A new resource from the global HR research and advisory firm provides a structured approach for determining when to build, buy, borrow, or automate talent to address workforce gaps with greater discipline, agility, and alignment to business strategy.

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As AI accelerates change, skills gaps widen, and workforce demographics shift, traditional workforce models are becoming less effective at helping organizations meet evolving talent needs. To help HR leaders move beyond reactive hiring and make more strategic workforce decisions, global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company has published Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact, a blueprint designed to help organizations determine when to build, buy, borrow, or automate talent to close gaps and support long-term business priorities.

“The right workforce mix does not happen by accident,” says Lexi Hambides, director, HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company. “The goal is not simply to fill a role quickly. It is to choose the approach that best fits the work, the available resources, and the organization’s tolerance for risk while building the capabilities it will need next. When organizations make these decisions deliberately, they are better positioned to respond to today’s workforce pressures without compromising future readiness.”

Organizations are often pushed into short-term workforce decisions by urgent role needs, competitive labor markets, and increasing opportunities for automation. McLean & Company advises HR leaders to consider a broader range of workforce options through a structured approach that balances cost, speed, risk, sustainability, and long-term workforce capability.

The Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact blueprint outlines McLean & Company’s recommended three-step process for optimizing workforce mix decisions:

Uncover workforce needs and identify talent gaps: HR leaders confirm available resources, define the driving need, and set the scope of work. They also identify key players, assess workforce needs, compare talent demand and supply, and select metrics to monitor outcomes.
 Evaluate workforce mix options: HR leaders review build, buy, borrow, and automate options through a structured lens. This includes assessing role criticality, urgency, time horizon, required resources, and potential risks before confirming the recommended workforce mix.
 Implement the workforce mix decision: Organizations align selected approaches across departments and key players. They then create an implementation roadmap, prepare managers and employees for change, and adjust the workforce mix as conditions evolve.

McLean & Company’s research also highlights that workforce mix decisions are not standalone actions. Each choice can affect HR programs, processes, systems, and employee experience, from learning and development and internal mobility to talent acquisition, onboarding, knowledge transfer, job redesign, digital skill building, and change management.

The firm emphasizes the value of a hybrid approach, helping organizations balance immediate workforce demands with longer-term capability needs. Rather than relying on a single default solution, HR leaders can assess build, buy, borrow, and automate options based on role-specific factors, talent availability, operational priorities, resources, and risk.

To access the full blueprint, please visit McLean & Company’s Optimize the Workforce Mix for Strategic Impact page or contact Senior Communications Manager Kelsey King at kking@mcleanco.com.

To explore related support for advancing workforce planning initiatives, including McLean & Company’s facilitated workshops and practical HR resources, visit the firm’s workshops page.

Media seeking research-backed insights or commentary from McLean & Company experts on strategic workforce planning, workforce mix optimization, AI and automation in workforce planning, or change management can contact kking@mcleanco.com.

About McLean & Company
McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research, practical tools, and deep HR expertise to help organizations meet today’s needs and prepare for the future. Members receive diagnostics, workshops, action plans, advisory services, and resources for HR professionals at every level.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software, and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm’s Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact pr@mcleanco.com.

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SOURCE McLean & Company

Built on the redesigned Finys Platform, the latest version of the Finys Suite connects data, products, rates, rules, and workflows to support AI across insurance operations

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Finys, a provider of core insurance software and services for U.S. property and casualty carriers, today unveiled the latest version of its flagship Finys Suite at InsureTech Connect (ITC) Vegas. The release brings policy, billing, and claims functionality onto the redesigned Finys Platform and introduces an updated user experience, embedded CRM, a restructured data model, and expanded configuration capabilities.

Property and casualty carriers are using AI across underwriting, service, claims, and other areas of the business. The results AI can produce are dependent on the core environment beneath it, including the data it can access, the business rules it can interpret, and the workflows in which its outputs can be used. Finys developed the latest version of the Suite around that operating reality.

“AI can only be as effective as the core environment supporting it,” said Kurt Diederich, CEO of Finys. “That is why we rebuilt the Finys Suite. We connected the data, products, rates, rules, and workflows AI needs to produce meaningful results across the business.”

The latest Finys Suite includes:

A redesigned technology foundation. The Finys Platform has been rebuilt to improve performance, scalability, resilience, and integration flexibility as the Suite evolves.An updated day-to-day experience. Updated landing and home experiences, clearer navigation, and streamlined workflows reduce friction for users.More connected customer and operational data. An embedded Finys CRM provides a customer-centric view of contacts and interactions, while a restructured data model is designed to make information easier to access and improve performance for carriers with complex operations.Greater configuration control. Finys Design Studio gives carrier subject matter experts a low-code environment to configure products, screens, rules, and forms.AI assistants across the Finys Suite that answer questions, provide conversational insights, and provide configuration assistance based on where the user is working.

The release extends beyond an interface update. It carries forward the proven insurance functionality carriers rely on while changing the foundation beneath it, creating greater flexibility to improve workflows, connect services, and introduce new capabilities without starting over.

About Finys
Finys provides core insurance software and services for U.S. property and casualty carriers. Its flagship product, the Finys Suite, supports the full policy lifecycle across policy, billing, and claims and includes portals, CRM, document management, data, intelligence, and configuration capabilities. For more than 25 years, Finys has combined technology built for insurance with a partnership-driven approach. For more information, visit finys.com or Booth 1339 throughout ITC Vegas, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2026.

Media Contact:
Beth Bartlick
Senior Director of Marketing
Finys, LLC
860-212-5799
bbartlick@finys.com 

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SOURCE Finys, LLC

Company recognized among the world’s top employers for the fifth consecutive year

TEANECK, N.J., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) today announced it has been named one of the World’s Best Employers 2026 by Forbes for the fifth consecutive year. Presented in collaboration with Statista, the ranking recognizes organizations setting the global standard for workplace excellence.

The World’s Best Employers were identified through an independent survey that measures employee recommendations, feedback and peer evaluations from more than 300,000 employees across 50 countries.

“Cognizant is proud to be named among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers for the fifth consecutive year,” said Kathy Diaz, Chief People Officer, Cognizant. “Maintaining this recognition while at the forefront of the rapidly changing AI era reflects our focus on supporting our global workforce and staying true to our values as we evolve for the future.”

This recognition adds to Cognizant’s growing list of employer-related accolades, including being named to TIME World’s Best Companies 2026 list, and being certified as a Great Place to Work® in 30 countries. Reflecting its continued evolution as an employer, Cognizant recently introduced Frontier Certified Engineer and Frontier Business Operator roles, purpose-built for the AI era and designed to help shape the next generation of AI-powered work.

Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, business-relevant data and various market and consumer studies and surveys.

To view the full World’s Best Employers 2026 list, visit Forbes’ website.

About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is an AI builder and technology services provider, building the bridge between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization’s unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, realize tangible returns and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at www.cognizant.ai or @cognizant.

For more information, contact:

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SOURCE Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation