Technology has dramatically changed the way human resources departments operate, from the way they interact with employees to how they track and analyze employee performance and recruit new workers. At its best, technology can help HR departments streamline operations, improve data collection and storage, and improve productivity.
But that’s not always the way it works. In too many cases, the very technology designed to make life simpler becomes a hindrance and slows down operations. Software and hardware can become more of a frustrating distraction than a productivity tool, and that prevents it from being used to its fullest. Using an IT managed services provider, or MSP, can help.
MSPs are companies that remotely manage and troubleshoot your company’s IT infrastructure, end-user systems, and mobile devices. Instead of having to outsource one-off IT projects and pay an hourly rate for services and repairs, an MSP uses a subscription model and charges a flat fee every month. It also means you’re not paying for a full-time IT staff that could be sitting idle when things are running smoothly.
For example, our MSP, Cortavo by Aventis Systems, can eliminate the headaches associated with onboarding and offboarding employees, allowing you to focus on recruiting and managing employees.
IT Problems for HR Professionals
Certain technology challenges are common for HR departments, so let’s look at five of the biggest challenges you might be facing — and learn how an MSP can resolve them.
No. 1: Disparate Platforms and Tools
The technology platform that your company selected when it first started may not have been enough to keep up with company growth through the years. And, as the company has grown, it may have added different platforms that seemed like a great way to improve operations. Different tools have been adopted for tasks like time management and communication, but what often happens is that companies end up with disparate platforms that don’t communicate with one another.
With an MSP Partner like Cortavo, you won’t have to spend your time trying to make sense of it all. Our managed productivity solutions will provide all the necessary tools and applications in a way that allows everyone to access what they need, when they need it. For example, Microsoft Teams Hub improves collaboration in real time, which directly affects productivity and the bottom line. And you’ll eliminate time wasted transferring data between separate platforms and using tools that don’t communicate well with each other.
No 2: Lack of Automation
If you’re still using Excel spreadsheets to keep track of job candidates, or are manually managing payroll and benefits, you already know how time-consuming that is. Using automation can free up time and resources to be used in more strategic ways, but you also know that moving to an automated system takes time. You may be reluctant to shift to a more automated process because of the downtime required.
Cortavo can easily move you to a fully automated system that streamlines processes and lets you spend your time where it’s needed most. We can help identify areas where automation could improve your current operations and cut down the amount of time spent on specific tasks.
No. 3: Managing Multiple Vendors
Using multiple vendors usually works for small organizations, but what happens as you begin to grow? Dealing with multiple vendors can create plenty of headaches, ranging from hiccups that occur when software developers introduce upgrades to losing data as a result of delays in upgrades. There’s also the problem of time lost as systems are synced and reintegrated when such updates are done.
According to HR Tech Outlook, the average business uses nine technology vendors. Partnering with an MSP eliminates the problem of multiple vendors, because everything is consolidated through Cortavo. That means we’ll handle it all — from your email to security to IT hardware. We’ll manage your ISP provider, your VOIP provider — whatever vendors you’re using. And we’ll even serve as an adviser to help you understand what you need today, and what you need to plan for the future. Our full, unified suite of applications will save your department time, money and headaches.
No. 4: Managing Information
The role of the HR manager has always included managing sensitive information, but with more information coming through the pipeline, and increasing concerns about privacy and security, this has become a much bigger challenge. Even with extensive employee training on how to keep business information secure and prevent privacy breaches, the changing nature of threats makes this a constant concern.
When you work with an MSP, you have greater confidence that your data is safe. Cortavo’s managed antivirus and spam protection is designed to keep your team safe from potential malware attacks, as well as eliminate spam that can be distracting, dangerous, or both. You’ll be working with just one partner, which makes it easier to stay up to date on security enhancements, and you’ll know that your data backup and disaster recovery is in good hands.
No. 5: Time-Consuming IT Support
As mentioned earlier, different platforms, tools and off-the-shelf software packages typically don’t talk to one another. And transferring data between these piecemeal systems is costly and time-consuming. In some cases, it might require manual entry of information, and it often means that the IT department must get involved to make programs and platforms talk to each other. Suddenly, those money-saving programs are costing you a lot of money in the form of IT support.
An MSP provides all the support that your company needs, and there’s no clock running. Cortavo’s monthly fee includes remote assistance management so we can quickly fix issues, deliver IT support and make immediate updates using our remote access app. And, when that remote assistance isn’t enough, we’ll deploy our local IT support to resolve it on-site.
Investing in the Future
Partnering with an MSP like Cortavo has many benefits, but perhaps the most significant one is peace of mind. When you know that your network and hardware are in good hands, you can turn your attention where it’s needed most, and let us do what we do best: keep your infrastructure running smoothly and efficiently.
If you’d like to learn more about how an MSP can help your business manage its IT infrastructure, visit Cortavo.com or call 1.844.4CORTAVO.