Scytl, the worldwide leader in secure online voting and election modernization, has announced today the acquisition of 100% of Akira Systems (Akira), a leading provider of workforce management solutions based in London (Ontario).
With this acquisition, Scytl complements its end-to-end election management platform with a leading workforce management solution especially designed to address all the human resource aspects of election processes. Akira’s software lab and customer support center in London (Ontario) will become Scytl’s excellence center for HR solutions, providing support to customers and partners in Canada and worldwide.
“Electoral bodies around the world are faced with the extremely complex task of identifying, hiring, training, managing and compensating often thousands or even hundreds of thousands of election staff,” says Pere Valles, CEO of Scytl. “The acquisition of Akira will allow us to better address our customers’ needs in this field with a proven best-in-class solution”.
Akira’s solution can be offered under the traditional software enterprise model or under a SaaS model (Software as a Service) and combines the power of Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Workforce Management, and Enterprise Social Collaboration platforms into one versatile and multi-device solution that can be leveraged by electoral organizations of all sizes resulting in cost savings and operational efficiencies.
“There is huge joint potential for Scytl ́s e-Election Platform and Akira’s Wavelength platform in the electoral world. Together we can help election officials and poll workers standardize workflow and communications, enhancing collaboration and efficiencies between poll workers, electoral supervisors and administrators. Our existing customers across all verticals will not only continue to receive the superb quality of service they are accustomed to, but they will be able to leverage the expanded product portfolio that we will be able to offer,” concludes Ashraf Ghadban, CEO of Akira.
The acquisition of Akira Systems represents the sixth acquisition carried out by Scytl since 2012. Previous acquisitions include OAK Soluçoes, a Brazil-based online voting and digital certification leader, Maxim Consulting, a US-based voter registration software company, the software division of the Belgian organization Gov2U that extends Scytl ́s eDemocracy solution, the Greek company PressVote, leader in election modernization solutions for parliaments and assemblies, and SOE Software, a US-based provider of election management solutions.
