By
Ruelha Mascarenhas
From tossing away floppy disks into the deep abyss of electronic trash, never to be resuscitated, we moved on to CDs. Thereafter, storage and memory further evolved as we paved the way for pen drives and external hard drives until we finally realized it's a lot easier to have your stuff accessible from everywhere without having to cart it along physically. Travel light, travel easy; and still carry all your work and history. How you ask! Well, just put it in a cloud!
As a result, HR solution providers have been combining cloud-based HR services and enterprise software for an enhanced service experience. So, instead of storing files and data physically on your laptop or traveling along with multiple devices, cloud storage enables you to save and, more importantly, access your information from a remote database. There are a host of benefits to incorporating these within your workflows, the most crucial being flexibility. So, as long as you have a web-enabled device with an internet connection, you can work remotely from your home, a café, or even a different time zone and still have everything you require at the click of a button.
One cannot restrict cloud computing to a single segment of technology. It is a multi-functional, complex web that somehow seamlessly simplifies applications. These can be classified as under:
1. Software as a Service (SaaS)
Licensed use of the software is provided as a pay-per-tenure or on-demand in this type of model. The service provider maintains the associated hardware, infrastructure, tech support, hosting platform, and other variables, making it extremely easy to manage with a meager investment compared to developing and maintaining an in-house system.
2. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS is an excellent option for businesses that are averse to purchasing software but wish to outsource on-demand functions. In simpler terms, instead of owning the infrastructure, you can rent all the equipment required to run your applications. In this case, you do not own rights to the hardware or OS but have greater control to develop and manage your own applications. Needless to say, you need a tech-savvy team capable of handling such tasks.
3. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
There is a fine line differentiating SaaS and PaaS. Instead of delivering ready applications as in SaaS, with PaaS cloud computing models, businesses can merely purchase a platform that forms the blueprint for creating applications that can be transmitted and used online. The fundamental essence and software are hosted and managed by the service provider while you can focus solely on your specific use cases and scale in concurrence with your needs.
4. Business Process as a Service (BPaaS)
When you outsource a business process based on a cloud service type model, you engage a BPaaS model, a technology-driven form of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). It may be interconnected to and based on a combination of the above-listed models. For instance, HR consultancy, payroll processing, compensation management, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), onboarding process, staff training, employee learning and development (L&D), employee benefits, job evaluation functions when provided by internet-enabled service portals are all excellent examples of HR outsourcing services performed through BPaaS.
Now that you understand the basics of cloud computing, let’s figure out its relevance to your business and how you can benefit from cloud services as we walk you from 1 to Cloud Number 9:
Also Read: Pre-screening Strategies – Simple Recruiting Tips that Will Help You Filter & Pick the Best People
1. Maximize functional flexibility
In today's work environment, being location agnostic is highly preferable. Cloud computing service providers offer you precisely that privilege in abundance. You may not have realized it but checking and responding to your emails while on the go is a technological marvel facilitated by cloud computing. Can you imagine harnessing similar technology to ensure HR functions such as global payroll processing ensures your employees are always remunerated on time, every time?
2. Backup and Recovery for Redundancies
In the event of a natural calamity, you risk losing precious documents stored in physical form or even those in local desktops and similar hardware. But, if you secure your files in a cloud, recovery is easy even in case of a disaster. All you need is internet access. Your office could burn to the ground, get flooded, or be ripped apart by a quake. But, your documents will still remain safe as long as you team up with a reliable cloud computing service provider.
3. Saves valuable time
You can dramatically reduce your TATs spent in retrieving files from physical storage. With cloud computing services, authorized employees can easily access their work files from anywhere. This paves the way for swifter workflows, significantly noticeable when time differences and access to administrative staff and their respective working hour limitations may hamper productivity.
