Case Study: Canonical achieves scalable HR-as-a-service and reliable global HR data with Sage People

Canonical - Customer Case Study

Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu open-source operating system, had outgrown its patchwork of home-grown HR tools and spreadsheets as it scaled to a global, 600-strong workforce. The existing systems were manual, hard for remote employees to use, produced unreliable, unsynchronized data, and lacked the flexibility Canonical needed without vendor lock‑in.

After trials of four vendors, Canonical implemented Sage Business Cloud People to centralize HR, automate workflows and manage talent across its global operations. The rollout improved data accuracy and self-service access for remote staff, reduced IT overhead, and enabled plans to centralize payroll reporting and track employee development and pensions across 20 countries—though cleaning legacy data proved the biggest implementation challenge.

Canonical

Steve George

Vice-President of Operations