More and more companies are relying on cloud solutions to handle their data. Storing your company's information can improve company-wide communication since it provides your employees with ease of access, flexibility, and quicker response times. Among the other benefits of cloud-based solutions are the automation of data-heavy processes and the ease of ensuring HR compliance.

Before you decide on implementing cloud solutions for your HR department, there are a few things you should take into consideration first.

Learn About Cloud Computing

Before implementing these changes, it might be a good idea to learn some of the basics of business cloud management. While it may seem pretty straightforward, a little research never hurt. It's going to help you get a clearer picture of what it involves, and how you can benefit from it.

It can also lead you to new ways in which you can make your company more efficient. The whole point of a cloud is to keep all of your information in one place that is easy to access. While these changes are best done one step at a time, eventually you'll want to bring your whole company in alignment. Learning about cloud computing can help you prepare a long-term plan while keeping track of all the steps necessary to put that plan into action.

Consider Implementation

You need to consider a number of factors when looking for the best solution for your company. Once you've decided, before implementing the upgrade, you need to plan out how you are going to do it.

There are two basic ways you can go about implementing these changes. In the beginning, you may want to implement just core HR application, and only later expand. Or, you can go all in, by applying cloud-based solutions across the board.

Either way, you'll have to consider long-term plans for implementation. Even if you stick to just core functionality, eventually you'll want to upgrade.

The slow and steady approach allows your personnel to adjust to the change and lets you see where there is a need for improvement. It can help you adapt in preparation for the larger switch.

Alternatively, if you adopt a complete suite cloud-based of HR management systems, you can ensure that there is a uniformity between these solutions and that they are all optimized for maximum efficiency. It can also give you the chance of testing out these functionalities together.

Consult With Your Cloud Provider

If you have a somewhat clear picture of what you want, you can ask your vendor what the optimal solution for your business would be. Cloud service providers offer a wide range of solutions, which can be adapted to suit your company's needs.

You must also make sure to ask your cloud provider about their data protection policies. Make sure you understand what measures they are taking to ensure that the data stored in the cloud is safe.

Find out what security measures must be taken at the level of the end user as well. While your provider has an obligation to protect your data in the cloud, there's not much they can do about how the users decide to handle to it. Ask if there is any level of data encryption. That's one way to ensure that information doesn't get leaked during transfers, or when it's accessed remotely, via possibly unsafe connections.

Make Sure Everyone Is Ready for the Change

Even though cloud computing is quite accessible and pretty straight forward, your employees still need at least some degree of familiarity with how it works. There's a growing concern that the biggest challenge cloud computing will have to face in the near future is a lack of expertise.

Provide your employees at least with some basic training, and be prepared for a short period of adjustment. This means you'll have to set aside some time until the software changes can be used to their fullest.

This is partly why the sooner you start applying cloud solutions to your department, the better it's going to be in the long run. As these SaaS options will continue to expand and evolve, learning them from scratch is going to be more and more difficult. This means it's going to be harder to find people with who can take advantage of them, and it's going to take longer to train your employees.

The sooner they can get familiarized with the basics, the easier it's going to be further down the line to continue upgrading, and implementing cutting edge solutions.

Keep Updated on Current Regulations and Legislation

Because technology is evolving at such an astounding rate, data protection laws are still somewhat lagging behind. As such, there are no worldwide legislative frameworks in place.

When implementing these solutions, it is essential that you learn about the regulations that apply to your country and region. And it is equally important to learn those of the countries or regions you will be dealing with. Data protection laws differ quite a lot from state to state, and you need to know exactly what you can, and cannot do when it comes to data transference.

Cloud computing is quickly becoming the worldwide norm when it comes to handling business data. It's a reliable way of storing and securing large amounts of information, while still keeping it accessible. Changes and new technological developments are to be expected, so the sooner you jump on board, the better it's going to be in the long run.

To get the benefits of a new, cloud-based HR management system, select an implementation strategy based on HR goals and strategic business objectives.

Adoption of cloud-based human resources systems is one of the biggest trends in HR management. According to a global survey conducted by Information Services Group in February 2014, 37 percent of respondents said their companies have implemented a SaaS-based HR management system and another 21 percent plan to replace their current HR system with a cloud-based solution in the next two years. In many cases, companies are moving to cloud-based HR systems as part of a broader HR transformation effort; they're deploying these new solutions to help enhance strategic alignment with the business, bolster talent acquisition and retention, and support business process improvements

Yet even as many organizations put HR systems in the cloud, they face challenges attaining anticipated benefits from those systems. Notably, HR organizations' ability to improve processes, business alignment, and recruiting and talent management initiatives often depend on the implementation strategy they employ, according to Michael Gretczko, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP's Human Capital practice. "Even though SaaS applications are relatively easy to put in place, and have extensive out-of-the-box functionality, simplified configuration features, and well-established practices to guide their effective use, organizations still need to choose an implementation strategy that suits their HR goals and business objectives," he says.

Choosing an implementation strategy can also help HR leaders plan and sell a SaaS deployment to the broader enterprise. Gretczko says many HR leaders ask about the best way to implement SaaS and use it to meet business objectives. "They wonder how they can maximize their investment, and what steps they should take to promote widespread adoption of the new system," he adds.

SaaS HR management systems are enabling HR transformations at many global businesses. By starting with the forces driving a company's HR transformation, HR and IT leaders can better select the appropriate implementation strategy for their business. Says Gretczko: "Doing so ought to bring clarity and focus to the deployment effort, and also help position companies to achieve strategic HR goals."