跨越新边界：成长型企业的财务与人力资源现代化

Navigating New Borders:Finance and HR Modernization Supriya Deka Research ManagerGrowth-Focused Technologies and Business Strategies To overcome these obstacles, SMBs need tosimplify their back office with a technologysolution that is the right-sized for the business Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)*in North America increasingly rely on globalmarkets to compete and grow. However, several enabling employees to work on-site and remotely.This shift has created new “borders” for companiesto navigate, defined by technology, regulation, and Figure 1 U.S. growing companies’ key challengesin expanding globally (ranked in •Trade borders: Tariff policies, cost fluctuations, •Regulatory borders: Evolving compliance •Workforce borders: Managing hybrid anddistributed teams while addressing different Modernizing finance and HR systems with cloud-based platforms provides the flexibility and agilityneeded to thrive in this new, interconnected Modernizing finance and HRsystems: A strategic imperative Why unified, cloud-based Fragmented finance and HR systems slow decisionmaking, increase compliance risks, and limitvisibility into costs and workforce performance. Businesses need integrated platforms thatconsolidate finance, HR, and planning to improvevisibility, efficiency, and responsiveness to change.Global connectivity, digital commerce, and AI- Unified cloud platforms centralize data, automateworkflows, and enable real-time collaboration For growing businesses in North America,scaling is less about geographic expansion andmore about operating effectively in a digitallyconnected economy. Traditional borders are IDC research shows that over 50% of growingbusinesses already support flexible work policies, across departments—connecting finance,HR, payroll, and operations in one securesystem. These attributes reduce complexities •Employee engagement: Automation and self-service tools, combined with real-time insights,reduce manual effort, close skills gaps, and SMBs in North America are generally moredigitally mature than peers in other regions. Forcompanies early in their modernization journey,the priority should be to consolidate finance andHR systems, and automate manual processes. Digitally mature SMBs, particularly the mid-sizedones (with 500-999 employees) are embeddingAI into their business applications. IDC’s 2025 AI plays a transformative role •Automates HR, payroll, and planning data in realtime to reveal patterns, forecast trends, and 54% of companies in North Americaplan to integrate AI to automate •Enhances hiring, talent retention, and employeeexperience through predictive analytics, skills •Improves financial transparency by detectinganomalies, ensuring regulatory compliance, and Next steps for business leaders AI-powered cloud-based unified platforms enablecompanies to respond faster to change, optimize To stay competitive, leaders must aligntechnology strategy with business agility.Integrating finance, HR, and operations through Benefits of modern, cloud-based unified •Simplified operations:A single cloud-basedplatform for finance and HR streamlines theback office by eliminating the complexity of Advice for IT leaders: Enable intelligent, •Automate workflows, simplify infrastructure,and employ analytics to drive continuous •Enhanced visibility:Real-time insights intofinancial and workforce data drive faster, •Unify finance, HR, and planning through cloud-based platforms for frictionless, seamless •Robust security and compliance:Embeddedenterprise-grade security, automatedcompliance, and AI governance frameworks •Strengthen securityand governance with built-in compliance and AI frameworks, and data Advice for finance leaders: Lead •Employ AI tools(like intelligent self-serviceand personalized support) to create a unified,inclusive employee experience for hybrid and •Unify data—financial, workforce, andoperational—for real-time insights that help •Partner with ITto champion ethicalAI governance to ensure fairness, andtransparency in all AI-driven talent processes, •Automate compliance, multi-entity reporting,and budgeting to boost profitability and •Use AI-driven forecastingand scenariomodeling to respond to tariff changes and Advice for HR leaders: Build unifiedemployee experience for hybrid and global •Leverage AI-powered analyticsto closeskills gaps, reduce attrition risks, and deliver Message from the sponsor Workday GO is the all-in-one HR and finance solution that simplifies the backoffice for midsize organizations. With enterprise-grade AI and agents built in,the platform is delivered in right-sized packages, offering automation fromday one. Customers can go live fast with AI-accelerated deployment and gainpeace of mind that Workday can support their business for the long term—no IDC Custom Solutions produced this publication. This IDC material is licensed for external use and in no way does theuse or publication of IDC research indicate IDC’s end