News

HRIS Trends for 2021: The Future of HR Management

Posted in: AI, compliance, dashboard, Enterprise Apps, enterprise resource planning, ERP, HCM, HR apps, HRIS, HRMS, human resources, human resources management, IT Management, News & Trends, UX/UI - Jul 01, 2021

HR management has grown increasingly complex over the years, especially with growing remote work and globalization trends in the workforce. When your employees all work in different departments, specializations, and locations, the right HR software makes all the difference in organizing and delivering the best user experience to your employees. The drive for HR quality explains why companies’ expectations of human resource information systems (HRIS) continue to grow and change.

A traditional HRIS system focuses on managing all of the backend administrative tasks, policies, and checklists for your organization’s employees. These features can include anything from recruiting and training to benefits and compensation to performance management. But with a changing workforce and growing technological capabilities, HRIS software is evolving into a more all-encompassing workforce tool. Four particular HRIS trends stand out in 2021, paving the way for the future of HR management.

More on Remote Work Trends: The Post-COVID Future of IT Remote Work

HR Management Trends in the HRIS

• Adding AI to the Hiring Pipeline
• Creating User-Friendly, User-Facing Dashboards
• Automating Compliance Features
• Integrating or Moving Beyond the HRIS

Adding AI to the Hiring Pipeline

Artificial intelligence is ramping up and automating many of the most mundane and repetitive tasks across enterprise software architecture. HRIS software platforms are among those continually growing their AI capabilities, particularly in keeping the hiring pipeline filled and flowing efficiently. Some HRIS AI features that are starting to benefit recruiting and HR staff, as well as applicants, include:

• AI readers that merge text from candidate resumes into applications and background check submissions to eliminate frustrating, repetitive data entry. Many of these same readers also provide sorting and scoring metrics to help recruiters find the most promising applicants first.
• AI-powered candidate matching criteria for the hiring team to review.
• Chatbots and automated checklists for existing staff and new hires to get the answers they need related to benefits and company policies.
• Technology deployment checklists launched for each new hire and automatically run by an in-system assistant. This trend is especially important with a growing number of remote and international employees who require equipment deployment from a distance.

Transforming Your Tech Approach: What Does Digital Transformation Mean for IT?

Creating User-Friendly, User-Facing Dashboards

Employees are spending less time reading employee handbooks and sitting in mandatory onboarding sessions. Instead, onboarding is assigned, administered, and tracked inside the actual HRIS system. A trend that shows no signs of slowing down is the focus on creating dashboards that make navigation easier for all users, regardless of their role with the company. Traditional HRIS software prioritizes fancy design and a large number of HR modules, but with a growing focus on the UX/UI of a dashboard, HRIS platforms are moving toward a simpler, more navigable design that works on both mobile and desktop platforms.

Beyond aesthetics, the HRIS dashboard is also moving away from heavy hiring and benefits data to a stronger emphasis on the “people side” of HR. That’s not to say that users can’t easily find their benefits and payroll information in a sidebar or tab. But on the dashboard itself, employees can now keep track of coworkers’ birthdays and “workaversaries,” recognition of accomplishments, and other ways to engage. In an increasingly remote and hybrid workforce environment, this HRIS trend offers another resource for making employees feel connected to their company’s community.

Automating Compliance Features

Compliance is a top concern in all areas of a business, but especially in the area of employer-employee relations. Local, state, and national regulations require extensive documentation at all stages of a person’s employment. But these processes and checklists can become overwhelming for your HR team, especially as regulations change and the company grows.

That’s why many HRIS platforms automate compliance features, making it easier for employers and employees alike to update their information, policies, and procedures.

• Automated scheduling of compliance procedures, with alerts to appropriate administrative employees prior to deadlines for upgrades and audits.
• Automated reminders and instructions for both new hires and existing employees to correct and update their personally identifiable information (PII), as well as any requirements for background checks and contracts.
• Integrated self-service help for employees, including compliance training, FAQs, and a knowledge base platform for any HR or compliance questions.

Integrating or Moving Beyond the HRIS

HRIS systems have traditionally been siloed from other company software, owing to the presumption that employee analytics don’t affect revenue or business intelligence directly. However, many businesses are starting to recognize the fallacy in that belief, noting that data metrics such as key hires and performance of tenured staff vs. newer staff directly impact an organization’s KPIs and business intelligence for future planning. 

Knowing that employee data can inform other kinds of business data has increased the focus on easing integrations between HRIS and other business software. Take Paylocity, a major HR vendor as an example: they launched their Paylocity Integration Marketplace in 2018, and since then, they have expanded their integration options and their open sandbox capabilities for further app development. Whether it’s through an open API key, a dedicated devOps team, or a large library of pre-existing partnerships and integrations, many HRIS vendors are working to show how their portfolio will work with other business technology solutions.

