems to present Holistic Talent Management Strategy and Insights at HR Technology Conference and Exposition

2007-10-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

Plateau Systems and Western Union to Co-Present Session Discussing the Alignment of Employees and Corporate Goals with an Integrated Talent Management Solution

Arlington, Va. - 9 October, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, will showcase its leading Talent Management solutions at this week’s 10th Anniversary HR Technology Conference and Exposition in Chicago, IL, from October 10-12, 2007. In a joint presentation highlighting the value of deploying an integrated talent management solution, Plateau’s CEO Paul Sparta and Dave Roberts, Vice President of Talent Management for Western Union, will discuss how Western Union’s holistic talent management strategy, powered by Plateau’s solutions, is supporting the company’s overall corporate goals and objectives.

Complementing this presentation, Plateau will also showcase and demo its comprehensive Talent Management and iContent solutions at the conference. Recognized as one of the Top Training Products of 2007 by HR Executive, iContent is the industry’s next-generation solution for purchasing, managing, and delivering talent management content.

WHO: Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems, and Dave Roberts, Vice President of Talent Management at Western Union

WHAT: Learning & Performance Management: Western Union Calling for a Holistic Strategy

Despite the demise of its iconic yellow paper telegram and delivery boys, Western Union at more than 150 years old, still employs 5,600 people servicing 200 countries around the world as a leader in consumer and business money transfers, generating annual revenues of $4 billion. Western Union has adopted a holistic Talent strategy, starting with integrated Learning and Performance Management and with Succession planned for next year. Paul Sparta and Dave Roberts will discuss Western Union’s roll-out strategy using a phased approach, key methods used to gain user acceptance and adoption, and the benefits realized from aligning employees with corporate goals through an integrated solution.

Conference attendees are also invited to join Plateau at its Exhibitor Booth #1001 to meet company experts and learn more about the company's integrated talent management solutions.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 10, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

WHERE: HR Technology Conference & Expo
Navy Pier Chicago
600 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 595-PIER
http://www.NavyPier.com

INTERVIEWS: Media are invited to speak with Paul Sparta about Plateau's expertise in an integrated Talent Management program as well as learning, performance, compensation and succession management. Please contact Wendy Werve at wendy.werve@plateau.com to schedule an interview.

For registration information and to view the full event agenda, please visit: www.hrtechconference.com. Visit Plateau Systems at Booth # 1001.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Awards Plateau Systems Contracts Valued at over $10 Million

2007-10-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Agency will use Plateau’s Hosted Talent Management and iContent Solutions to Accelerate and Expand the Delivery of Critical Learning and Development

Arlington, Va. - 1 October, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded Plateau Systems contracts with a one year value of more than $10 million to support learning management, career development, competency management, and content delivery and administration across the Department. Under the contracts, VA will use Plateau’s hosted learning management solutions to deliver and track learning and training activities, for its 350,000 employees and other associated staff, and begin to align developmental activities with the skills and competencies required for a high performing VA workforce.

VA is implementing Plateau’s Learning Management System (LMS) and iContent service for storing, managing and deploying its custom and third party training and development content. VA will initially use iContent to manage, host and deliver 1,500 courses across the agency’s enterprise. Using Plateau’s LMS and iContent service to speed content deployment and updates will enable VA employees to maintain timely compliance with congressionally mandated training in critical areas such as cyber security, Privacy, No Fear, and Prevention of Sexual Harassment. By consolidating VA’s packaged and custom content currently housed in various legacy systems into a single, integrated system, Plateau and iContent will enable VA to facilitate the national roll-out of mandatory training.

The VA LMS is being implemented though an Interagency Agreement (IAA) between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). As an enterprise-level E-Training initiative, the VA LMS is part of the Government-wide E-Government initiatives supporting the President’s Management Agenda.

“Plateau was selected as VA’s strategic partner after consistently proving its enterprise-class scalability, functionality, and flexibility and technical depth through progressively rigorous proof of concepts and pilot programs,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau. “We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting VA as they extend and evolve their human capital management strategy to address broader initiatives such as career planning, performance management and succession planning.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, Capital One, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Reuters. Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

iContent Expands Workplace Ethics and Employment Law Compliance Training with Leading Courses from Global Compliance

2007-09-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Plateau Customers Gain Access to BrightlineSM Compliance and Ethics Training and “Ask the Expert” Resource to Meet Federal Guidelines

Arlington, Va. - 25 September, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced a strategic partnership with Global Compliance’s BrightlineSM Learning division enabling the delivery of the entire Brightline suite of online ethics and compliance courses via the iContent portal (www.icontentportal.com). With the addition of the Brightline award-winning ethics and employment law compliance modules, iContent, the industry’s only multi-vendor internet solution for procuring, distributing, hosting and managing custom and third-party talent management content, now includes more than 25,000 training courses.

“The Organizational Sentencing Guidelines prescribe that all organizations establish and maintain effective ethics and compliance programs. iContent users now have efficient access to a host of specialized ethics and compliance training modules allowing them to promote integrity within the business environment and comply with federally mandated guidelines,” said Michael Johnson, Co-President of Global Compliance’s Brightline Learning division. “By partnering with iContent, we are helping organizations deliver critical training that can help them avoid financial, legal and reputational harm.”

Brightline Compliance was founded by former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys and acquired by Global Compliance, the ethics and compliance industry leader, in May 2007. The Brightline Learning division offers a curriculum that includes topics, such as code of conduct, sexual harassment, workplace violence, and dozens of other ethics and compliance topics, and was selected by Elearning! Magazine in the “Best Compliance Content” category of its “Best of Elearning! 2006” awards program. Courses can be customized for job or industry-specific workplace training, such as antitrust and anti-competitive practices, avoiding fraud and abuse, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government procurement, HIPAA medical privacy, and No FEAR Act. Courses can also be customized for board and C-level executives to address relevant topics, including board and executive members' requirements to create and maintain an ethics and compliance program.

Included with the training courses, iContent will also support the Brightline "Ask the Expert" service, which allows training participants to submit questions by phone or by Internet and to have those questions answered by on-site attorneys who serve as subject matter experts. This provides a venue for follow-up guidance relative to the training.

“This alliance with Global Compliance expands iContent’s growing list of courseware to address employment law compliance and ethics and compliance issues that are critical to our customers’ businesses,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Global Compliance’s Brightline Learning division is delivering topical modules that impact organizations in all industries, and now iContent users can access these specialized courses along with other business-critical training programs to further awareness and training of employees.”

iContent is the next-generation solution for managing and delivering talent management content. Introduced less than a year ago, the solution provides a single place where customers can locate, store and deliver thousands of third-party packaged content offerings as well as industry and customer-specific content. iContent speeds the availability and delivery of content while decreasing the overhead costs and frustration associated with managing and storing learning and talent management content.

###

About Global Compliance
Founded in 1981, Global Compliance provides products and services that create and maintain a business culture of ethical and compliant behavior. Their portfolio includes awareness and education products that reinforce an organization’s values and educate on expected behaviors; information intake services that accommodate the reporting of allegations or incidents; online information management services to manage case investigations and analyze, chart, and report data to executive management; and field evaluation services to evaluate and validate compliance with legislation, regulation, and organizational practices and procedures. Global Compliance currently serves one-half of America’s Fortune 100, one-third of America’s Fortune 1000 corporations and many European- and Asian-based corporations along with major colleges and universities and prominent local, state, and federal government entities. www.globalcompliance.com

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau's 12th annual User Conference brings together Global Talent Management Customer and Industry Leaders

2007-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Industry Experts, Visionaries and Leading Organizations Map Current and Future Talent Management Trends; Plateau Charts Progressive Course in Talent Management

Arlington, Va. - 12 September, 2007–Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that talent management leaders from more than 200 global organizations recently attended the company’s 12th annual Insights user conference in Boston.

