According to Callidus, incentive management systems differ significantly from traditional enterprise applications, and require an architecture specifically suited for incentive compensation challenges. “A rules-based grid computing architecture is the optimal technology choice because it cost-effectively addresses the complex requirements that distinguish EIM from other enterprise systems,” says Robert Warfield, senior vice president at Callidus Software. “This is the key to the success of our solutions with big, global customers: Our TrueComp Grid computing architecture minimizes hardware costs while driving maximum performance to accomplish mission-critical reliability.”

Callidus is the only EIM provider that offers grid computing-based solutions. Customers include banking and financial services leaders such as US Bank and CUNA Mutual, media giants like AOL Time Warner Corporation and DIRECTV, and telecommunications leaders such as AT&T Wireless, SBC Communications, Sprint and Telstra. Prior to TrueComp, these used a variety of databases, spreadsheets, homegrown mainframe applications and antiquated, expensive client-server or J2EE n-tiered architectures, running on dedicated application servers.

The entire Callidus product suite leverages TrueComp Grid, which is designed to optimize the four key elements of an EIM system: flexibility, scalability, performance, and reliability. The grid architecture combines the pooled processing power of disparate machines (from mainframes to PCs) with a rules-based engine. This rules-based engine offers the flexibility needed for adapting incentive programs as business objectives and environments evolve. The TrueComp Grid scales linearly as transaction volumes increase, while leveraging hardware investments. Reliability is further secured through a built-in failover capability.

“Businesses across the board can no longer afford downtime of any type which limits performance in any area of the company. This is particularly true when it affects employee compensation,” continues Warfield. “We’re making sure that companies get the most out of their IT investment. We believe the TrueComp Grid sets the standard for performance as it drives timely calculations of incentive payments regardless of the transaction complexity, volume of transactions or number of payees. This translates into a more productive workforce.”