Hola everyone! I’m Cristian Gamarra, a Senior Technical Consultant for Integrations at SuccessDay, based in Madrid.
As someone who spends their days building the bridges between systems and ensuring data flows smoothly, I’m always looking for the “how” behind the “wow.” I recently had the privilege of attending Workday Rising 2025 alongside the SuccessDay team, and the experience was nothing short of transformative.
It’s one thing to read release notes; it’s another to be in the room where the future of our industry is being defined. From the major platform shifts to the technical deep-dives, I left with a notebook full of ideas on how we can better serve our clients. Below, I’ve broken down my key takeaways (“intakes”) and the main topics that dominated the conversations this year. Let’s dive in!
The Real Rising Experience
While the big stage announcements were mind-blowing, the real magic for me happened on the expo floor and in the breakout sessions. Going to Rising isn’t just about passive listening; it’s a full-contact sport.
There is nothing quite like being in the room where it happens. I spent a lot of time just talking to people, understanding exactly where current Customers are struggling and digging into why new Prospects are evaluating Workday right now. Seeing how other Partners are engaging with these new features gave me a huge boost of inspiration. It’s a reminder that we are all part of a massive, moving engine of innovation.
One of the biggest perks was early access. We didn’t just hear about the new products; we got to test the capabilities firsthand. Learning the recommended best practices directly from Workday’s product teams is invaluable. It means we aren’t just guessing; we’re bringing back certified, straight-from-the-source strategies to our clients.
SuccessDay at Rising
I’m also incredibly proud that SuccessDay wasn’t just there to watch; we were there also to lead. We had the privilege of hosting a session that went deep into the unsexy but critical side of HR tech: Pre-Implementation, Implementation and Post-Implementation Key Tasks.
We decided to focus on this because, let’s be honest, innovation is great, but it falls flat if the foundation isn’t solid. We walked attendees through the hidden pain points, identifying the small cracks in a project that turn into massive craters later on, and the specific must-dos before and after go-live that most teams overlook. We also shared how we apply our own methodology to ensure newly implemented customers don’t just survive the transition, but thrive in the future.
After the Innovation Keynote
After I stepped out of the Innovation Keynote at Workday Rising, I was surprised, and wow, if you thought HR and Finance tech was slowing down, think again. The theme this year was “Illuminate Your Workday,” and they really took that literally.
The Big Direction: People, Money and Agents
If I had to sum up Workday’s new direction in one sentence, it’s this: Workday is no longer just managing People and Money; it’s now managing People, Money, and Agents.
CEO Carl Eschenbach made it clear that Workday is pivoting to become an open enterprise AI platform. They are moving away from the walled garden ERP approach. The goal is to be the new front door to work, a single place where humans and AI agents collaborate, connected to all your other business apps.
Major Announcements That Stood Out
Sana: The New Front Door to Work
This was probably the biggest reveal. Workday has acquired Sana, an AI-powered knowledge and learning platform. The vibe was described as having a Leonardo da Vinci in your pocket. It’s an AI interface that searches everything, from SharePoint to Salesforce to Workday, to answer questions and take actions.
The demo showed an agent instantly find a policy, approve time off and draft an expense report in seconds, all from a simple chat prompt. It’s making AI the new UI.
PipeDream: 3,000+ Connectors
Workday is getting serious about playing nice with others. They announced the acquisition of PipeDream, a low-code integration platform that gives immediate connectivity to more than 3,000 external applications.
They even showed a Workday agent triggering a message in Microsoft Teams and creating a task in Asana, without complex coding.
EU Sovereign Cloud
For my fellow Europeans, this got a huge round of applause. Starting early next year, Workday is launching a dedicated EU Sovereign Cloud. It ensures all data stays resident in the EU and is operated by EU personnel, which is huge for compliance and data privacy peace of mind.
Global Payroll with Remote
This is a game-changer for mid-sized companies expanding internationally. Workday launched a managed payroll service covering 75 countries. It’s a partnership with Remote that allows you to hire and pay people globally without setting up local entities.
Workday Build and Data Cloud
They are opening up the platform for developers. Workday Build includes tools like a Developer Copilot to help write code faster. The Workday Data Cloud now allows zero-copy access to data, partnering with giants like Google BigQuery, Salesforce, and Snowflake.
What Felt Exciting
Good news for budgets: Workday announced Flex Credits, a freemium model for AI that gives customers a base allowance included in their subscription. You don’t have to sign a massive new contract just to try out the new AI features.
The agentic workflow demos were also impressive. The Flowwize agent builder showed how you can drag and drop your way to a custom agent that monitors goals, checks budgets and issues spot bonuses automatically. It finally felt like the promise of automation was becoming real.
Final Thoughts
For us at SuccessDay, the real value of Rising wasn’t just in watching the keynotes; it was in the connections we made on the ground. Being here gave us the chance to see exactly where customers are struggling and understand why prospects are looking to Workday right now.
We didn’t just hear about the new features; we got to early-test them and learn Workday’s best practices firsthand. That’s exactly why we hosted our session on Pre and Post-Implementation Key Tasks. While the AI announcements are flashy, we know that success is built on the details.
We spent our time discussing the critical pain points that, if ignored, can turn into huge issues down the road for newly implemented customers. We are leaving with more than just excitement; we’re leaving with a clear vision of how to give these innovative products our touch, ensuring our clients don’t just buy the future, but are actually ready to implement it.
See you next year!
