New Study Shows 66% of Government Organizations Have Adopted Social Networking, Collaboration Tools

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. & WASHINGTON -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A comprehensive study announced today by the Human Capital Institute (HCI) and Saba (NASDAQ:SABA), the premier people management software and services provider, details the use of social networking within local, state, and federal governments. The study also looks at the effectiveness of social networking in conducting government work, how agency type affects the use and perception of social networking and the future expectations and barriers for its use within the public sector.

Of those surveyed, 66 percent of all government agencies currently use some form of social networking – from blogs and wikis to instant messaging and discussion boards. This is just one of the surprising findings in "Social Networking in Government: Opportunities & Challenges," which presents a detailed analysis of the social networking trends, as well as acceptance across agencies, and specific uses.

“This study looks at the challenges and opportunities faced by government agencies, particularly at a time when private enterprise is adopting multiple forms of social networking to help them retain talent, improve service, and meet competitive challenges,” said Mike DeMarco, HCI’s Senior Research Analyst. “We were pleased to see that sixty-six percent of government workplaces surveyed reported using at least one social networking tool.”

Bridging the Digital Divide

As more people access social networking sites, government agencies are leveraging digital options for interaction with dual aims of improving customer service and reducing costs. County and municipal governments are leading the way: 31 percent of those surveyed have embraced social media as a means of providing a more efficient customer feedback channel.

The study has also discovered that:

• Federal agencies (defense and non-defense) lead in using social networking tools for project planning and collaboration— while state government agencies lag.
• Fifty-five percent of government workers are uncertain about the future use of social networking tools.
• Security restrictions — chiefly concerns about the loss of confidential information — are the largest barrier to future implementation of social networking tools within governments.

The study also provides a number of recommendations including:

• Encouraging and enhancing the use of social networking within the government, such as the Defense Department’s use of social networking tools for project planning and state government agencies’ use of social networking tools for public communication.
• Improving communication between functional groups about which social networking tools they use, how they use them and the success they have experienced. For instance, operations lags behind human resources in the use of social networking tools.

“Real-time collaboration and social networking technologies are rapidly migrating from consumers to both enterprises and government agencies,” said Saba Chairman and CEO Bobby Yazdani. “Saba has been at the forefront in providing collaboration solutions for our customer base of forward thinking organizations, and we will continue to provide innovative new social networking and collaboration solutions that facilitate knowledge sharing across a myriad of public and private sector requirements.”

In 2009, Saba won a silver Learning in Practice award from Chief Learning Officer Magazine for excellence in social networking and also cemented its commitment to driving collaboration to the next level with the appointment of Jim Lundy, a former distinguished analyst at Gartner, to the new position of vice president and general manager, collaboration, where he will drive Saba’s collaborative technologies and social networking solutions to align with business demands in today’s rapidly changing workforce environments.

Additional results from the Saba/HCI report, "Social Networking in Government: Opportunities & Challenges" can be read at www.saba.com/socialgov.

About Saba

Saba (NASDAQ:SABA) is the premier provider of people management software and services that enables the people-driven enterprise. Saba’s solutions help global enterprises and public sector organizations to quickly respond and adapt to today’s complex and rapidly changing environments.

Saba’s people platform aligns and harnesses the expertise, skills, and ideas of an increasingly distributed and mobile work force. Working with Saba, organizations are able to align, engage, develop, mobilize, and foster collaboration across employees, customers, and partners in support of increased adaptability, rapid innovation, enhanced productivity, and speed to market.

Saba’s solutions are used by more than 1,300 organizations and over 17 million end users worldwide. Our solutions are available both on-premise and OnDemand, and are underpinned by global services capabilities and partnerships that provide strategic consulting, comprehensive implementation services, and ongoing worldwide support.

As the acknowledged standard in people management, Saba’s premier customer base includes the major global industry leaders in financial services, life sciences and healthcare, high tech, automotive and manufacturing, retail, packaged goods, and public sector organizations.

Headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, Saba has offices on five continents. For more information, please visit www.saba.com or call +1-877-SABA-101 or +1-650-779-2791.

ABOUT THE HUMAN CAPITAL INSTITUTE

The Human Capital Institute (HCI) is a catalyst for innovative new thinking in talent acquisition, development, deployment and new economy leadership. Through research and collaboration, our global network of more than 160,000 members develops and promotes creativity, best and next practices, and actionable solutions in strategic talent management. Executives, practitioners, and thought leaders representing organizations of all sizes, across public, charitable and government sectors, utilize HCI communities, education, events and research to foster talent advantages to ensure organizational change for competitive results. In tandem with these initiatives, HCI's Human Capital Strategist professional certifications and designations set the bar for expertise in talent strategy, acquisition, development and measurement. For more information, please visit www.hci.org

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, without limitation, statements regarding the rapid migration of real-time collaboration and social networking technologies from consumers to both enterprises and government agencies and Saba’s ability to continue to provide innovative new social networking and collaboration solutions. Saba's actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties Saba faces that could cause results to differ materially include risks associated with: Saba's dependence on growth of the markets for Saba's products, dependence on acceptance of Saba's products by customers and channel partners, fluctuation in customer spending, length of Saba's sales cycle, competition, rapid technological change, dependence on new product introductions and enhancements and potential software defects. Readers should also refer to the section entitled "Risk Factors” in Saba's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2009 and similar disclosures in subsequent Saba periodic SEC reports. The forward-looking statements and risks stated in this press release are based on information available to Saba today. Saba assumes no obligation to update them.