4. Reduces Cost-to-Company
When you team up with an HR consultancy service provider that integrates an enterprise cloud computing solution as part of their HR consultancy services, you automatically cut down on costs incurred from maintaining an in-house HR team and facility. When you use technology to automate specific HR processes such as employee leave management, employee L&D, candidate sourcing, shortlisting, screening, tracking, background verification, acquisition, interview scheduling, coordinating, assessments, offer letter management, onboarding, exit formalities, payroll processing, employee benefits management, attendance, employee separation, provident fund coordination, and many other HR specific roles, you avail all of these services at a fraction of the cost as compared to maintaining your own HR team. You can disburse the budget saved therein towards core functions and hire quality talent for prime operations instead.
5. Enhances Compliance
When you engage the services of an HR consultancy with cloud computing-backed systems, you can define your HR framework in a manner that the design ensures compliance as per the limitations set by you. In addition, an intelligent system has the capacity to recognize exceedances and thereby disapprove them, allowing you to streamline your HR tasks. Similarly, when you revise existing processes, an HR service provider using BPaaS has the added advantage of instantly updating all information and functions simultaneously across all locations by the effective date and time as provided and set by you.
6. Reduces excessive Headcount
Instead of dedicating time towards HR functions, your skilled employees can focus on their core functions. You can allocate roles more appropriately by eliminating the need for excessive staff while a dedicated HR service provider encompassing all HR functions available as a cloud model performs the mundane administrative HR tasks.
7. Become Environment Friendly
Some HR enterprise solutions integrate cloud computing not only for recruitment, payroll, leave management, and employee lifecycle management processes but also upsell additional features pertaining to employee L&D (learning and development) and electronic signature solutions, completely revolutionizing the documentation process. Incorporating such technology-backed, paperless HR services puts your company in the green circle. Being recognized as an environmentally conscious company with sustainable workflows allows you to conduct business with like-minded organizations that prioritize conservation. And, of course, you'll never be scrambling to locate missing paperwork.
8. Promotes Teamwork
Imagine the convenience and flexibility provided by files that can be accessed and altered by every authorized team member. Cloud applications allow users to create, edit, share, and save work. So, employees can put their heads together and collaborate simultaneously from diverse or multiple locations. Hence, your document does not have to go back and forth across desks seeking inputs, approval, or verification.
9. Increased Efficiency
With cloud technology providing accurate analytics, HR personnel can access insights that decision-makers can strategically use for better output functionality. For example, you can develop precise, situational-appropriate solutions if your HR service provider alerts you of alarming attrition rates within a particular department since the tenure of specific management personnel. Leave the guesswork out of professional tasks and watch your business improve in performance and productivity.
Running a business requires extensive multitasking. So why overcomplicate it when you have technology available to streamline functions! Neither you nor your HR team deserves to be overwhelmed with tedious workflows. With Exela HR Solutions, you have the power to cut right through the complexity reducing it to manageable bits that only a superior HR service provider backed by cutting-edge cloud computing servers enable. At Exela, we believe in reducing your staff's workload by striking off the mundane and administrative tasks from their lists, leaving them ample time to focus on core competencies.
It is essential to maintain your competitive edge with powerful insights backed by robust and reliable data analytics from industry experts who balance the use of technological precision in HR processes. With decades of experience in the BPaaS space, Exela provides customized end-to-end HR solutions to help your business succeed and scale to desired heights. Exela employs user-friendly, technology-driven HR strategies designed to accelerate growth, thereby transforming employee potential into measurable productivity through cloud computing HR services.
One cloud to sync them all!
Up here in the virtual cloud, you gain access to several related HR applications and tools to streamline multiple functions with real-time updates. It’s time to leverage the power of the cloud! Find out more about what Exela HR Solutions can do for your business today!
DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for general information purposes only and is not intended to serve as legal advice. Laws governing the subject matter may change quickly, and Exela cannot guarantee that all the information on this site is current or correct. Should you have specific legal questions about any of the information on this site, you should consult with a licensed attorney in your area.