Is Your Recruitment CRM Really a True Cloud Solution?
Recruitment is characterised by continuous change and dramatic new developments, and this is exactly the premise on which true-cloud software was built. Vendors need to be able to react immediately to the needs of the customer via changes in the market. Ultimately, cloud-based technology allows for increased productivity, along with reduced administration time and costs.
But, how do you know if a recruitment CRM is actually a true cloud solution? Where do you start amid the ever-changing, challenging landscape?
To help you sort out the “true cloud” from the “cloud pretender” vendors, we’ve mapped out the most important questions you need to ask below, along a quick-fire infographic.
- Where is the solution hosted?
This is the most important concept when determining if a solution is true cloud. What can be misleading here are the terms “public cloud” versus “private cloud”; you’ll hear these being thrown around a lot.
At the very basic level, true cloud or public cloud solutions are hosted in a remote and secure data center maintained by the vendor. Users can access the system on any device, enabling on-the-go and remote working.
The cloud pretender or private cloud solution requires the physical server to be hosted on-site at the company’s own data center. Private cloud means that the infrastructure is hosted internally, often by an employed third-party IT vendor. Users of this type of system can only access the system when on-site.
- No installation of software or hardware required?
For true cloud solutions, setting up the system requires no physical installation as the solutions are hosted from secure data centers and accessed via the web from multiple devices. Cloud-based technology also employs a multi-tenancy software architecture, so you can instantly deploy new software across all users.
For cloud pretenders, the software must be installed on-site and this is often the job of a third-party IT vendor. “On-premise” solutions employ a single-tenancy software architecture, meaning that the new software must be deployed individually across each user and this often takes up to a few months.
- Is the solution regularly updated and managed at no additional cost?
Using multi-tenancy architecture, true cloud providers can regularly update and configure systems across all users at no additional cost. And since the updates can be completed remotely, there are no maintenance fees.
Cloud pretenders or on-premise providers experience slow and painful updates. Third-party IT vendors must visit the site to deploy any system configurations. As this is done on a single-user basis, this process can take months depending upon the number of users. The vendor will charge for any new updates.
- Are updates rolled out instantly and continuously?
True cloud users experience updates that are seamless, frequent, and vendor-led. Vendors can adapt to the market quickly as they only have one version of the software to update.
Cloud pretender providers cannot roll out updates instantly and continuously as they rely upon third-party IT vendors to deploy new versions and updates. At any given time during a software update, users of the same system may be logging into different versions.
- Is the solution configurable for all parts of your company?
True cloud providers work in real-time. Any configurations or new users can be added with the click of a button. As a result, these vendors can address specific business needs and support the demand and speed of the recruitment industry.
True cloud vendors are built from the bottom up with a web-based open API platform. As a result, these vendors can seamlessly integrate with third-party solution providers, allowing you to configure a holistic solution to meet the needs of all areas of your business.
On-premise solutions cannot work in real-time since any system configurations must be completed by a third-party IT vendor visiting your site. This will take time as the new configuration must be deployed across all users separately.
As opposed to true cloud solutions, on-premise aren’t built from the bottom up with an open architecture. This means that third-party integrations pose considerable hassle and expense, and are often not very effective.
- Is the solution reliable and secure?
Just because true cloud providers are termed the ‘public cloud’ doesn’t mean the data is available to the public. Cloud businesses must build secure data centers that are independently audited and adhere to standards such as Soc 2 Type II, and SSAE 16 (SOC1) Type II. These certifications are essential when ensuring that a system is designed to keep its clients’ sensitive data secure. Data is backed up on a daily basis and securely stored across multiple data sites. True cloud solutions also boast 24-hour global support to handle any technical difficulties with the click of a button.
It’s a common misconception that on-premise solutions are more secure than true cloud solutions. But cloud pretender vendors, with the help of third-party IT vendors, store their data on-site. So technically, if you were to lose your data, there would be no back-up. On-premise solutions cannot possibly have 24-hour support as technical difficulties must be fixed on-site.
- Does the solution contain a web-based, open API platform?
Having a web-based, open API platform is the bare bones of a cloud solution. An open API platform is a set of programming instructions that allows a vendor to “talk to” and integrate with third-party vendors.
On-premise solutions do not have this capability. Any third-party integrations are likely to be poor quality and can take months, even years, to deploy.
Hopefully the outline above provides some clarity on the question of cloud-based solutions.
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