Why choose the cloud for HR Software in 2015?
As an HR professional you may not have been involved in the procurement of software in the past – this would have been the domain of IT, as any software would need to be supported by them and be able to 'talk' to their legacy infrastructure. However, the term 'cloud' is disrupting technology so you probably want to know the answer to the question "Why choose cloud based HR Software?" as it could well bring value to your business.
In a recent CIPD podcast Arnab Banerjee, an HR Transformation and Technology expert explains how attractive cloud based HR software should be to HR professionals in 2015. She explains that in Canada and the US organisations have moved almost exclusively to the cloud for these sort of activities.
Why is this and what are the benefits of cloud based HR Software?
- Ease of use and flexibility – Employees can access applications on the move via the web and the managers can respond virtually, this echos how people want to work nowadays.
- No need to spend millions on intrastructure, you simply rent the cloud application which means it is an operational investment rather than a capital investment on the balance sheet which can be switched on and off as required.
- Speed of set up and configuration – because this is a hosted technology that is accessed independently via the web it can be set up and configured quickly and simply without lengthy integration.
- No maintenance costs – we hear about legacy technology which sits in many organisations and is out of date. The cost of updating or maintaining it is huge. With cloud based HR software it is the responsibility of the software provider to offer the most up to date version of the software as part of the package.
- Support provided via the provider – no additional pressure on your IT department because the software is independent and support is provided directly.
- Security – Most UK providers of cloud based HR software use specialist hosting providers in the UK who have security and back up procedures that are far more secure than any internally hosted software. Data is not housed on laptops which can be left on trains it is securely backed up and accessed on demand via the web.
- Real time data – the ability to access your HR data in real time means you can add far greater value as an HR professional as this allows you to be more proactive within your organisation. Compared to paper based processes, this can be life changing!
It seems that cloud based HR software is here to stay, there are certainly many advantages that you can bring to your organisation by considering it and the investment decision is a drop in the ocean compared to the huge capitial infrastructure spends of the past within IT. It offers a flexible and responsive solution to your HR requirements and will allow you as an HR practioner to stop shuffling paper and focus on doing what you do best!
