What does all this talk about cloud computing mean? In a nutshell it is accessing data and applications on the internet instead of on your hard drive. In business, cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of an organization’s IT services over the internet. So, instead of a company owning and maintaining the IT infrastructure on its premise, the company can access applications, storage, and databases from a cloud provider on an “as-needed” basis. Gone are the days when you store data and run programs from a hard drive. These can be accessed seamlessly from the cloud using software-as-a-service (SaaS), infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), and platform-as-a-service (PaaS).

The major advantage of using cloud services is companies can avoid the upfront cost and complexity of owning and maintaining their own IT infrastructure. It is fully managed by the provider. Besides, a vast range of services is offered that includes storage, networking, processing power (includes artificial intelligence), and application-level services like HR and payroll solutions.

We have been using this technology for quite some time both on a personal level and in business. Typical cloud service is Gmail and cloud photo backup, which take photos from your smartphone or desktop and store them in the cloud. Likewise, companies store their data in the cloud and run all their applications (including HR) from there. For software vendors like Oracle, this has become the preferred option whereby applications are made available over the internet, instead of available as standalone products. With that being said, there are several types of cloud computing designed to meet the varied needs of organizations.

Let’s start with SaaS – what is it? It is the most popular application used by businesses because it offers a wide range of configuration options as well as a development environment that enables customers to code their modifications and additions. The enterprise resourcing planning (ERP) suites from Oracle uses the SaaS model.

Next, IaaS offers an instant computing infrastructure that is managed over the internet. It can be scaled up and down, depending on demand, thus allowing companies to pay based on their use of the service. Third-party providers host servers, storage, and other virtual computing resources and make them available to their clients over the internet. This allows companies to avoid the expense and complexity of buying and managing their physical servers.

Many businesses today amid the increased emphasis on user-friendly applications and services are providing web-developed applications and solutions aimed at increasing customer satisfaction. However, companies are finding the cost of providing such customer-centric focused services and solutions prohibitive. As the name suggests, several PaaS third-party providers have emerged providing computing platforms to clients, thus enabling them to develop and manage applications without the need to build and maintain the type of infrastructure such application development process would require. These are made available to clients over the internet. 

Benefits of SaaS

IMC’s business model focuses on Oracle HCM SaaS-based business applications. We at IMC not only see the use of SaaS as a worthwhile alternative to standard software installation, but we see it as beneficial to companies as they can avoid building servers and installing and configuring applications. This frees customers to now focus on the functional configurations unique to their business practices.  

Another benefit to companies adopting SaaS models like Oracle Fusion is, instead of paying for the software itself, they pay for the use of the software for a period.  Meanwhile, during the implementation, innovative thinking and approach can reduce timelines and have systems ready in weeks and months, instead of the typical one-year plus timeframes.

Next, because the Oracle applications reside in the cloud, clients don’t need to purchase another application or server when required, they just simply enable another one of the Oracle applications. Consequently, when the provider upgrades the application, as they do quarterly, the cost and effort to the client to incorporate new releases is much lower than traditional models.

At IMC, using Oracle Fusion, we provide a structured approach to analyzing and correcting disrupted Human Capital Management (HCM) processes. The resulting successful implementation enables companies to focus on the strategic business reasons that these software packages were designed to address. 

Come talk to us, let us show you how to take advantage of cutting-edge HCM solutions to fulfill your company’s HCM vision.

References

Knorr, E. (2018). What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know. Retrieved from https://www.infoworld.com/article/2683784/what-is-cloud-computing.html

Ranger, S. (2018). Cloud computing? Everything you need to know about the cloud explained. Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-cloud-computing-everything-you-need-to-know-from-public-and-private-cloud-to-software-as-a/

By Patricia Taylor