Taking it a step further, many users are transitioning beyond the limitations of an HRIS platform to tools that include more payroll and business intelligence capabilities internally. These tools include human capital management (HCM), human resources management systems (HRMS), and even enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms that offer an HR management module. 

HR software continues to be an important component of business technology, but many organizations are finding that these HR management trends in HRIS software provide the only solution to wholly integrate HR data into the infrastructure of the whole company. Whether you already have an HRIS tool that you need to upgrade or you’re looking for a new solution that meets more of your organization’s growing needs, dozens of larger and smaller HR vendors should be able to speak to trends in the HRIS marketplace and how they are responding.

The post HRIS Trends for 2021: The Future of HR Management appeared first on CIO Insight.

top

Why Software That Unlocks Microbiome Data Could Be Key in the Climate Change Battle

Posted in: Business Intelligence - Jun 30, 2021

A pioneer in applying network science to biology discusses how data science, and data management in particular, are starting to generate highly useful life sciences insights.top

Six Strategies for Building Resilient Supply Chains with Multi-Domain MDM

Posted in: Master Data Management - Jun 25, 2021

Join this TDWI Webinar to learn how multi-domain MDM helps you reduce data chaos and gain faster and easier access to diverse but accurate and complete data.top

What Does Digital Transformation Mean for IT?

Posted in: business transformation, Digital Transformation, News & Trends - Jun 23, 2021

The business world has been enamored with the concept of digital transformation for some time. While the term first appeared in public use in the late ’40s, conversation about the concept skyrocketed in 2010 , promising early adopters a new era of availability, resilience, and performance. On the business side, the hope is that it will greatly enhance overall efficiency and give a substantial boost to marketing and sales efforts. But what does it mean for IT? 

The digitalization of IT has been going on for some time. Concepts like virtualization, Anything-as-a-Service, and software-defined storage/networking have digital transformation at their core – their underlying premise is to add a layer of software to simplify tasks such as provisioning, organization, and optimization of hardware and software elements. By doing so, management becomes easier, and automation can move forward. Consider how long it used to take to request, procure, deliver, and make operational new servers or endpoints. Instead of weeks or months, it can be done in days, and sometimes hours. 

More Digital Progress Needed

Yes, great strides have been made in automation and digitalization. But there is still a long way to go. Take the case of a server build, which can still take several hours.  

“It shouldn’t require a human to care and feed it and press ‘Next’ after each prompt,” said Penny Jones, an analyst at 451 Group. “We have to automate mundane tasks.” 

One technology that forwards the overall digital transformation of IT is Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM). DCIM helps IT in preventing outages, lowering maintenance, and in the extraction of data for machine learning and deep learning models to glean greater value from operational data.

DCIM Value

DCIM has gained a following in some areas of IT such as data center planning. A U.S. semiconductor manufacturer, for example, was faced with its main data centers reaching capacity. It drew up plans to add two new facilities.

Before commencing, the manufacturer used the Serverfarm InCommand managed DCIM service to review the existing state of its data center operations. Along with reviewing failover requirements and running several what-if capacity scenarios inventoried 700 cabinets and 10,000 devices to create accurate records to upload into the InCommand portal. By providing a digital record of all assets (make/model/owner, power, cable and location details), it became possible to query and search all infrastructure elements for the first time. Data center personnel could also dynamically generate rack configurations, as well as power loads and thresholds to determine the best course. 

Result: The semiconductor manufacturer changed its plans. It figured out how to extend the life of its current infrastructure via server refreshes, and the streamlining of existing operations. Doing so saved the manufacturer tens of millions in construction.

Long Transition

The digital transformation of the data center, however, will not happen overnight as it is far from a simple matter.

IT has to address a jumble of infrastructure often dating back many decades. These aging hardware and software systems have to be reconciled and integrated with modern systems, protocols, and platforms. The complexity involved may appear staggering, but the way ahead is to break it down into its key elements.

CIOs looking to show immediate return on the investment of time and resources should first identify where it makes sense to digitalize, and where acceptable ROI may be the most rapid. 

Regardless of how daunting it may seem, it is a task that probably can’t be avoided. According to a BMC Software study, 73% of IT managers and IT decision makers believe businesses that do not embrace IT automation and digital transformation will cease to exist within a decade. 

The post What Does Digital Transformation Mean for IT? appeared first on CIO Insight.

top

SAP ERP Software: S/4HANA Cloud Review for 2021

Posted in: AI, artificial intelligence, Business Intelligence, cloud platform, Cloud Virtualization, Enterprise Apps, enterprise resource planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), ERP, globalization, Innovation, IT Management, machine learning, ML, Oracle ERP, product roadmap, SAP, SAP ERP, SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA - Jun 21, 2021

SAP has long been a leader in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software space, mostly providing enterprise-level integrated solutions for administrative processes. But in more recent years, they’ve started to transition away from their traditional on-premise, data center solutions like SAP ERP 6.0 and other Business Suite 7 tools, in favor of a cloud approach with SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

Are you a current SAP customer looking to transition to the S/4HANA platform? Are you an enterprise in search of the right ERP software to support your back office operations? This review offers a closer look at the features, benefits, pricing, and other common questions about SAP’s S/4HANA Cloud ERP software.