During this year’s conference, keynote presenters addressed top talent management market trends and leadership approaches. In addition, more than two dozen industry leaders representing a diverse range of businesses and industries delivered real-world presentations focused on their talent management initiatives, strategies, challenges, requirements, and best practices. The conference sessions reflected the growing trend towards holistic talent management strategies, solutions and services that deliver learning, performance management, compensation management, and career and succession planning on a unified platform, further underscoring organizations’ desire to streamline the talent management lifecycle.

"Talent management continues to gain momentum as organizations look to unify more of their strategic HR processes," said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. "By sharing their talent management experiences, best practices, and leadership strategies with conference attendees, Plateau customers and industry thought leaders made this event relevant and compelling. With unparalleled customer and industry expert participation, this year’s conference reinforced Plateau’s long-standing commitment to making our customers successful and validated our success in continually developing and delivering state-of-the-art talent management solutions."

Keynote presentations and panels included:

Plateau CEO, Paul Sparta, gave an overview of the future of talent management, highlighting the emergence and promise of web 2.0 usability and collaboration technologies. Plateau’s executive management team also provided insight into the evolution of talent management applications and the demand for content and services as well as a view into Plateau’s roadmap and future plans.
Bill Kutik, Technology Columnist for Human Resource Executive Magazine and Conference Co-Chairman of the HR Technology Conference, facilitated a panel in which top industry analysts and thought leaders from Forrester, Gartner, IDC and Knowledge-Infusion discussed their research, insights and views on current and future trends in talent management. During the session, analysts discussed a wide range of topics, including the value of talent management suites, the importance of integration between HR functions such as performance and learning, and the involvement of CEOs and senior executives in workforce issues today.
Plateau customer, Dennis Sullivan, Director of Office of Workforce Planning and e-Innovation for the U.S. Department of Labor, detailed the agency’s strategy for managing a transitioning workforce in which 54% of managers and supervisors are eligible to retire in the next five years. DOL was the first agency to achieve green status in the Management of Human Capital as part of the President’s Management Agenda. Sullivan’s presentation focused on how the agency is using Plateau to support skills assessments; support agency learning requirements and provide a single system of record; and plans for future talent management.
Charles Jennings, Global Head of Learning at Reuters, presented about the relationship between knowledge and skills in driving performance, including the relationship between on-the-job experience, coaching and feedback, and formal learning.
In a keynote presentation based on her best-selling book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Presidential Historian and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, Doris Kearns-Goodwin delivered timeless insights on critical leadership competencies and discussed how today’s organizations can apply similar strategies to build and maintain teams in challenging times.
Josh Bersin, Principal and Founder of Bersin & Associates, discussed how a business-focused approach to talent management can transform organizations. In addition to detailing key talent management trends, Josh identified the top 22 processes that have greatest business impact and provided actionable advice on how organizations can prioritize these processes to build a talent management strategy that supports and maximizes business goal achievement.

In addition to keynote presentations, several customers including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Regions Financial Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, FedEx, Defense Logistics Agency, Commerce Bank, General Electric, and Capital One presented breakout sessions at the conference.

Complementing customer, partner, and expert-led presentations, customers had an opportunity to participate in product education sessions and hands-on labs. Attendees also had access to several Plateau partners, including Verizon Business, Deloitte Adobe Systems, Element K, Giunti Labs, HRchitect, Leverage Point, milengo Inc., PureSafety, and Vertex Solutions.

Customer Excellence Award Recognition

This year’s conference also served as the backdrop for Plateau’s Annual Customer Excellence Awards honoring customers who have demonstrated innovation and success in deploying talent management solutions. Conference attendees selected the final winners from a competitive field. This year’s Customer Excellence Awards winners were:

U.S Department of Agriculture for Best Launch to an Organization with Over 10,000 Employees
GE Community Health Network for Best Launch to an Organization with Under 10,000 Employees
Excelon Corporation for Best Business Solution
The Walt Disney Company for Best Overall Use of Product

“These customers demonstrate forward-thinking excellence and innovation,” said Shelly Heiden, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Plateau. “By prioritizing talent management as a strategic initiative and implementing solutions that streamline their critical talent management processes, these customers are increasing productivity and driving business value across their organizations.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

CourseAvenue teams with iContent to facilitate compliance for Healthcare Professionals

2007-08-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

iContent Provides Access to more than 100 Hybrid Healthcare Compliance Courses

Arlington, Va. - 27 August, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced a strategic partnership with CourseAvenue, the leader in Learning Content Authoring Systems (LCAS), to make its entire eComply for Healthcare Series available through iContent. iContent, the industry’s only multi-vendor internet solution for procuring, distributing, hosting and managing custom content will enable healthcare professionals and organizations to easily access critical compliance courseware via a centrally hosted platform, simplifying management and distribution. Leveraging CourseAvenue’s Hybrid eLearning Program, iContent provides users more than 100 customizable healthcare courses to address their specific compliance needs.

“The world-class iContent platform allows us to offer industry-acclaimed compliance courses and content to a broad base of healthcare professionals and organizations,” said Joe Gorup, CEO of CourseAvenue. “The dynamic nature and increased regulatory environment affecting the healthcare industry and its professionals require that in addition to keeping up with the latest advances in medicine, organizations be up-to-speed with regards to compliance issues. iContent’s flexible infrastructure combined with CourseAvenue’s leading content and customization capabilities enable us to help organizations meet these needs by providing an unmatched training experience to healthcare professionals throughout North America.”

CourseAvenue's eComply for Healthcare Series, written by the experts at CCH®, a part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, provides healthcare compliance training in a variety of areas including HIPAA, administration, patients' rights, billing, and many others. The courses were developed for a wide range of healthcare departments, ranging from billing departments and compliance officers to medical directors, board leaders, and CEOs. Through this relationship with Plateau, nearly all major U.S. healthcare organizations will be able to access CourseAvenue’s healthcare compliance courses via iContent.

iContent users will be able to tailor eComply content to their specific needs by leveraging CourseAvenue's Hybrid eLearning program. For example, organizations may wish to begin a course with their corporate compliance officer introducing the course, or to insert personalized case studies or contact information at the end of a course. CourseAvenue allows for this flexibility.

“The addition of CourseAvenue’s eComply healthcare compliance content to iContent’s growing base of online assets highlights the investments we are making to ensure that users across various industries have access to critical courses for supporting their business goals,” said Paul Sparta, CEO of Plateau Systems. “With its ability to manage, administer, and host more than 25,000 talent management titles, iContent is the most comprehensive and easiest to use source for talent management content. By continuing to add resources from trusted partners, such as CourseAvenue, Plateau delivers a cost-effective solution that enables organizations to focus on training and results.”

iContent is a next-generation solution for managing and delivering talent management content. Introduced less than a year ago, it provides a single place where customers can locate, store, and deliver thousands of third-party packaged content offerings as well as customer-specific content. iContent speeds the availability and delivery of content while decreasing the overhead costs and frustration associated with managing and storing learning and talent management content. View information about iContent at http://www.icontentportal.com.

CourseAvenue joins a growing list of learning and performance content providers representing a wide range of subject areas -- from business, technical, leadership development to legal, healthcare, workplace and safety compliance -- who are making their training and development content and referenceware available through iContent. Current iContent partners, include: Brightline Compliance, Drug-Free Business Solutions, Element K, getAbstract, Medcom Trainex, MedSenses, Monitor Group, Ninth House, PureSafety, and SkillSoft/Thomson NETg.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

About CourseAvenue
Since 2002 CourseAvenue has been simplifying the process of creating and distributing eLearning content through a unique online and on-demand platform allowing users to quickly build and publish standards-based eLearning courses. CourseAvenue’s revolutionary eLearning solution allows collaborative, synchronous content development which improves learning and business productivity across an organization, addressing the needs of both global enterprises and small businesses. For more information, visit www.courseavenue.com.

Plateau Systems to deliver Talent Management Software to W. L. Gore & Associates

2007-08-22T12:48:00.000-04:00

Gore’s Strategic Investment Reinforces Commitment to Empowering its Global Workforce

Arlington, Va. - 22 August, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that W. L. Gore & Associates has selected Plateau’s talent management solutions to support the development of Gore’s 8,000 Associates worldwide.

