From the initial feedback I've received, the premise of last week's webinar was spot on. As Larry Fulton pointed out, enterprise service buses (ESBs) are proliferating and increasingly are bundled within broader software offerings. While there is no shortage of middleware or ESB infrastructure within large and medium-sized enterprises, it is clear that not many HR system stakeholders are actively involved in ESB implementations. Not surprisingly, there also appears to be limited awareness among HR system stakeholders of the architectural foundations necessary to use ESBs effectively in rationalizing a portfolio of distributed HR services.

The Business of HR is Distributed

While HR trails behind other enterprise functions in leveraging ESB infrastructure, it leads the enterprise in other areas, such as in using software as a service (SaaS) delivery models. I've joked that HR Services, like Elvis, have left the building. Benefits administration and payroll services have long been outsourced, but recruitment and a full range of talent management services also are increasingly are delivered by external SasS-model providers.