Introduction
Workforce management software has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. To help you choose the right type of software for your business, this article will provide a comprehensive guide to options for hosting workforce management software.
The software helps businesses to automate employee time tracking, scheduling, payroll and many other processes. Workforce management software can also help businesses to track employee productivity, performance, and compliance with company policies. There are many different types of workforce management software on the market.
The three main options for hosting workforce management software.
- On-premises: Your organisation will be responsible for hosting on sites you own.
- Cloud: Your organisation will manage the hosting in a data centre or data centres provided by a cloud provider.
- SAAS provider: Your SAAS software provider will be taking care of hosting, this is nearly always in the cloud, and you should understand what type of cloud hosting your provider offers.
In this article, we explain these three options for hosting workforce management software and break down the various types of cloud solutions.
On-premises
According to Wikipedia “On-premises software is installed and runs on computers on the premises of the person or organisation using the software, rather than at a remote facility such as a server farm or cloud.” For example, in a retail environment, there is a server in each store which runs a version of the application and sometimes, the application may run on multiple PCs in one store.
Private Cloud
There are still many data centres offering private cloud services. In this model, dedicated servers and network infrastructure provide a certain isolation level between the different organisations within the data centre. To complicate things a little, Amazon Web Services and other public providers offer Virtual private clouds.
Virtual Private Cloud
In this case, virtual means provisioning a logically isolated section of the cloud provider’s service. Logically isolated is different from physical isolation, meaning you may be sharing physical servers, and the cloud provider uses software to keep your data separate from other users.
Public Cloud
Is a third-party managed platform that uses a standardised cloud computing service to offer services available to remote users. Well-known providers include Google, AWS and Microsoft. The lines between Virtual Private Cloud and Public cloud are blurred, and the difference may come down to the service level offered by the provider.
SAAS provider
This is the most popular option. Here, your SAAS provider takes care of the hosting, probably via a virtual private cloud provided by one of the big providers (AWS, Google and Microsoft Azure). You should choose a SAAS provider that is a high-level partner of and certified by the Public or Private cloud provider they are using. You should also know what type of solution they are using.
Which of the options for hosting Workforce Management Software is right for my business?
Workforce management software is a powerful tool that can help businesses to automate employee scheduling, time tracking, payroll, and other processes. The type of workforce management software hosting option that is right for your business depends on your specific needs. If you require complete control over your software, then an on-premise solution may be the best option. However, if you need a more scalable, and low-cost solution, then a SAAS solution may be the better choice.
With the right workforce management software, businesses can reduce administrative overhead, improve employee productivity, and maintain compliance with government regulations and increase business efficiency.
Hosting can be complicated, if you wish to discuss the different options for hosting workforce management software with one of our consultants, we would be happy to help you understand them in more detail. Contact us help@theshopworks.com.
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