Consistently recognized as one of the best places to work by leading publications, Gore will implement Plateau’s Performance and Compensation modules to automate and enhance the company’s performance management and compensation planning processes.

“W.L. Gore & Associates is recognized throughout the world for its pioneering approach to corporate culture, one that values cooperation and innovation, and rewards Associates based on their contributions,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “By implementing Plateau’s integrated talent management solutions, Gore is reinforcing its commitment to recognizing those contributions.”

The Plateau Performance module will primarily help advance individual Associate development, linking strategic organizational goals with job-relevant training, where appropriate. In addition, a robust set of interfaces, combining contribution data and advocate feedback, will permit more comprehensive and timely appraisal rankings.

The Plateau Compensation module will speed effective decision-making by consolidating compensation and salary planning data. This solution will enable Gore to integrate its compensation programs in one place. The company can also ensure that its compensation packages are competitive with other companies in each region and market.

“We invest a significant effort in finding and developing Associate potential,” said James L. Roe, who leads Gore’s Human Resources Information Systems. “In a culture where innovation is so integral to success, these tools will help us to continue to foster Associate growth and satisfaction, while delivering fair, competitive, and timely rewards.”

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

About W.L. Gore & Associates

Perhaps best known for its consumer products like GORE-TEX® fabric and ELIXIR® guitar strings, W. L. Gore & Associates is a leading manufacturer of thousands of advanced technology products for the electronics, industrial, fabrics and medical markets. With more than $2 billion in sales, the company is headquartered in Newark, Delaware, and employs approximately 8000 associates at 45 facilities throughout the world. Gore is one of only four companies included in every selection of Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” since the list began in 1984. For more information, please visit www.gore.com.

Department of Homeland Security's Emergency Responders use Plateau for Critical E-Learning Initiatives

2007-08-14T12:34:00.000-04:00

Plateau’s Leading Talent Management Solution Powers NFAOnline;
Provides Training to Emergency Responders at United States Fire Administration

Arlington, Va. - 14 August, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) United States Fire Administration (USFA) is now running Plateau’s talent management solution to support its National Fire Academy (NFA) training efforts for fire and emergency responders. Powered by Plateau’s learning management system (LMS), the NFA’s Web-based online training system, NFAOnline, (www.nfaonline.dhs.gov) maximizes the training and education experience for external users, while extending collaboration and information-sharing throughout the fire and emergency services community.

Through its courses and programs, the NFA works to enhance the ability of fire and emergency services and allied professionals to deal more effectively with fire and all hazard emergencies. Plateau Learning’s closed-loop process enables the NFA to fill performance and development gaps with targeted learning activities, and provides centralized training delivery and tracking for an increasing number of online courses, including “Incident Management ICS 100 and ICS 200,” “Emergency Response to Terrorism” and “EMS Operations at Multi-Casualty Incidents.” With Plateau, NFA can extend its distance learning initiatives beyond the walls of the NFA campus and expand its curriculum to include digital information and materials, thereby increasing training opportunities for users.

NFAOnline provides an easy-to-use, one-stop Web site where fire and emergency services personnel and the general public can access free training and education programs to complete at their own pace. The primary effort of NFAOnline is to make training and materials available for the fire service, particularly those preparing to attend resident courses in Emmitsburg, Maryland. By hosting distance learning courses through NFAOnline, Plateau Learning provides NFA the opportunity to train students anywhere, and at any time. With Plateau’s robust LMS, NFA can track student completions and assign course content to targeted learning groups.

By implementing Plateau, USFA is supporting DHS’ strategic plan for a common LMS platform across the Department. DHS previously deployed Plateau Learning to deliver and track training for the Department’s internal audience (DHS’ employees), and now USFA is using the fully hosted solution to train its external audience (fire and emergency responder personnel). Plateau provides DHS with a “one-stop shop” with a common look and feel for training the entire “Preparedness” community.

“NFA’s extensive training programs are critical for reducing the effects of fire and hazard emergencies,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “As a blended learning tool, NFAOnline effectively compliments and augments the Academy’s popular resident course line-up and expands the Academy’s independent study web-based distance learning courses. By supporting the Academy’s traditional resident and distance learning training courses, Plateau is extending NFA’s training programs and improving the delivery of state and local fire and emergency services across the nation.”

As an entity of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the mission of the USFA is to reduce the costs in human lives and to avert the economic losses incurred as a result of fires and related emergencies. Through leadership, advocacy, coordination, and support, USFA serves the nation independently, coordinating its efforts with other Federal agencies and in partnership with fire protection and emergency service communities; and, with a commitment to excellence, USFA provides public education, training, technology, and data initiatives in this vital area of public safety.

###

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

HR Industry Leaders and Global Organizations to converge in Boston for Plateau's 12th Annual User Conference

2007-07-19T09:25:00.000-04:00

Analysts and Customers including Reuters, General Electric, Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security to Present Best Practices in Talent Management

July 19, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software that helps develop, manage, reward, and optimize workforce talent, today announced that its 12th annual user conference will take place August 26-29 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. This year’s agenda features dynamic thought-leader and customer presentations as well as hands-on lab and educational sessions that address the broad talent management needs of Plateau’s customers.

The conference will include more than 35 presentations focused on various aspects of Talent Management including learning, performance, succession planning, compensation management, competencies and development, training, technology integration (including hosting and infrastructure design, software validation and implementation). Customers can attend an analyst panel where thought leaders from Forrester, Gartner, IDC, and Knowledge Infusion will debate current and future trends in talent management. Plateau will also host its inaugural Insights Leadership Forum, where senior-level HR executives and industry leaders will discuss challenges, trends and best practices in talent management.

Keynote Speakers

Dennis Sullivan, Director, Office of Workforce Planning and e-Innovation, U.S. Department of Labor, will discuss how his agency is using Plateau’s solutions to meet its growing needs and the mandates outlined in the President’s Management Agenda.
Featured speaker and renowned author and historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, will present "Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln" based on her in-depth research of one of history’s most admired leaders. Ms. Kearns Goodwin’s keynote will discuss how Lincoln’s leadership strengths are still applicable for developing managers and leaders today, nearly 150 years later.
Plateau customer Charles Jennings, Global Head of Learning at Reuters, the world's largest multimedia news and information agency, will deliver a keynote presentation focused on how Reuters’ learning transformation program is supporting performance improvement across the company.
Josh Bersin, a leading talent management analyst focused on real-world implementations, lessons-learned, and best practices that drive business results, will discuss findings from his latest talent management research.

Thought leaders and customers from government agencies and global organizations including GE, CapitalOne, CommerceBank, FedEx, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Computer Associates and The Walt Disney Company will present best practices for implementing Plateau’s talent management solutions to drive productivity and support business goals.

Software-as-a-Service iContent
With the surge in customer demand for hosting and software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, this year’s conference will include tracks that focus on the basics and benefits of on-demand talent management solutions. Presenters will also discuss how Plateau’s iContent solution is transforming content management by providing an easy way for customers to buy, deploy and manage content.

Conference sessions are aligned across four tracks – Learning, Performance & Compensation, Products and Services. Each track will feature presentations by HR and learning professionals as well as Plateau-led education sessions. View the full agenda at http://www.plateau.com/insights/agenda.htm

Sessions topics will include:

Succession Planning in Local Government
Talent Management Trends and Solutions
Strategic Outsourcing
Best Practices for Global Learning
Learning Management in the Federal Government
Compliance Training in Regulated Industries
Application Management and Optimization
Next generation content integration
Maximizing your customer experience
Software-as-a-Service Solutions for Talent Management

Sponsers & Partners
Plateau’s alliances with leading business and technology partners are critical to the company’s ability to offer best in class solutions. Throughout the conference, attendees will have access to the Insights Partner Expo where Plateau partners including Verizon Business, Deloitte, Element K, HRchitecht, Knowledge Infusion, OutStart, SkillSoft PLC and VERTEX Solutions will highlight their services and solutions. For a complete list of Insights sponsors and exhibitors, visit http://www.plateau.com/insights/expo.htm

For complete event details and registration information, visit http://plateau.com/insights. Attendees and groups must register before July 25 to receive the early bird discount.

