The last decade has seen HR technology make a complete u-turn. Legacy HR software that is hosted on-premise and manually updated by clients has become a distant memory, in favour of HR SaaS systems. There’s a reason why the global SaaS HR software market has been estimated at over £11.5bn (Marketwatch.com, 2019).
What is HR SaaS software?
HR Software-as-a-Service (or SaaS) is software that users access online via the Internet. Also known as cloud HR software, these solutions mean users don’t need to physically install anything on their computers. Nor is there any need for wildly expensive on-premise infrastructure to host the software. As a result, the software can be accessed remotely, 24/7 from any web-enabled device.
But despite the huge uptick in the usage of cloud SaaS HR systems, some businesses are still hesitant to move away from their archaic software to a new era of 100% cloud HR software. So, why should you be using a cloud-based HR SaaS system?
5 Advantages of using HR SaaS software
Here are the five main reasons why every organisation should switch over to cloud-based HR software:
HR SaaS solutions cost less
HR SaaS software does what it says on the tin. It’s delivered entirely as a service. With no hefty upfront costs or infrastructure to buy and maintain, cloud HR systems are incredibly affordable in comparison to an on-premise installation.
One of the most significant advantages of cloud-based HR software is that implementing it is a lot simpler. This means that your IT team can concentrate on more pressing tasks rather than updating and maintaining an in-house system.
SaaS HR software updates are automatic
The beauty of HR SaaS software is that any updates or maintenance will be taken care of by your provider at no cost to you. As such, you can rest assured that you are always using the very latest version of the software. Often, these updates are conveniently carried out outside of business hours with little impact on your operation. You don’t have to lift a finger!
HR SaaS negates the need for any manual software updates and will remove any discrepancies in the versions your employees are using. You and your users can simply log-in to your already updated HR software.
HR SaaS software offers familiarity for your users
Take a look at the types of software already in use in your business. Slack, HubSpot, Google, Dropbox, Salesforce and DocuSign are some of the biggest SaaS companies in the B2B arena.
What’s more, we all use SaaS in our personal lives too. The likes of Netflix, Spotify and Google are just some of the SaaS platforms we use every day.
Chances are, you’re already using some kind of SaaS in your business and your employees are using them at home.
The proliferation of SaaS solutions in both our professional and personal lives means most of your employees won’t have any issues using a SaaS HR system. Most are already familiar with the SaaS experience: logging in through a browser, on any device, from anywhere.
Which brings us onto our next reason why you should be using SaaS in HR. Its flexibility.
HR SaaS systems are flexible
SaaS is a flexible way of deploying software, and your users are free to choose which device they access software on. Whether on desktop, mobile or tablet, SaaS HR software is accessible wherever, whenever.
From logging expenses on the fly to conducting performance reviews online, your employees can do all of this no matter where they find themselves – all they need is an internet connection.
The typical pay-as-you-grow model not only makes the costs of the solution more predictable, but many SaaS solutions provide the ability to modify the number of users with ease. Changing your usage plan is simple, and your HR software can scale as your business grows.
HR SaaS systems are super secure
The very nature of HR SaaS systems means that high-grade security is top of any good provider’s priority list. The sensitive and confidential nature of data that HR vendors process and store is naturally a concern for customers. Therefore, HR systems often provide more robust data security and have backup processes in place than the typical growing business would.
Good SaaS HR system providers have ISO 27001 accreditation and will support your compliance efforts. ISO 27001-accredited businesses have had their commitment to security and compliance rigorously and independently, verified. And the software itself will have robust settings that allow you to control privacy between employees, managers and departments.