General

The amount of data that HR departments have collected over the years is humongous and if it is not organised well it gets very difficult to retrieve or analyse the same. This is where technology has made a huge difference in the HR world. Cloud and Analytics have gone a long way in analyzing information and helping Human Resource professionals in gaining useful insights that help in making strategic decisions pertaining to their employee base. Cloud-based technology has now allowed HR teams to transition their analytics processes into services. You can access your data from any part of the world, anytime you want.

Why move to cloud?

The top reasons are:

• To enable mobile dashboards
• To collaborate successfully with partners and customers
• To manage solutions easily without IT resources
• To deploy faster and work towards an excellent growth plan

Cloud computing is not just a trend. It is something that is ready to transform the whole process of HRM and its applications. These are useful in cutting costs, increasing productivity and alleviating HR managers' headaches.

The challenge lies in identifying the kind of data that needs to be captured and coming up with the right way to use that data in gaining maximum return on investment (ROI), from the new technology deployment.

How does HR analytics help?

• HR analytics help organizations manage their employees effectively so that they can achieve their goals efficiently and quickly.
• HR analytics help organizations in taking strategic decisions pertaining to their workforces, thereby improving their operational performance.
• They help organizations in aligning their HR metrics with their strategic business objectives
• They help to target applicants that can be used to fill up specific positions in the organisation
• They contribute in improving employee satisfaction and overall productivity.
• They reveal reasons behind employee attrition and in address turnover issues.
• They help in training employees and ensuring that they build their careers successfully.

What to look for in a Cloud Analytics Solution?

If you are opting for a customised solution these are the features you need to look for:

• Network access through multiple platforms: Once your HR data is on the cloud, your users will be able to access the same from anywhere at any time. They would be able to access it from multiple devices, such as smart phones, tablets and laptops various platforms, such as androids, iOS and Windows.
• Flexibility: The cloud analytics solution you go for should be flexible enough to suit your needs. Anytime you want to add or remove a user or add a few software features or resources, you should be able to do it easily and quickly.
• Resource pooling facilities: The cloud analytics solution you use should allow entering and using of data simultaneously as many users will be accessing data at the same time. Such a feature will be very useful for people who travel too much or work out of office.
• Measured service: Although cloud computing is cost-effective, the solution you choose should require you to pay only for the services that you end up consuming. The number of users, the storage levels, the bandwidth and the processing, everything should be considered during the process of billing.

Marketing professionals have long been using data analytics in order to make important decisions. Of late HR professionals have also climbed on the bandwagon. However now is the time to start thinking about using these tools more strategically.