HR Pulse

How secure is cloud HR?

It’s been my observation that in South Africa, many people don’t trust cloud software. The main concern voiced about this solution is the perception that your data is less secure in the cloud. However, I’ve heard many “IT guys” say that this is a fallacy – a clever hacker can just as easily hack into your data that is sitting snugly on the server in your office as he can access your data that is sitting on a cloud-based server. And the good news for HR managers is that they are also able to take advantage of what cloud-based software has to offer…

There have been some absolutely fantastic advances in cloud and mobile HR. One particular South African company –  Piilo Software, which is headed by founder Phil Lötter – seems to have taken this market by storm.

And from what he told me regarding the pros of using cloud software to manage your HR processes - for example the ability to manage mundane tasks such as approving leave or assessing performance reports when you have a spare moment and not dedicating productive time at your office desk to these time-wasting tasks – any business owner or manager worth their salt would be silly not to take full advantage of a cloud HR offering.

“Talent management is the backbone of any business and our software was born out of wanting to improve and streamline these functions for all types of business. Working in consultancies across numerous industries and countries for the past 18-odd years has inspired me to create a solution that leverages innovative technology and cloud computing to provide easy-to-use, practical and affordable software based entirely on the unique budget and operational requirements of a business,” says Lötter.

Piilo’s software is aimed at business owners and line management, with business executives and managers forming the bulk of their client base. Lötter says that the desire of these individuals to always be flexible and connected 24/7 has prompted this move.

What is great about the solution is that you don’t have to buy all the modules that they have – you can pick and choose which ones you want.

Says Lötter: “We think software in the cloud should be like Lego blocks, with companies being able to choose only the user subscriptions for the module they need. We don’t do forced bundling or minimum subscriptions.”

This is a true cloud-based solution where every single bit of data you work on is accessed via the Internet – and nothing gets downloaded to the device you’re working on – which ensures that your processing speed is incredibly fast.

Here’s to the HR department of the future!

Author: Lia Marus is the editor of HR Pulse. She has a BA in French, Italian and Linguistics from UCT, an MA in translation from Wits and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Wits Business School. She is currently studying towards her LLB through Unisa. Lia started her career off in corporate communications, where she worked as a sub-editor, researcher and marketing coordinator. She then heeded the call of the publishing world and went into the business-to-business publishing field. She worked as a sub-editor as well as a chief sub-editor. Before joining ITWeb, she managed an HR guidebook at a leading international publishing company.