###

About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau as a leader in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Based in Arlington, Virginia, Plateau has with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Fairfax County joins growing list of Government Customers Deploying Plateau's Talent Management Solutions

2007-07-10T11:00:00.000-04:00

County Government Selects Plateau Career & Succession and Plateau Performance to Facilitate Career Development Across Critical Positions

Arlington, VA. – July 10, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the Fairfax County Government of Fairfax, Virginia has selected Plateau’s leading Talent Management solutions as the infrastructure for its strategic performance management and career and succession planning initiatives. Fairfax County will initially deploy Plateau to assess competencies, measure performance, target training and development, and enable career and succession planning for employees in key positions.

By selecting Plateau, Fairfax County joins the ranks of other leading government organizations including the City and county of San Francisco, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Charlotte/Mecklenburg Police, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and several other Federal, State and local governments and agencies who leverage Plateau solutions to power their learning, performance, career and succession initiatives.

“Fairfax County is among the largest and fastest growing governments in the country, and we are well aware of the impact baby-boomer retirements, coupled with regular turnover, will have on our organization and employees. As the nation’s most tech-savvy government, Fairfax County is taking a proactive, technology-centric approach to preparing for and managing an impending talent shortfall by putting systems in place today to help identify and assess our critical competencies, positions, and talent,” said Evelyn Grieve, HRIT Division Chief, Fairfax County Government. “After a thorough review process, Fairfax County selected Plateau’s hosted, scalable, extensible, and easy-to-use talent management solutions. Using Plateau, we will be able us to develop and assess the workforce competencies necessary for sustaining a high level of performance as we deal with the projected increase in retirements. Our long term goal is to allow employees access to plan their own individual development plans and take charg of their own career paths.”

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that baby boomers exiting from the workforce will contribute to a labor shortage of 10 million qualified workers by 2010. Forrester Research further states that backfilling baby boomers’ positions will take more time and money than employers think, requiring up to seven years of on-the-job training and 2-2.5 new employees to replace one skilled and experienced retiree. To minimize the workforce disruption brought about by the impending baby-boomer departures, organizations are implementing solutions today that allow them to more closely gauge and align critical positions and talent with required skills and competencies.

Fairfax County Government selected Plateau’s talent management solutions to identify critical positions. With Plateau, Fairfax County’s leadership will be able to easily identify key roles and evaluate the required knowledge, skills abilities, competencies and other requirements needed in order to perform best candidate analyses. With Plateau Performance, Fairfax County will be able to manage performance plans, automate review processes, create and align organizational and employee goals, and link performance to job-relevant training.

“As organizations continue to struggle with the growing talent shortage, they are increasingly looking to deploy solutions that integrate their performance, training, career development, and competency management processes,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Fairfax County is a solid example of a forward-thinking organization that has taken a holistic approach to managing its organizational talent by ensuring that career development is closely aligned with the organizations’ overall competency management, succession plans and corporate goals. Plateau’s proven track record with Federal agencies and state and local governments alike ensure Fairfax County’s success with its evolving talent management initiatives.”

Headquartered just outside of Washington DC, Plateau has served as a leading provider of learning, performance and succession management software and solutions to federal government agencies as well as state, local and county governments. To learn how Plateau’s products and solutions can help your organization align human capital strategies with mission and goals and prepare for the future of government service, please visit us at the 2007 Government HR Innovations Summit, July 16-18, in Arlington, Virginia.

###

About Fairfax County Government

Fairfax County, Virginia is located in the northeast corner of Virginia, spans approximately 400 square miles, and includes more than 1,000,000 people. Fairfax County is part of the Washington-Baltimore Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). The Fairfax County Government is organized under the Urban County Executive form of government (as defined under Virginia law). For more information, please visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Emirates Group Selects Plateau Systems for Enterprise-Wide Learning Management

2007-07-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

Plateau to Facilitate Training and Development for Award-winning International Airline and Travel Corporation

Arlington, VA. – July 2, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the Emirates Group, which operates one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, has selected Plateau’s proven, highly-scalable Learning Management Systems (LMS) to support learning and development for its global workforce.

“In an increasingly competitive and demanding environment, retaining the quality and effectiveness of learning and development while reducing costs is a key focus of the Emirates Group,” said Linda Al Ansari, Manager T&D eLearning and IT at Emirates Group. “Plateau is a critical enabler of our flexible learning and development strategy. As a critical part of the core infrastructure for our learning initiatives, Plateau will enable Emirates to meet current and future corporate training needs while facilitating and expediting employee and partner training and development across the globe.”

To support its continued business growth and expansion, Emirates has adopted a learner-centric approach to training employees and partners. This initiative encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own learning and development, and allows training and development professionals within the organization to focus on enhancing performance and facilitating learning. In selecting a technology partner to compliment and enable this initiative, Emirates outlined key business and technical requirements and assessed vendors according to detailed feature and functional criteria, including scheduling, registration, course delivery and tracking, standards support and compliance, scalability, ability to integrate with third party tools and systems, and ease of use.

Following a thorough evaluation, Plateau was selected as the critical enterprise-wide infrastructure for delivering and managing online learning to support the training and development of Emirates’ employees, partners and customers, worldwide. Plateau will also be used to track and improve Emirates’ training effectiveness and performance.

Emirates Group highlighted Plateau’s proven scalability, strong customer satisfaction and support ratings, and compliance with critical learning industry standards including SCORM and AICC as key factors driving their selection.

“We are pleased that Emirates has selected Plateau as the underlying infrastructure supporting their training and development initiatives,” said Paul Sparta, chairman and CEO, Plateau. “As a leader in the highly competitive travel and tourism market, Emirates is an excellent example of an organization looking to increase growth and sustain competitive advantage by implementing an effective people management strategy that focuses on empowering employees within the organization to advance their training and development.”

###

About Emirates

Since its launch in 1985, Emirates Airline has received more than 300 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service. It is based in Dubai, one of the few cities in the world that pursues an open-skies policy, with more than 110 airlines in free and fair competition. The airline has experienced rapid and consistent growth, above 20 per cent a year on average, and has been profitable for the last 19 consecutive years. Emirates carried 17.5 million passengers in the 2006-07 financial year – three million more than the year before – and declared a record US $844 million profit, an increase of 25.2 per cent over the previous year, on revenue of US $8.5 billion - 28.4 per cent better than the year before.

Emirates is the world’s third most profitable and among the 20 largest international airlines and one of the fastest-growing. The airline plans to more than double its size by 2012. Emirates operates services to 91 cities in 60 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific. Visit Emirates online at: www.emirates.com

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Element K Partners with Plateau to Expand E-Learning Reach

2007-06-27T11:00:00.000-04:00

iContent Continues to Gain Momentum; Adds Element K as a major Content Provider and Increases Talent Management assets to more than 25,000

Arlington, VA. – June 27, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent, today announced that Element K®, one of the largest world-wide providers of e-learning content, will make over 2,100 course titles available through iContent. A multi-vendor internet solution for procuring, distributing, hosting and managing custom and third-party talent management content, iContent provides customers with a single point of access to nearly 25,000 content assets and resources.

“iContent will expand the availability of Element K’s premier e-learning content, specifically among business and IT professionals,” said Paul Krause, President, Element K. “Element K works to make e-Learning accessible to learners through various platforms. By partnering with Plateau, we can ensure flawless interoperability between our courses and the various learning management systems available today.”

