Take Your HR Practice To The Cloud In Five Easy Steps

Upscale your HR and People processes by migrating them to the cloud.

Cloud-based HR management solutions deliver self-service capabilities so that staff can handle basic tasks and HR Professionals can focus on strategic responsibilities.

HR management software provides a single, secure place where HR can keep tabs on participation, attendance and training information. In addition, the right HR tools will provide data-driven capabilities and reports so that management and HR can get a more holistic sense of the HR function. This empowers HR to adapt processes as and when needed. Similarly, cloud-based HR software simplifies managing and tracking staff development and identifying opportunities to upskill teams.

HR Professionals can now transform their organisations’ HR and payroll with powerful HR, payroll and self-service solutions, designed to increase an organisation’s productivity, drive growth, empower people and scale according to the business’s needs.

With self-service functionality, employees can do everything from applying for leave to viewing payslips without having to reach out to HR.

Cloud-based all-in-one solutions designed to support existing and future HR and payroll processes offer a range of tools to manage the entire employee journey, providing complete visibility of remote teams.

Cloud vs on-premise

Cloud HR and on-premise HR systems differ in the way they’re implemented. While on-premise systems are installed and maintained on a company’s hard drives, cloud software solutions can be accessed via any web browser.

Your cloud HR provider will then manage access to the application, provide regular updates, and performance, maintenance and security upgrades. Historic HR functions are therefore being turned on their heads, setting HR teams free from time-consuming admin, so they can focus more on the people.

Such cloud systems enable HR Professionals to offer employees enhanced workforce experiences. They’re secure, they’re flexible and they can be deployed anywhere in the world, on the go and on-demand. Reports can be generated in an instant and the likelihood of human error is greatly reduced.

Where to start

Making the jump into the cloud is a lot easier than one would imagine.

Regardless of the cloud-based solution you opt for, you need to follow certain key steps to make a successful transition.

According to IBM, there are five necessary steps HR Professionals need to follow to migrate to the cloud.

1. Clarify your cloud strategy

This first step involves identifying the KPIs you want to achieve by moving to the cloud. This will help you determine how successful your migration has been.

Here are a few KPIs to consider:

Can you store data without needing a physical server on site?
How secure is your People data from a cyber-attack?
Can you upload and download, access and change employee data quickly?
Will employees be able to easily access, edit and delete their own data?
How compliant is your cloud storage system in terms of GDPR?

In this first stage, it’s advisable to appoint someone to oversee the project and give them responsibility for signing off each stage as it is completed.

Small companies could assign this task to the HR and People Leader while large organizations may wish to appoint a technology specialist like the Chief Technology Officer.

2. Identify what’s needed to migrate

On-premise HR applications and processes are not always easily migrated to the cloud. And not all of them need to be shifted. It’s therefore important to identify in advance which systems you want to move and which you don’t.

Put your business and HR minds to work to collectively consider the following questions: What is the reason you are migrating your HR service to the cloud? What cloud HR solutions are available? How will you manage HR processes and services in the cloud?

Answer these questions by completing an analysis of your current HR systems and applications. This will clarify what you need to migrate.

3. Draw up a data migration roadmap

This is the most important stage in the planning process. A well-planned roadmap will ensure you achieve key milestones and avoid foreseeable obstacles during the migration process.

Consider every dataset from this point of view in terms of what needs to be moved, what needs to be changed, what needs to be left the same, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to determine success.

4. Decide on a cloud provider

When you have decided what you must migrate, you must choose a provider.

You want to choose a provider that has extensive experience managing cloud migrations for companies similar in size to yours. It would be an advantage if they have experience migrating data for HR departments. Request case studies and enquire as to the number of projects they have managed thus far.

Also ensure they:

are in a position to provide good support during the migration process;
can simplify and explain any complexities and give you reasonable control as the project progresses;
provide tools to make things easier; and
have expertise in the system from which you’re migrating.

5. Getting started!

Now, to get started with the project. Stick carefully to your strategy in stage one and check the items as you complete them.

Make sure to test each application after it’s migrated to the cloud before redirecting your on-premise traffic.

Now is a good time to implement a communications strategy that helps employees become comfortable with the new system. Because different departments will have different needs, a customised strategy will maximise the benefits for each department.

Follow these dos and don’ts when migrating to cloud

DO

Increase functionality over a period of time.

Doing too much too quickly increases risk and affects adoption. Deploying in phases allows for quick wins and a smooth journey for all.

Prepare the organization.

Get your communications plan in place upfront. HR software pilots are measured by their adoption. Never underestimate the power of proactive communication.

Know who your stakeholders are.

As you plan for the new HR technology, identify the teams for the selection process, the implementation phase and for deployment as employees will have different roles. You will avoid complications and confusion by identifying these early in the process.

Know what data you have.

Before engaging with providers, assess your data so you have a clear idea of what you do and don’t have, how clean the data is, and what you require it for.

DON’T

Don’t rush your pilot.

Allocate sufficient time to the team to ensure success. You have made a sizeable investment and your internal project team needs sufficient time to set requirements and undertake testing.

Don’t start your pilot before clarifying roles and responsibilities.

Use everyone for their strengths, and ensure they all understand what they’re required to do.

Don’t restrict your imagination.

Let the technology inspire new processes and ways of working.