Plateau News: 2007

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

iContent Expands Compliance and Business Content for On-Demand Training

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/.)

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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.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Plateau Systems to Sponsor Human Capital Management: Federal 2007 Symposium

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

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Monday, November 12, 2007

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

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.

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Sunday, October 21, 2007

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

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.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Plateau Accelerates International Expansion, increasing presence in Australia and Asia

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.”

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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Swiss Re Selects Plateau to Support Global Learning Management Initiatives

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.”

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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.

Friday, October 12, 2007

iContent® named Top Training Product of 2007

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.

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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

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

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.

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Tuesday, October 9, 2007

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

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.

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Monday, October 1, 2007

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

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.”

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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.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

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

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.

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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.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

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

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.”

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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.

Monday, August 27, 2007

CourseAvenue teams with iContent to facilitate compliance for Healthcare Professionals

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.

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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.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

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

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.”

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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.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

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

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.

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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.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

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

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.

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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.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

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

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.

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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.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Emirates Group Selects Plateau Systems for Enterprise-Wide Learning Management

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.”

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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.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Element K Partners with Plateau to Expand E-Learning Reach

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.

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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.

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