Name: Harkirat Singh Gill

Student ID: 11589553

Subject: cloud computing

Assessment no. 3

Risk Management Evaluation

Submitted to: Pallvi Malhotra

Introduction

Gone are the days when SMEs or Not for Profit organisations were required to maintain the records with the latest software required for their daily operations installed on servers or computers at their premises. This conventional approach involved extreme indulgence in technology distracting the organisation’s main line managers from their core work while they laboured to use the available technology through rigorous training and yearly maintenance and upgrades [ CITATION Ala15 l 1033 ].

The availability of Cloud computing has changed everything altogether. Software housed on the most sophisticated hardware on the premises of the Cloud Service Provider (CSP) now provides web-based online login facility to SMEs and other Non-profit organisations whose users can simply log into their accounts and use the software facilities via the interface at a nominal monthly or yearly subscription [ CITATION Kri12 l 1033 ]. The cloud revolution has changed the face of technology making the most advanced IT solutions to the smallest of the organisations at a reasonable cost [ CITATION Ala15 l 1033 ]. Implementation of such powerful computing power on its own would have impossible for most SMEs and Non-Profit organisations. Thanks to cloud computing it is no longer impossible.

Cloud-based Data and Payroll for Child Protection NPO

NPOs have a workforce that needs to contrite on their primary task at hand and if forced to run complicated and cumbersome IT solutions for their daily tasks are bogged down by the hardship of technology. The solution is a Cloud-based system for Data Exchange and Payroll that can free them from day to day technology related tasks letting them focus their energies on what they do best; serve society through their NPO mission.

Cloud-based Payroll solutions for NPOs

The optimal solution for NPO payroll needs to optimise employee rostering depending on the needs of operation and to customers’ service requests. Rosters take account of planned leave, availability of part-time and casual employees, announced public holidays, preplanned shutdowns and they assist in minimising overtime costs. It should be able to utilise timesheet software that accommodates NPO organisations in dealing with changes to employees’ often erratic and extremely fickle working time [ CITATION Rav14 l 1033 ].

According to [ CITATION Kri12 l 1033 ], the system must be able to introduce automated workflow that allows the approval of the timesheets by the manager or by more than one managers. It should be able to enable self-service features for controlling leave requests and approvals, use biometric time and attendance devices for monitoring employees’ start and end times. Furthermore, it must overcome miscalculations with reward interpretation designed to recognise the requirements specified in the sector’s awards including Social, Community, Home Care and Australian Education Collective Agreement for Day Services. It should at the same time be able to utilise process automation that relieves your pay office from these tasks: It must generate distribute and store reports, manage salary packaging contributions, prepare and submit superannuation contribution payments and provide finance related system integration. Last but not the least, it should be affordably priced with all the necessary functionality built into it at a reasonable cost [ CITATION Kri12 l 1033 ].

Cloud-based Data Exchange Solutions for NPOs

NPOs need to know how to use a new reporting tool to report on these clients, through the Department of Social Services. This tool, DSS Data Exchange, is an online portal which tracks interactions and services delivered to the target group which of course would differ for each NPO depending on its objectives and mission [ CITATION Ala15 l 1033 ]. Thus, the target group for each NPO is, of course, different and related to their core work.

In the case of Child protection, it would be related to child protection issues. There are three ways to interact with DSS Data Exchange. One is direct data entry, the other is the file upload (XML), and the 3rd and the last one is system-to-system transfer. Most NPOs will require their own CRM if they wish to take up the second two options and exercise control of their reporting timeframes, remove time-consuming duplicate data entry and maintain full ownership of their data at hand.

The main problem in this case here is moving NPOs from paper-based systems or use of other simpler software applications like Excel, etc. installed on their own systems only to a totally electronic environment [ CITATION Kri12 l 1033 ]. This is true for both in receiving referrals as in the case of (My Aged Care) for example and reporting (DSS Data Exchange). The above is true for Child protection NPOs as well like any other NPO operating in Australia[CITATION Gre16 l 1033 ].

Cloud-based Data exchange solution providers have been working on this issue with NPOs in mind and have developed both an HACC package capturing Australian national minimum data set reporting and DSS Data Exchange reporting, with the option of bulk upload file for reporting to DSS Data Exchange without having to double data entry efforts. The new tools of DSS Data Exchange package mean you only have to report biyearly based on an XML file within most of these cloud-based CRM[CITATION Gre16 l 1033 ].

Impact on the NPO staff

The impact on the NPO staff of a cloud-based Data Exchange System and Payroll would be nothing but positive [ CITATION Ala15 l 1033 ]. Imagine them just concentrating on their own NPO work and not the least bothering about the throes of technology related to both hardware and software. They would not be required to maintain the complicated hardware and software infrastructure that goes with on-premises IT infrastructure. In the case of the infrastructure being installed on premises, they have to not just run the system but also maintain it and get it upgraded every year to stay abreast of technology. This takes time out of their core work related the NPO core tasks and involves them in unnecessary tangles with technology; something in which they are not the experts.

The cloud computing solutions for both NPOs and Data Exchange will free up the personnel of the NPOs and they would be totally free to focus on the primary NPO related task at hand. The only technology they need to know would be the ability to log into the system and use the Dashboards and interface of the cloud-based solutions[ CITATION Kri12 l 1033 ]. These solutions have Dashboards and Interfaces that are totally user oriented and whatever information is available on these is directly related to the NPO task at hand and therefore is independent of the rigours of technology. The information displayed is understood by the users as it deals with their own field of work and thus the solutions are extremely user-friendly. The training required to use these interfaces and dashboards is provided by the cloud Service Providers and is usually simple and has a short learning curve. Online support is also provided by the cloud service providers so any support issue can be handled by the support [ CITATION Ala15 l 1033 ].

Comparison of the 3 Cloud based solutions and features of the solutions

Given below is a tabular apple to apple comparison of the pricing various features present in the 3 cloud based solution presented in this report.

Table 1: Feature comparison of 3 clouds based Payroll solutions

[CITATION Pay16 l 1033 ], [CITATION Gre16 l 1033 ], [ CITATION Fea16 l 1033 ], [CITATION Key16 l 1033 ]

References

Tags: alwaysopen, assignmenthelpaustralia, assignmenthelpmelbourne, assignmenthelpsydney, assignmenthelpwebsites, london, londonstudent, melbourne, myassignmenthelp, plagiarismfreework, studentassignmenthelp