Element K has more than 25 years of experience in designing, developing, and managing learning solutions that incorporate off-the-shelf learning content, custom content, delivery and learning administration services. The company’s online learning catalog provides a broad range of business and leadership, technology, and compliance topics. Through iContent, users can access Element K’s catalog in multiple formats. Element K is a premier provider of IT training content and works with leading technology companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and Adobe to offer authorized content and updates its courses on an ongoing basis to ensure that IT departments are current on the latest technologies and versions.

iContent is a next-generation solution for managing and delivering talent management content. Introduced less than a year ago, it provides a single place where customers can locate, store and deliver thousands of third-party packaged content offerings as well as customer-specific content. iContent speeds the availability and delivery of content while decreasing the overhead costs and frustration associated with managing and storing learning and talent management content. View information about iContent at http://www.icontentportal.com

“Adding Element K to the extensive catalog we currently offer, Plateau has established the industry’s largest single resource for e-learning courseware,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “By partnering with leading content providers, Plateau has been able to grow iContent to nearly 25,000 talent management assets in less than a year. Coupled with our ability to manage custom and packaged content testing, administration and hosting, Plateau is addressing and relieving a cost and labor-intensive pain for our customers. With iContent, we are enabling users to focus their time and money on the actual learning process as opposed to searching for and managing content.”

Element K joins a growing list of partners who are making their training and development content and referenceware available through iContent. iContent provides access to a wide range of talent management content and resources including leadership and performance-related content, business, IT, and compliance courseware, healthcare education, online safety training, and technology-based drug and alcohol training courseware for the workplace.

###

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

About Element K

Element K delivers learning solutions for customers and partners through a tailored combination of catalog learning products, technology and services supporting the learning needs of the Corporate, Government, Education and Training Center markets. The company’s proven training methodologies and wide spectrum of content are delivered through a variety of formats, including self-paced online courses, vLab® hands-on labs, instructor-led courseware, comprehensive e-reference libraries, technical journals, and KnowledgeHub™, the company’s hosted learning management platform. Element K employs over 700 professionals. For more information, please visit www.elementk.com.

Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. Selects Plateau's Hosted Talent Management Solutions

2007-06-26T09:18:00.000-04:00

Company Forecasts Immediate Training and Development Cost Savings with Rapid Deployment of Plateau‘s Hosted Talent Management Applications

Arlington, VA. – June 26, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. has selected Plateau’s suite of hosted talent management solutions. With Plateau, Pinnacle can now provide integrated learning, performance management, and career and succession planning across its more than 4,000 person workforce. Plateau’s best-of-breed talent management solutions will act as the foundation for Pinnacle’s broader technology initiative for supporting organizational growth, compliance with FAA regulations, and employee development.

“As Pinnacle continues to invest in building competitive advantages, we need a rapidly-deployable Learning Management solution that will automate our critical talent management processes and deliver the enterprise-class scalability and functionality required to support our workforce,’” said Frank Williams, Project Manager. “After evaluating several solutions, we selected Plateau’s fully hosted suite of talent management solutions as the foundation for our organization-wide talent management initiative. The success of this initiative hinges on deployment of the solutions and technology that can support our organizational growth and employee development while maintaining and tracking employee compliance with FAA regulations.”

Plateau will automate Pinnacle’s employee review process while simultaneously managing and improving personnel performance. By combining performance management and learning content into a single product, Plateau’s solution will allow Pinnacle employees to access relevant courses delivered directly from within their performance plans. Employees can now take immediate action toward achieving their performance targets with online courses that directly tie to employee performance goals and competency development gaps. Plateau’s hosted environment will streamline Pinnacle’s critical pilot training program by allowing regionally dispersed crew members to access critical, compliance-related learning materials, such as seasonal topic areas that they test for on a monthly basis.

Plateau’s flexible, functionally advanced and highly scalable solution replaces Pinnacle’s original manual, paper-based system, saving the company time and money while providing a consistent reporting tool for tracking employee learning, performance and development. The company will also dramatically reduce the expense of onsite instructor-led trainings by leveraging Plateau’s offline distance learning and virtual training capabilities.

A major driver for Pinnacle’s selection of Plateau was the latest FAA Advisory Circular which places increased focus on Distance Learning. Using Plateau, Pinnacle employees, as well as its 6,000 external contract and maintenance workers, can now access training materials and compliance-specific content from anywhere. By documenting all certifications, retrainings, and performance review ratings, Plateau helps ensure that Pinnacle’s personnel receive the industry’s best training and that the company is meeting all current regulations.

“As the only solution in the industry to combine performance and learning course content into a single product, Plateau enables Pinnacle to rapidly deploy and experience the value of a best-of-breed talent management solution that provides users with a structured program for career development,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Pinnacle’s proactive approach to talent management and regulatory compliance will allow its employees to take action to reach performance targets and develop critical skills. This is especially valuable to Pinnacle, as it continues to grow within a highly regulated market.”

###

About Pinnacle Airlines, Inc.

Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., a regional air carrier operates 139 Canadair Regional Jets in the United States and Canada. Each day, Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. operating units fly over 1,000 daily flights, transporting in excess of 27,000 Customers to 134 cities and towns in North America. Our strength lies in the professionalism and hard work of our 4,000 People. For further information visit our web-site at www.pncl.com.

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Workplace HR & Safety Magazine Honors Plateau Customer as Future HR Leader

2007-06-12T11:01:00.000-04:00

Dr. Linda Pfeifer, Informatica’s Director of Global Learning and Performance Recognized for Significant Contributions to the Field of Human Resources.

Arlington, Va. - 12 June, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that Dr. Linda Pfeifer, Informatica’s Director of Global Learning and Performance, has been being recognized as a Future HR Leader by Workplace HR & Safety Magazine, formerly known as Human Capital Magazine. The prestigious industry award recognizes up-and-coming HR professionals who are making significant contributions to the field of Human Resources. Dr. Pfeifer leads Informatica’s HR technology efforts, and uses Plateau to align and integrate learning as a continuous career development program for Informatica’s more than 1,200 global employees.

Dr. Pfeifer is leading the effort at Informatica to empower employees to have more control over their career development by ensuring that the right tools are in place to develop and advance them in ways that support their professional and personal goals. With Plateau as the foundation enabling this new paradigm, Informatica is able to link targeted learning to core competencies, emphasizing job enrichment, competency enrichment, opportunities for lateral movement and temporary global assignments for cultural awareness and growth – with the ultimate goal of empowering employees to define their career development goals and drive their own career path.

“Dr. Pfeifer’s approach to talent management allows Informatica to provide its employees with a new career paradigm that fulfills their personal needs and enables the company to compete effectively within the global marketplace,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “By modernizing and refocusing traditional hierarchical models to focus on individual career development and planning, she is empowering Informatica’s employees to take charge of their own career paths. As the core technology partner enabling this paradigm and powering this initiative, Plateau pleased to congratulate Dr. Pfeifer on her tremendous accomplishment.”

The recipients of the Future HR Leaders award were selected by an elite panel of judges that have experience in the HR industry. The winners will be honored by Workplace HR & Safety magazine at the 2007 SHRM Conference on June 25, 2007.

Workplace HR & Safety (www.workplacemagazine.com), published by Douglas Publications LLC, offers solutions to help HR and senior executives leverage their employees’ talents and skills to improve the company’s bottom line. The magazine opens new lines of communication between the C-suite and the HR department for building successful businesses that serve the needs of customers and employees.

###

About Linda Pfeifer

Dr. Linda Pfeifer is Director of Global Learning and Performance at data integration software company Informatica Corporation. Dr. Pfeifer has worked in corporate education and human performance technology over two decades, including 16 years at Hewlett-Packard. She has developed and led global learning programs in India, Mainland China, Korea, Taiwan, US, and Japan. Dr. Pfeifer received her Masters in Instructional Technology from San Jose State University, her Doctorate in Learning and Instruction from the University of San Francisco, and is a Certified Performance Technologist with the International Society of Performance Improvement. Dr. Pfeifer's research focuses on the effects of executive tele-coaching on accelerated skill transfer and increased intrinsic motivation for management development, and has presented her research at several international

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau as a leader in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Based in Arlington, Virginia, Plateau has with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Deploys Plateau Performance for Agency-Wide Competency Management

2007-05-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

Arlington, VA. – May 31, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, content and services, today announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently deployed Plateau Performance’s competency management and assessment applications across several mission-critical occupations (MCOs). Plateau’s solution will allow the EPA to assess competencies, provide individualized training and development, and streamline career and succession planning across the agency’s entire workforce.

