IRIS Software Group boosts HCM offering with acquisition of recruitment software and services provider Networx

IRIS Software Group (IRIS), one of the UK’s largest privately owned software companies, is today announcing it has acquired Networx, a leading Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and recruitment software and services provider in the UK.

Founded in 2001, Networx provides simple, clever ATS and recruitment software and services to over 400 companies across many sectors in the UK including education, finance, legal, retail, hospitality and housing. Its integrated recruitment software enables in-house recruitment teams and HR professionals to successfully attract, engage, manage, and onboard top talent. This closely aligns with IRIS’ mission to take the pain out of processes and ensure professionals gain back the time they need to add value to achieve their business goals.

The recruitment landscape has changed irrevocably in recent years. The Great Resignation shows no signs of slowing – PwC reports almost a fifth of UK workers plan to leave their current employer in the next year as they look for higher salaries and job satisfaction amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. And with talent shortages across most industries exacerbating the war for talent, Networx provides a highly credible and reliable way for IRIS’ customers to find and recruit the best candidates first time, every time.

A key player in IRIS’ HCM marketplace, Networx has been successfully bought by customers alongside IRIS Cascade for the last two years. Its core product, Candidate Attraction Candidate Management (CACM) is functionally rich and widely regarded as a high-quality service in the marketplace. The business perfectly complements IRIS’ ongoing strategy to scale significantly in the HCM segment over the coming years. Through integrating Networx’s highly complementary ATS and recruitment software into the IRIS’ HR suite, customers of both companies can now benefit from a tightly integrated and secure HCM system.

The move demonstrates IRIS’ commitment to investing in quality people and products which broaden its service offerings for customers and is a clear example of the success of IRIS’s partnership network. The two companies have strong synergies with regards to core values and culture so there is a real opportunity to supercharge the HCM and recruitment offerings to customers.

Elona Mortimer-Zhika, Chief Executive Officer at IRIS says, “Networx joining the IRIS group adds further scale and growth to the HCM offerings in the UK. As the most active and highest growing partner in the IRIS HCM marketplace, Networx has an unrivalled market reputation, and our success together demonstrates a strong synergy between our cultures and software. Bringing Networx into the IRIS family enables us to propel our current HCM offerings. Combining our decades of experience, we will enable businesses to hire and retain top talent with minimal disruption.”

Stephanie Coward, Managing Director for HCM at IRIS adds, “Our goal is to support our customers, not only to help them work productively and remain compliant but to ensure the employee experience is outstanding from the outset. We are delighted to bring Networx onboard and will continue to support its growth and invest in its people to benefit both existing and new customers. Networx has a strong reputation for excellent customer service and an industry leading engineering team based in Leeds. As we move forward, we will continue to seek additional opportunities to build scale in the HCM sector as part of our long-term ‘build, buy, partner strategy.”

Darren Nuttall, Director at Networx says, “Regardless of industry, size of organisation or recruitment volumes, the talent experience has and continues to change. In-house recruitment and HR teams are battling an extremely competitive and time sensitive market which is only exacerbated by a global skills shortage across many sectors and disciplines. Joining IRIS with its incredible resources and working with the brilliant IRIS team, we’ll be able to take our software and services to the next level. We couldn’t be more excited about joining IRIS.”