We have already seen a steady adoption and migration to Cloud Solutions for the last 5 years as organisations seek to become more agile and less reliant on their own IT infrastructure. However, the radical change in working brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the adoption of Cloud solutions as organisations rush to adapt to a New World of Work.
Even before the outbreak, there were many benefits of Cloud based solutions which are worth exploring in detail;
WHY CLOUD?
Cloud based solutions are typically quicker to implement as they require no software to be installed, reliance upon internal IT or procurement of additional servers. Typically, this means that an organisation will achieve a faster ROI (Return On Investment) whilst reducing the cost of ownership. Further still SaaS Cloud solutions are an operating cost (rather than CAPEX which is the case with on-premise solutions), enabling organisations to conserve their cash and align the costs to the benefits obtained. SaaS Cloud solutions often 'payback as they go' out of the benefits they derive meaning the monthly cost is actually zero as a net effect to the company.
Cloud solutions are easier to support as suppliers can resolve queries quicker without the need to attend site. With automatic updates, the organisation also benefits from the latest security and feature updates ensuring the solution is always secure and feature full.
Most suppliers offer "Up-time" levels (the time that solution is available for users) that far surpasses that which could be provided by internal support. This is because they leverage £100m hosting facilities with highly redundant systems and failover which ensures the solution is running 247. This reduces -- and almost eliminates -- downtime that hitherto could impact on staff productivity.
However, perhaps one of the biggest benefits of Cloud solutions is the agility that they provide their host organisations and staff. Because the solution is provided via the cloud and not on installed at your office, it provides flexibility for organisations to move or bring online additional offices without the additional headache of IT. It also enables staff who are working from home/remotely with the ability to access the solution anywhere levelling-up the access to essential tools wherever staff are based.
SUPPORTING THE TRANSITION TO HOME WORKING
All these are compelling arguments in the best of times, but during "Coronatimes" moving to the cloud is not simply beneficial but now essential. Those organisations that invested in Cloud solutions have found the imposed "home working" to be relatively seamless with staff able to access the same applications from home as they would at work. Contrast this with organisations who retain legacy systems and are frantically trying to find "work-arounds" or simply making do without the key systems that hitherto were fundamental to employee productivity in the workplace.
However, this approach is short-sighted. It assumes that within a few weeks, maybe a few months things will return to normal. This is flawed on two counts, firstly some form of lock-down and home-working is likely to be mandated for perhaps up to 6 months according to the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. But more importantly it assumes that everything will eventually return to normal.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER CORONAVIRUS
The onset of Coronavirus is not just an "unprecedented" event but one that will define society and the world of work long after its health and economic impacts have receded. Whilst BC (Before Coronavirus) and AC (After Coronavirus) have just started to enter our lexicon, we can expect these terms will be used to describe the many changes that are being made due to Coronavirus and will continue to persist particularly in how we conduct business and work together.
Before Coronavirus I was not a fan of home-working, but our cloud-based solutions have made the transition seamless and the fears that this would impact communications, culture and management have so far proved groundless. In fact, communication and productivity has actually improved and our cloud solutions have brought people closer together. We use our own cloud-based Time and Attendance tools so that colleagues can log their time and share their availability, and this has not just resulted in home working but also flexible working.
As the many of us move to Home and Flexible working and discover that with the right cloud-based tools this not only brings benefits to colleagues but also to the organisation we can expect that for many it will continue long after Coronavirus.
So, organisations, should not be looking for short-term fixes or work-a-rounds but actively preparing for the New World of Work, by investing solutions that are cloud based and accessible and, enhancing their support for remote/home working by implementing Scheduling and Time & Attendance to ensure that management, communication is not only maintained but enhanced and improved.
To find out more about HFX and our solutions please call 03333 44 7872, email [email protected] or visit http://www.hfx.co.uk