“The EPA needed a secure solution that could easily manage our ever-evolving competency library and could scale to support competency-based workforce development across our 17,000 employees,” said Jeffrey Bryan, Chief, Human Capital Planning Branch, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Plateau’s solution accelerates the achievement of EPA’s immediate goals while allowing us to quickly expand and extend the solution over time to enable future talent management initiatives across the entire agency.”

The EPA’s competency management system enables workers to advance their careers through personalized development and assessment plans that align with organizational initiatives, as well as employee career goals. Based on the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) mandated competency model, the EPA’s competencies integrate with Plateau’s Performance applications. Using Plateau to document and assess competencies will enable senior EPA managers to better align and support employee training and development in the face of scarce and declining resources.

As part of the initial phase of the project, the EPA is also rolling out Plateau 360 Multi-Rater, which allows the Agency to better target development activities by collecting feedback from employees and their respective supervisor(s). The EPA can tailor these assessments to expand coverage and participation, resulting in more precise development activities and a more productive workforce.

“By integrating its competency models with Plateau’s best-of-breed talent management solutions, the EPA is taking a progressive approach to managing employee talent across the entire agency,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO, Plateau. “Plateau provides the enterprise-class scalability, functionality, and flexibility needed to support the EPAs massive workforce while providing employees a clear picture of how their occupation and goals fits into the larger EPA picture.”

Plateau has a proven record of success across the federal government. Agencies including The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) rely on Plateau’s solutions to power a wide range of learning, training and performance initiatives.

###

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.Plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Plateau Systems Rated "Positive" in Employee Performance Management MarketScope Report

2007-05-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

Arlington, VA. – May 16, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent, today announced that it received a “Positive” rating in the Gartner “MarketScope for Employee Performance Management Software, 2007”1. Gartner evaluated more than 28 vendors in the report. Plateau believes the “positive” rating reflects the company’s strength and momentum in the rapidly growing performance and talent management solutions market.

“Gartner placed Plateau in the Leaders Quadrant in the latest e-Learning Suites Magic Quadrant2 and we believe that this new positive EPM MarketScope rating validates our track record of delivering best-of-breed talent management solutions to customers,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “With the recent acquisition of Nuvosoft, Plateau combines advanced compensation capabilities with our existing best-in-class learning, performance management and career and succession planning solutions. As the market continues to evolve, Plateau is positioned as a leader in delivering a complete suite of talent management solutions that allow our customers to easily address their employee performance, learning, compensation and succession planning needs.”

In its MarketScope for Employee Performance Management Software, 2007, Gartner states: “The market for employee management software is intense, and many vendors want in on the action.” Moreover, “During the previous six months, we started to see customers selecting EPM solutions that were more integrated with compensation and succession management. Based on that feedback, we expanded the scope of this MarketScope to include all three areas.” Visit www.plateau.com to access and view the full Gartner “MarketScope for Employee Performance Management Software, 2007” report.

By expanding the scope of the definition of EPM, Gartner evaluated solutions that provide the following capabilities:

performance management

goal and objective management

performance appraisal management

90-degree to 360 -degree assessment management

multi-rater feedback

developmental planning

career path management

mentor program management

succession management

employee profile management

organizational charting

talent pool management

succession planning

talent review/assessment, impact analysis

compensation management

plan/program administration

budgeting

planning (support for merit increases, bonus and stock allocation and others)

coaching

pay-for-performance support

Plateau provides comprehensive software and services across performance management, compensation management and succession management as well as industry leading learning management. This enables organizations to both manage and improve performance with learning that targets employee-specific competencies and performance goals.

Customers, media and industry analysts consistently recognize Plateau for its industry leadership and unparalleled commitment to customer satisfaction and success. Most recently, the company was named a Red Herring 100 winner, an award given to the 100 most promising private North American technology companies. Earlier this year, the company was ranked the Overall Customer Satisfaction Leader for Global Enterprises in the Bersin & Associates 2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction Study. In 2006, Plateau was positioned in the Leader’s Quadrant in the Gartner 2006 e-Learning Suites Magic Quadrant report, based on the company’s strong vision and ability to execute. HR executives also voted Plateau the winner of the “Industry’s First Integrated Performance & Learning Management Shootout” at the 2006 HR Technology Conference and Exposition last October.

###

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading, global provider of adaptable, web-based software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.plateau.com.

MarketScope Disclaimer

The MarketScope is copyrighted 2007 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The MarketScope is an evaluation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the MarketScope, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest rating. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About the Magic Quadrant

The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2007 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

1 Gartner “MarketScope for Employee Performance Management Software, 2007” by Jim Holincheck. May 14, 2007

2 The Magic Quadrant for e-Learning Suites, 2006 by W. Arevolo and L. Latham, September 2006.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Plateau to Showcase Leading Talent Management Solutions at Strategic HR Events throughout Europe and Asia

2007-05-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Company Demonstrates Increased Commitment to Global Customers and International Expansion

Arlington, VA. – May 7, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational skills and talent, will be exhibiting and presenting its leading talent management solutions at HR conferences this week in the United Kingdom, India and Singapore. Highlighting Plateau’s worldwide efforts to meet customer demand, the company will be presenting its latest developments and vision to customers and partners at The Human Resources Forum in the United Kingdom, HR Summit 07 in Singapore, and HR Congress India.

“Plateau is experiencing a dramatic increase in interest and need from global customers for best-of-breed talent management solutions,” said Don Hernandez, Vice President of International Sales at Plateau. “This week’s conferences provide users a unique opportunity to meet with company executives and gather increased intelligence on the value that Plateau can provide to their talent management initiatives. We will continue to implement new programs to support and communicate with global customers in this growing market.”

Plateau has been invited to conduct a high-level Talent Management presentation at HR Congress India (May 10 – 11, 2007) in Mumbai, India. On Monday, May 11 at 9:30 am, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Ed Cohen, will deliver a speech titled: “Proactive Talent Planning and Career Development.” During this presentation, he will provide attendees with ways that their organizations can address the looming talent crisis by identifying critical positions and enabling employees to develop their career plans. He will also discuss best practices to link employee capabilities and career goals with organizational staffing needs.

In addition to its involvement at the HR Congress India, Plateau is also leveraging several other international events to increase its global marketing presence and address the growing demand for its leading-edge talent management solutions in Europe and Asia. Plateau is a sponsor and exhibitor at The Human Resources Forum from May 9 - 12, which takes place aboard the Aurora cruise ship, departing from Southampton, United Kingdom. This unique conference features facilitated networking between vendors and potential customers and enables prospects to research potential suppliers, benchmark existing ones and hear about new products and services in the marketplace. Plateau is also exhibiting its innovative Talent Management Solutions, including its recently added Compensation Management component at HR Summit 07 from May 9-10, which takes place at the Suntect Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore.

Plateau continues its international campaign in June with the Talent Challenge 2007 conference in London from June 4 – 5, where the company will sponsor, exhibit and meet with customers, partners and prospects.

###

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Plateau Systems Named Red Herring 100 Winner

2007-05-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

Company Recognized as One of North America's "Most Promising" Companies Driving the Future of Technology

Arlington, VA. – May 2, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent, today announced that it has been named to the Red Herring 100, an award given to the 100 most promising private North American technology companies. The editorial staff selected the Red Herring 100 award winners after a rigorous analysis of financial data and a thorough evaluation of the company’s management strength, industry leadership, strategy execution and investment in research and development.

"Having received more than 800 submissions, it is clear that we are witnessing a new outburst of creativity." says Joel Dreyfuss, Editor-in-Chief of Red Herring. "With venture capital flowing again, it’s exciting to see technology innovators and business investors collaborate to create disruptive technologies. The Red Herring 100 North America companies are impressive up-and-comers, and definitely the ones to watch."

