HR & Payroll Software
The Top 3 Most Misunderstood Facets of HR Software TCO
With HR and payroll software budgets tightening and a global economy exhibiting signs of schizophrenic improvement at best, many organizations are still laser-focused on keeping HR software costs down; while at the same time increasing tactical and strategic capabilities. These mounting pressures to demonstrate cost savings are often made more difficult by vendors and pundits alike. Specifically, these forces lay equal claim to the idea that that their respective HR software deployment option has a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for your organization. Whether it's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or "on-premises", a healthy amount of debate revolves around which deployment option you pay more for in the end. The truth is though, that these talking heads wind up skirting some of the most important TCO elements, and regrettably cast more confusion on the issue than anything else. Here we outline what we consider to be the top 3 most misunderstood facets of TCO that organizations should consider for their next HRMS software selection.
1) HR Software as an Asset versus HR Software as an Expense
Like it or not, the accounting rules look at HR software deployment options differently. On-premises software is viewed and treated as a capital expenditure; which means this method catapults the software solution into the realm of a one-time, long-term investment. In other words, accounting rules stipulate that on-premise software be seen as an asset investment that will be depreciated over future periods. SaaS deployments on the other hand (per accounting rules) are seen as recurring operating expenses. Because of these capex (capital expenditure) versus opex (operating expense) differences, financial executives can highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the HR software acquisition method under both scenarios, and determine which better supports the company's financial strategy. It should be noted though that usage and utility of the solution will determine Return-on-Investment (ROI), not accounting rules.
2) HR Software Cost Visibility
There can be no doubt that the cost of an HR SaaS solution is highly visible. Indeed, the entire software-as-a-service model is set up to be a subscription-based, as-close-to-all-inclusive-as-possible solution. As such, add more employees, grow your business, or in other way alter your usage of the SaaS HR solution and your costs will likely change—both up and down. This tends to be the sticking point with pundits advocating against SaaS (i.e. that costs are tied to your usage of the solution); however, the bottom-line is that (subject to vendor-specific stipulations) the technology has costs that, while potentially high, are predictable and easily seen.
3) HR Software Lifespan
Attacked by both pundits and analysts alike, the argument for on-premise HR software deployment based on "years of usefulness" has largely been destroyed. Indeed, thanks to the changing technology landscape, the HR "system of record" that stood stalwart for decades is now facing unprecedented innovation and change. Whereas on-premise systems were historically deployed and used for years upon years, the pace of change has increased to the point that HR software solutions now have lifespans which are drastically shorter than their predecessors. Many analysts firms now suggest the average HR software life is between four and five years. HR applications could continue to be used after their useful life, however, in reality businesses will find it advantageous to replace their HR systems with newer, less costly systems. |