Enterprise Resource Planning Blogs by SAP
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While the purchasing decision and criteria for cloud-based HR software will more than likely be different for an IT executive than for an HR executive, the end result is the same—making the right decision for the business. And in order to get the business running, the “engine” needs to be the top of the line. As I’ve covered in some recent blogs (See Looking under the hood of HR cloud solutions: blog 1 and blog 2), security, integration, and extensibility are only some of the important factors to consider.

All IT executives worry about security, no matter which industries they’re in. SAP Cloud’s “defense in depth” approach combines information security best practices with layered technology. Designed to protect information confidentiality, integrity, and availability, the “defense-in-depth” strategy for cloud solutions is multilayered, with defenses at all the touch points in the flow of data, and it provides complete and comprehensive security and data privacy. Read more about our security features in “The Best Security for Your Cloud Part 1: Unique Multi-tenancy and Defense in Depth” and “The Best Security for Your Cloud Part 2: Information Security and Data Protection in SaaS Applicatio....”

Along the same lines, understanding how the system is architected and your organization’s HR data will be accessed, stored, and maintained is a central issue. Our multi-tenant architecture means that we logically segment each customer’s data at the database level, complete with its own database schema. Customers can export their own schema out of the database, import or export data, and configure or modify fields. With this approach, we can retain all the advantages of a highly scalable and secure multi-tenant model while still offering a highly configurable application that does not comingle customers' data. SuccessFactors also provides a distinct application instance per customer, offering better security through enforced memory segregation. However, many vendors tout multi-tenancy architectures, so it’s important to distinguish between “faux multi-tenancy” and “true multi-tenancy.” A true multi-tenant environment provides tangible benefits in terms of lower costs for the service and better service levels because it’s easier for the provider to deliver the service. I expanded on this topic in “Multi-Tenancy in the Cloud: The Power, Perks and Pitfalls.”

It sounds like a terrible situation to end up in—being tasked with integrating older on-premise systems with a nimble new cloud-based one. But it doesn’t have to be—we have pre-packaged integrations that ease integration challenges. In “Integration landscape in the new millennium? Here are some thoughts!” I addressed integration topics in FAQ form.

The SAP HANA Cloud Platform gives customers and partners the flexibility and control of an on-premise solution and the speed and cost benefit of a cloud application. It is an extension package that enables SuccessFactors customers, partners, and developers to extend their applications and build entirely new applications to better fit their business needs without slowing down their speed of execution or innovation. You can get more details about the two main components, Metadata Framework and the SAP HANA Cloud Platform, in “SAP HANA Cloud Platform Extension Package Gives Customers Both Flexibility and Control.”

A beautiful, well-designed cloud-based HR software suite is important to helping businesses and their employees to connect, collaborate, and innovate from anywhere. But IT executives should find reassurance in choosing one that also uses the best security, eases integration issues, and offers extensibility features that combine the best of on-premise and cloud platforms.