Now in its tenth year, the Red Herring’s annual list of top private companies is an important part of the company’s widely-recognized tradition of identifying new and innovative technology companies and entrepreneurs. Google, eBay and Skype are among the many companies Red Herring editors recognized early on and touted as leaders that would change the way we live and work. This year’s winners continue to epitomize this tradition by pioneering and actualizing next-generation technology solutions and making them accessible across new and important markets.

“Plateau has a proven record of pioneering industry leading solutions that address real-world talent management needs, and we are honored that the Red Herring editors have recognized this and the value it brings our customers,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Being named to the Red Herring 100 validates Plateau’s leadership in developing innovative solutions that transform the way companies manage processes and content across their full talent management lifecycle. We will continue to raise the bar in delivering solutions that increase workforce productivity, enhance corporate and employee performance, and generate tangible returns for our customers.”

Customers, media and industry analysts consistently recognize Plateau for its industry leadership and unparalleled commitment to customer loyalty and success. Most recently, the company was named the Overall Satisfaction Leader for Global Enterprises in the Bersin & Associates 2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction Study. In 2006, Plateau was positioned in the Leader’s Quadrant in the Gartner 2006 e-Learning Suites Magic Quadrant report, based on the company’s vision and ability to execute. Plateau was also voted the overall winner of the “Industry’s First Integrated Performance & Learning Management Shootout” at the 2006 HR Technology Conference and Exposition last October.

To honor the CEOs of Red Herring 100 award winners, Red Herring has invited each company to present at its Red Herring Spring 2007 event, May1-3, at the Hyatt Regency in Monterey. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Red Herring 100 Awards. To celebrate this occasion, Red Herring 100 winners will share their successes and insights on how to make it to the top. As the venue for the unveiling of the Top 100 private companies in North America, Red Herring Spring draws unparalleled attention from decision makers and industry observers across the continent. For more information visit www.redherring.com

###

About Red Herring

Red Herring is a global media company which unites the world’s best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine, an online daily technology news service, technology newsletters, and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider’s access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. More information about Red Herring is available on the Internet at www.redherring.com.

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading, global provider of adaptable, web-based software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent to increase workforce productivity and business operations performance. Plateau’s award-winning software is being used to power talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

iContent Expands with Premier Leadership Development from Ninth House®

2007-04-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

Expanded Agreement Supports Increased Demand for Plateau's On-Demand Talent Management Solutions, Managed Services and iContent Offering; Company's EVP of Global Operations to Participate in Executive Roundtable at SaaScon 2007

Arlington, VA. – 24 April, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational skills and talent, today announced a strategic alliance with Ninth House, Inc., the leadership development company. Under this partnership, select titles from the Ninth House catalog of Instant Advice® leadership and performance-related content and videos will be available and accessible through the iContent portal.

“The ability to access the Ninth House interactive content through iContent will enable organizations to deliver employees the tools they need to quickly address and resolve business challenges,” said Jeff Snipes, CEO, Ninth House. “With the increased competition for talent, organizations are realizing the value of investing in leadership development solutions as a way to develop, engage and retain key employees. By making the Ninth House proven leadership and management solutions available globally through iContent, customers can continue to build high-performance teams in a cost effective, standardized way.”

Offering 280 Instant Advice videos through iContent takes just-in-time learning to the next level by providing users with immediate, actionable solutions to the most frequently encountered business challenges. This instructional content uses engaging dialogue and familiar scenarios based on award-winning courses from Ninth House that provide immediate and practical solutions to workplace challenges. With iContent’s flexible pricing options, customers can purchase individual Instant Advice titles or pre-packaged bundles, depending on their business requirements.

“As the only on-demand talent management content portal, iContent has engaged a wide range of leading content partners to provide customers with access to high-quality courses and content that addresses their leadership performance and employee management needs,” said Paul Sparta, chairman and CEO of Plateau. “Making the Ninth House Instant Advice library available through iContent will enable organizations to develop self-sufficient employees who can quickly find solutions to today’s most common workplace challenges. In addition to providing a natural channel for accessing and delivering performance and management-focused content and learning courses, iContent aims to support the full talent management lifecycle - from learning and development to performance management. With organizations increasingly opting for hosted and on-demand solutions to address these needs, iContent is quickly becoming the de facto standard for organizations looking to cost effectively purchase, access, store and manage their talent management content.“

iContent is a next-generation paradigm for managing and delivering talent management content. The solution provides a single place where customers can locate, store and deliver thousands of third-party packaged content offerings from leading providers as well as industry and customer-specific content. iContent reduces content integration and administration challenges by integrating content and deploying it to users globally over a secure and scalable content distribution network. In addition to speeding the availability and delivery of content to users, iContent saves organizations time and money by reducing the overhead associated with administering and storing content. View information about Plateau iContent at http://www.icontentportal.com

###

About Ninth House

Ninth House, Inc. provides leadership and management development solutions that integrate content from today’s foremost business experts into self-paced online courses and simulations to more effectively develop leaders at all levels of an organization. The Ninth House curriculum addresses the most relevant issues an organization faces–from leadership and innovation, to building community in the workplace, to managing change. Ninth House solutions are easily scaleable, customized, and deployed to a corporation’s workforce based on business needs; thereby, providing organizations with positive, measurable impact on employee behavior and productivity. Nearly 200 Global 2000 organizations as well as key government agencies rely on Ninth House to develop their leaders and managers, including Amazon.com, British Telecommunications, SSM Health Care, the United States Navy, and United States Department of Justice. Ninth House is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. For more information, please visit the Ninth House corporate website at www.ninthhouse.com, or call: 415-277-8200.

Ninth House® and Instant Advice® are registered trademarks of Ninth House, Inc.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Plateau aligns with Verizon Business to Deliver Best-of-Breed Software-as-a-Service Talent Management Solutions

2007-04-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

Arlington, VA. – 17 April, 2007 –This week at the saascon conference in Silicon Valley, Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational skills and talent, announced an expanded relationship with Verizon Business. Under the agreement, Verizon Business will provide increased bandwidth, scalable and reliable hosting, and global content distribution to support the growing demand for Plateau's on-demand talent management applications and icontent offering, the industry's most comprehensive solution for procuring, distributing, hosting, and managing custom and third-party talent management content.

"With Verizon Business IP Application Hosting, Plateau is meeting the increased customer demand for its Distance Learning, Blended Learning as well as it's on-demand Business Edition offerings and managed services offerings for icontent," said Chris Gesell, director of IT Solutions product marketing for Verizon Business. "As more organizations move toward saas models, similar to what Plateau has pioneered in the Talent Management market, we expect to see an increase in bandwidth, hosting and storage needs from our customers."

Content integration and administration remain two of the biggest challenges facing organizations today. Icontent cost-effectively addresses these challenges by integrating packaged and custom content and hosting and deploying it to users globally over a secure and scalable content distribution network. Providing a single place to locate, store and deliver thousands of packaged content offerings from leading providers as well as custom content, icontent allows organizations to accelerate the availability and delivery of content to end users and saves them time and money by reducing the costs associated with administering and storing content. Verizon Business IP Application Hosting services are part of Plateau's strategy to meet growing global demands for its hosting and managed services offerings, which support icontent. Underpinned by Verizon Business and powered by Akamai's Web Application Accelerator solution, icontent's scalable and reliable content distribution network (CDN) ensures optimal application performance for distributed end users across an organization.

"Plateau's hosted and managed services offerings are driving triple-digit demand for increased bandwidth. With Verizon Business supporting this critical need, we are able to expand into new markets, grow our business offerings and maintain our position as the leading provider of saas offerings in the Talent Management space," said Shelly Heiden, EVP Global Operations at Plateau. "Over the past year, we have seen a marked increase in customers selecting saas subscription models for their content and talent management solutions. With the rapid growth in the icontent customer base, Plateau remains committed to investing in delivering the industry's most scalable, comprehensive, and cost-effective solution for simplifying and expediting content procurement, deployment and management."