Read More on ERP: Three Key Advances in ERP for 2021

SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Overview

• What are the Core Features of SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
• Benefits 
• Pricing
• What is the Difference Between SAP and ERP?
• Which Types of Businesses Use SAP?

What are the Core Features of SAP S/4HANA Cloud?

SAP S/4HANA was developed as a large enterprise cloud replacement for legacy systems like SAP R/3 and SAP ERP, and retains many of their strongest features. However, S/4HANA advances beyond these legacy systems in the areas of AI-powered analytics, intelligent process automation, and smoother data integration with the SAP HANA in-memory database. 

Some of the top features that S/4HANA Cloud offers its customers include the following:

• Cloud-native Design
• Integrated idea to design, procure to pay, plan to production, order to cash, offer to project, and core finance features
• Embedded AI and Machine Learning (ML)
• Advanced Analytics
• Predictive Accounting
• Intelligent Auditing
• Robotics Automation
• Image-Based Buying
• In-Memory Database
• Consumer-grade UX

Benefits 

Business Intelligence

End-to-end business scenarios, embedded intelligent automation, and dynamic resource allocation enable enterprises to quickly optimize and move toward new business models and processes.

Industry-Agnostic

SAP S/4HANA Cloud was not designed with any particular industry in mind, but rather with the scope of larger enterprises as its vision. Because it’s not particularly aligned with one industry, you can use the tool at its generic foundation or add on one of over 20 industry-specific solutions to your implementation.

Unified Data and Analytics Source

As a rule, ERP platforms unify your software and data sources into a single space, but some platforms complicate that process through a large number of external integrations. With S4/HANA, you’ll be working with analytics and data insights directly from the SAP HANA in-memory database, which makes predictive analytics and competitor analysis that much simpler because those key functions will run from a consistent, internal data set.

Globalization and Localization

One of SAP’s greatest strengths is its focus on globalization and its already significant global presence. The company’s existing global customer support network covers 34 languages and 64 countries, as well as several financial and linguistic localization features. So regardless of where your business is headquartered or where your employees are located, they’ll be able to work with an SAP team that understands their language as well as local regulations and requirements for business technology. 

(Data Source: IDC MarketScape 2020 Report)

Familiarity of SAP Software

SAP is a diverse family of business technology, with an ERP market share of approximately 6.8%. Many users are also already familiar with their tools for supply chain, procurement, database management, and HCM. With so many users already experienced in the SAP approach to business software, transitioning to SAP S/4HANA becomes an easy move for many enterprises that know how to use their other tools.

Visionary Product Planning

SAP is known for its forward-thinking approach to ERP and other business technology. Every few years, they release a new product roadmap, detailing what they expect to improve on and add to their existing tools. Most significantly, they release these roadmaps and reports to their existing customers ahead of the more widespread information release, which gives customers a transparent glimpse into how their tools will function and adjust to changing business needs in the future.

Read a Customer Review of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Here 

Pricing

SAP S/4HANA’s pricing model is not incredibly transparent unless you speak to their team about custom pricing. Their packages come in two different models: subscription by module or user type, or through a traditional licensing structure.

Regardless of which package you choose, or if you determine that the solution doesn’t align with your needs, SAP S/4HANA Cloud is available on a free trial basis for up to 14 days.

What is the Difference Between SAP and ERP?

SAP stands for “Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing” and is the name of the largest ERP vendor in the world. SAP offers a wide variety of other enterprise software solutions including CRM and customer experience, supply chain management, network and spend management, HR and people engagement, and business technology. 

The idea behind SAP’s ERP solutions, and ERP platforms as a whole, is to unify an enterprise’s core functionalities and software so that data and communications can be more easily transmitted across the enterprise. SAP’s key differentiators include strong native integrations and extensive AI/ML features across its portfolio.

Which Types of Businesses Use SAP?

SAP is known for being an industry-agnostic platform, working with customers across all verticals. They also offer industry-specific software solutions for 25+ industry-specific needs, so if you can’t find exactly what you need in the standard ERP, their add-ons and integrations may solve your problems. 

Given their robust range of tools, including AI and ML-powered solutions, as well as their global focus, SAP S/4HANA Cloud best fits larger enterprises that are looking to expand globally or improve their capabilities in intelligent data processing and insights.

If you’re interested in ERP solutions by SAP or are looking to learn more about other solutions in the ERP landscape, try this ERP Selection Tool from TechnologyAdvice to guide your selection process to the platform that best fits your needs.

Another ERP Solution to Consider: Oracle NetSuite ERP: The Pros and Cons

The post SAP ERP Software: S/4HANA Cloud Review for 2021 appeared first on CIO Insight.

top