We are currently living in unusual times, so unusual that it feels like we are living in a big dream. In recent weeks, the nation has had to adjust to new norms, including “social distancing,” a term most of us had never heard of before all of this began. Companies have adjusted to 100% remote work. Some Americans even live under “stay-at-home” orders, depending on the state in which they reside. All of this has been a major adjustment for the nation and we will continue to live in these circumstances for at least the next month as the national social distancing guidelines have been extended for another 30 days.

Despite the fact that we live in unfamiliar circumstances, one element remains constant: there is still work to be done. Staffing companies have candidates to place, payroll to process, and new business to win. Since we live in these unpredictable times, can you carry on as usual with the necessary safety precautions? Can you remotely control your business without missing a beat? It’s times like these that a cloud-based staffing software solution is valued more than ever. If you haven’t made the switch to a cloud-based solution yet, here are the benefits, and not just in times of crisis.

Ability to work anywhere and increase productivity

The biggest advantage of a cloud-based staffing software solution is the ability to work anywhere. You can access all of your candidates, clients, contacts, and work orders no matter where you are. Mobility is the future of recruiting – you need to be able to work anywhere, especially when you’re visiting clients. Instead of having to go back to the office to enter notes or perhaps add a new work order, you can do it while on the go with your next client. This increases your productivity and ability to fill jobs faster and ultimately gives you an edge over your competition.

Not to mention, you also have the ability to work at home, especially in the conditions we currently live in. Working remotely is simply the safest option, whether your state has implemented “Stay-at-Home Orders” or not. The federal government recommends holding meetings for 10 people or less. Cloud-based software gives you this ability to work at home.

Note that some may argue that you can still access your data remotely with your own server, however you need to ensure that your designated IT representative has set up a secure way to establish a connection, such as a VPN.

Safety

The security of your data is improved through a cloud solution. You may think your server is secure, but you will be surprised how secure your data really is in the cloud, if the right investments are made. What’s important to note is that not all staffing software vendors invest in the same amount of security.

One of the biggest security benefits of the cloud is that multiple safety nets are in place to ensure no data is compromised or lost. Cloud data is stored in facilities called “Data Centers”. Each data center is classified by tiers. A Tier 3 and Tier 4 data center offers the highest security with an uptime of approximately 99.982% and 99.995% respectively. What is uptime? It is the amount of time that a server remains up and running without power or other problems.

Cloud data must also be stored in multiple data centers, so in the unlikely event that “the cloud goes down” in one data center, your data will still be backed up and safe in another. Please note that it is important to ask software vendors if your data will be stored in multiple data centers. To give you an idea of ​​what a secure data center looks like, when you walk in, you will see a host of backup power sources, inter-room fingerprint access, locked cages, 24-hour monitoring, and armed guards. Only a few key IT people in the software company would have access to the physical data.

In addition to the data center, backups are performed on a daily basis. Incremental backups are performed throughout the day with a full backup at the end of each day. Updates are also done without performing derailment operations, as a server update would. Everyone can continue with their daily tasks without breaks or delays at work.

Finally, data centers offer multiple layers of firewall protection in the event that one or more is breached. Various antivirus and antimalware programs are used to protect your data. This is important because a piece of software may find something and start running updates, but it misses another threat that different software will detect. With layered security, an intruder would have to go through multiple layers before accessing your data.

Elimination of the hassle and expense of having your own server

Hosting your own server takes up a lot of physical space and also requires valuable maintenance time that you could use to focus on your core business. Not to mention the expenses associated with a server. You are probably paying the rental costs, electricity costs, and on-site technicians to monitor, support, and upgrade the server. He also had to make a large investment to buy the server, which is difficult equipment to resell. Also, think about life expectancy. How often do you have to replace it?

Moving to a cloud solution eliminates the hassle, space, and expense of managing your own data. What may surprise you is that actually more profitable to move to a cloud staffing software. You can expect to pay a monthly subscription to your software provider to protect and maintain your data at a much less expensive cost. You only pay for the amount of storage space you use.

Thinking of making the switch?

The idea of ​​implementing completely new software and ways of operating may sound scary, especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it really a good time to think about making the switch? You may feel like you need to focus all your efforts on forming a new trading strategy to get to the top after all of this. But have you considered a cloud-based solution as part of that strategy?