Validating the company as a best-of-breed provider of saas-enabled Talent Management services and solutions, Ms. Heiden will join executives from Verizon Business and Akamai on April 17 and 18 in hosting an executive roundtable titled "Powering High-Performance saas Solutions for Your Business." During these interactive sessions, moderated by Jeff Kaplan, managing director of thinkstrategies, participants will discuss the benefits and challenges of delivering applications via saas. Plateau's icontent solution will be highlighted to demonstrate the value of building a solution on a saas infrastructure powered by world-class providers like Verizon Business and Akamai Technologies. For more information, visit http://www.saascon.com/live/48/.

###

About Plateau

Plateau is a leading, global provider of adaptable, web-based software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau's award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world's most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau's leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.plateau.com.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Plateau Recognized as Customer Satisfaction and Market Share Leader

2007-04-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

ELearning Guild Honors Plateau with Three Gold Awards in Inaugural 360-Degree LMS Report

Arlington, VA. – 04 April, 2007 –Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational talent, today announced that customers have rated the company a leader in customer satisfaction and market share in the eLearning Guild’s recently released 360-Degree Learning Management Systems (LMS) report. The report covers 135 LMS vendors and recognized Plateau with three Gold Awards as part of the eLearning Guild Member Choice Awards. Plateau received awards in the categories of overall customer satisfaction for large corporate LMS’, overall customer satisfaction for small and medium corporate LMS’, and market share for large corporate LMS’.

The eLearning Guild is a member-driven Community of Practice where e-Learning design, development, and management professionals can focus on their own professional development, enhance their peer network, and identify resources for ensuring that their organizations' e-Learning projects are successful. The eLearning Guild Members Choice Awards are based on the 360-degree report that surveys member participants’ views on which LMS tools they use. Overall vendor satisfaction awards were determined by asking members to rate products on a 1-10 scale in four categories: Would Use Vendor Again, Vendor Responsiveness, Learning/Implementation Curve and Cost/Benefit.

“The eLearning Guild awards, coupled with the recent Bersin & Associates research in which Plateau is rated a customer satisfaction leader, validates our continued commitment to and proven track record of making customers successful,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “We are honored that the members of the eLearning Guild have recognized Plateau for delivering innovative LMS solutions that are further differentiated and complemented by our world-class customer service and support. We will continue to invest considerable time and money in innovating and delivering solutions that make our customers successful in developing and managing their talent.”

Customers, media and industry analysts consistently recognize Plateau for its industry leadership and unparalled commitment to customer loyalty and success. Most recently, the company was named the Overall Satisfaction Leader for Global Enterprises in the Bersin & Associates 2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction Study. In 2006, Plateau was positioned in the Leader’s Quadrant in the Gartner 2006 e-Learning Suites Magic Quadrant report, based on the company’s vision and ability to execute. Plateau was also voted the overall winner of the “Industry’s First Integrated Performance & Learning Management Shootout” at the 2006 HR Technology Conference and Exposition last October.

By tapping into the expertise of more than 23,800 members, Guild Research leverages the depth, breadth, and spirit of The eLearning Guild to produce the new gold standard in e-Learning research.

Guild Research is a team effort led by the Guild's director of research and emerging technologies, Steve Wexler. Each 360o Report is made possible by the collective efforts of dozens of key industry leaders. These awards will recognize top tools and products in terms of Market Share and Satisfaction as determined by Guild members worldwide. The full report is available at http://www.elearningguild.com/

###

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.

Plateau Again Recognized as Global Enterprise Leader in Overall Satisfaction in Bersin & Associates' LMS Study

2007-04-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

Customers Give Plateau Highest Rating in Overall Customer Satisfaction Category for Second Consecutive Time; Plateau Leads or Co-Leads Global Enterprise Market Segment in 14 of 20 Satisfaction Categories

Arlington, VA. – April 02, 2007 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of software for developing, managing, rewarding and optimizing organizational skills and talent, today announced that the Bersin & Associates report published last week, 2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction: An Industry Analysis of the Customer Experience with Learning Management Systems, has again identified Plateau as the leader in the overall satisfaction category in the global enterprise segment. Customers rated Plateau as the customer satisfaction leader or co-leader in 14 of 20 categories, and the sole leader in the categories that represent the most important measures of customer satisfaction, including overall satisfaction, customer service, and product/technical support. All ratings are based on customer surveys, with “leader” status awarded to vendors that received the highest peer group rating in each customer satisfaction category.

The report defined Plateau as a global enterprise provider with the ability to provide advanced functionality, a high degree of flexibility and scalability, and global service and support to meet the complex needs of large global organizations. Customers also rated Plateau as the leader in the overall satisfaction category in the global enterprise segment in Bersin & Associates 2005 LMS Customer Satisfaction Study. This consistently high rating underscores Plateau’s proven record of delivering customer satisfaction to global enterprises.

"Plateau continues to prove its commitment to global enterprise LMS customers by providing outstanding services that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty,” said Josh Bersin, president and founder of Bersin & Associates, a research and advisory firm focused on enterprise learning research. "This research highlights Plateau’s proven track record in delivering high levels of customer satisfaction through its product, services, and support."

According to the study, customers rate Plateau as the customer satisfaction leader in multiple categories due to the company’s investments in professional services and its focus on customer success. “The professional services organization is tightly integrated with support and engineering, providing a single level of ownership for any customer problem.”

The report further states, “The company prides itself on total customer success – focusing on solving a wide range of problems in its large implementations, including: change management, content integration, project management and learning strategy. Plateau’s continued investment in services and support, as well as its keen focus on the changing nature of the LMS market, will help the company continue its healthy growth rate.”

Plateau is rated a customer satisfaction leader or co-leader in the following 14 categories:

Overall Satisfaction

Ease of Use

Ease of Use for Learners

Ease of Use for System Administrators

Integration

Content Integration

Total Solution

Scalable to meet future needs

Provides all functionality needed out of the Box

Reporting capabilities

Service and Support

Customer service

Product/Technical support

Business Partnership

Understanding and assistance with customers’ business and training challenges

Customer has adequate input to product direction

Long-term Platform Support (confidence that vendor will support the product)

Additional Tools/Capabilities

E-Learning Content

Testing/Assessment Tools

In addition to its leadership in these categories, Plateau was named a peer group out-performer with above-average ratings compared to other vendors in ease of customization and technology investment protection.

"This comprehensive report, based on extensive customer feedback, highlights Plateau’s ongoing commitment to the success and satisfaction of our customers," said Paul Sparta, chairman and CEO of Plateau Systems. "Being recognized as the leader in the overall satisfaction category in the Bersin & Associates study for the second consecutive time is a true honor bestowed upon us by our customers. The talent management industry is growing and evolving rapidly, and as such, achieving true customer satisfaction and success is a challenging and never-ending effort in which we are continually investing and refining. From product usability and innovation, to global services and customer support, Plateau will continue to focus significant resources on these and other areas that are most important to our customers.”

###

About Bersin & Associates’ 2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction Study: An Industry Analysis of the Customer Experience with Learning Management Systems

2007 LMS Customer Satisfaction: An Industry Analysis of the Customer Experience with Learning Management Systems is a broad-based industry study based on survey results from 516 system administrators, training managers, and executives. This study evaluates a wide range of categories – product performance, customer service, technical support, and additional tools and capabilities – all from the customers’ perspective. The 2007 study covers offerings from 13 LMS vendors and analyzes over 20 different measures of customer satisfaction.

The study was completely funded by Bersin & Associates. Information in the study is based solely on Bersin & Associates’ analysis of results; the only information in the study provided by vendors are estimates of LMS revenues. Organizations can purchase the report by going to http://www.bersin.com/lmssat.

All survey participants had a learning management system that was operational at the time of the survey; the average length of LMS “ownership” was 2.1 years. Respondents represent organizations of all sizes, vertical segments, and number of learners. Seventy-eight (78%) percent of respondents are from corporate organizations; 11% are from government organizations, 2% are from higher ed. Institutions and 9% are from non-profit organizations. The 2007 study was conducted in November-December of 2006.

Plateau Systems, the Plateau Systems logo, Plateau Performance, and Plateau are the property of Plateau Systems Ltd. All other names and brands are the property of their respective holders.