Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, announced today that MLB Network, the television network for Major League Baseball, has optimized HR and talent management processes with Ultimate Software’s UltiPro.

MLB Network is a 24-7 operation that has seen rapid expansion—tripling its size in three years. To accommodate the business’s success and growth, MLB Network needed to find a way to continue expanding its operations strategically, effectively, and efficiently. As the company reviewed the variety of technology options, executives decided that using cloud-based UltiPro for its human capital management would provide a significant return on investment. The company selected UltiPro in 2008, went live within four months, and immediately began to address a range of business challenges such as:

• Change management—deploying scalable technology that efficiently handles rapid growth at a cadence that works seamlessly for both the organization and its workforce
• Driving optimal performance—delivering consistent protocols across the organization as well as processes that support company goals and individual career development by using enabling technology
• Engagement and adoption by end users—improving and sustaining collaboration and communication while removing numerous tactical distractions

Before selecting UltiPro, Alicia Hayden, HR manager at MLB Network, was looking for an HCM solution to help the company manage fast growth and that would benefit not just HR and employees, but that would impact the overall business. Hayden and the organization’s HR team realized that a cloud-based HR, payroll, and talent solution would minimize significant capital expenditure in IT resources while providing a secure, scalable platform for more effective HR operations.

“Ultimate’s decade-long experience in providing cloud-based HCM played a huge role in our successful deployment with our HR technology. UltiPro’s uptime is great, and we like that Ultimate’s service team performs any upgrades or enhancements for us. We walk in on a Monday, and the latest version is available,” said Hayden. “Ultimate’s cloud solution allows us to place more focus on our employees—which, at the end of the day as an HR professional, is where our primary focus should be. UltiPro also allows us to grow without having to spend extra funds on our own software, redundancies, and security practices. It’s just one less thing for us to worry about. I can’t imagine our ever having used anything but the cloud.”

Managing highly skilled talent that must be creative and work fluctuating hours, MLB Network’s HR team focuses on retaining its high performers by using UltiPro as its foundation for talent management. Ultimate customers like MLB Network are leveraging UltiPro to make performance management an ongoing, collaborative process. Performance objectives for employees can be assessed against measurable job competencies and goals. With UltiPro Performance Management, companies are in a stronger position to build an environment of engagement that maximizes talent and rewards top performers.

According to Hayden, UltiPro’s people-centric design fosters collaboration and helps managers focus more on their people rather than the technology used to manage the process. She believes that Ultimate’s intuitive navigation and unified approach to HCM are providing fundamental business benefits to MLB Network and its people.

“When you have one easy-to-use solution for all your employees, whether he or she is a manager or an individual contributor, it unifies people and improves the way we communicate. Our employees are in sync, and we’re talking the same language,” said Hayden. “UltiPro puts technology in the background and people in the foreground.”

“Ultimate designs technology that puts people first,” said Greg Swick chief sales officer at Ultimate Software. “Our cloud platform, full scope of HCM functionality, and user-friendly design are all business advantages that better support and strengthen expanding businesses like MLB Network. We’re very pleased that we’re making a difference to this dynamic company.”

About MLB Network

MLB Network is the ultimate television destination for baseball fans, featuring the Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight, live games, including postseason telecasts, original programming, highlights, and insights and analysis from the best in the business, including Bob Costas, Peter Gammons, Jim Kaat, Al Leiter, and Harold Reynolds. MLB Network debuted on January 1, 2009 as the largest launch in cable television history and is currently distributed in approximately 70 million homes throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information and to find MLB Network in your area, go to www.mlbnetwork.com.

About Ultimate Software

Ultimate is a leading SaaS provider of people management solutions, with more than 8 million people records in the cloud. Built on the belief that people are the most important ingredient of any business, Ultimate's award-winning UltiPro delivers HR, payroll, and talent management solutions that seamlessly connect people with the information and resources they need to work more effectively. Founded in 1990, the company is headquartered in Weston, Florida, and has more than 1,600 professionals focused on developing the highest quality solutions and services. In 2012, Ultimate was ranked #25 on FORTUNE'S “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. Ultimate has more than 2,300 customers with employees in 115 countries, including Adobe Systems Incorporated, Culligan International, Major League Baseball, The New York Yankees Baseball Team, Pep Boys, and Texas Roadhouse. More information on Ultimate's products and services for people management can be found at www.ultimatesoftware.com.

UltiPro is a registered trademark of The Ultimate Software Group, Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

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