7global, the Managed Services Company and its HR and Payroll partner, KCS has unveiled the continued success of its Software-as-Service proposition which offers flexible HR and Payroll systems and services to 100ís of companies who have selected an alternative model of application delivery.
Set up in 1980 KCS offers a comprehensive portfolio of bureau services to boost its HR and Payroll software capability and this ëtotal solutioní approach has earned it a sizeable share of the UK HR and Payroll market. Indeed it is that reputation and confidence to blaze the innovation trail that has spearheaded KCSís position as a dominant and highly referenceable player in the UK SaaS market, a position it enjoys thanks to an early partnership with 7global as its hosting provider.
SaaS is an exploding market that is forecast to reach US$10.7B by 2009, (Source; IDC). Its popularity in the US is equally mirrored in the UK as more and more software vendors are responding with SaaS versions of their on-site products and letting their customers pick which option they prefer. A recent survey by 7global into SaaS adoption rates in the UK (April 2006) highlighted that over two thirds of the responding end user organisations were already adopting, planning to adopt or evaluating SaaS. Itís a pretty brave company thatís ignoring this trend altogether.
KCS was first off the blocks in 2003 to recognise that it needed to respond to the demands of its smaller customers and prospective customers who had little or no existing IT infrastructure; and its larger prospective customers with perhaps legacy systems or with ambitions to outsource all or part of their HR and Payroll systems and services. ìIn HR and Payroll, itís very difficult for businesses to keep up with the complex and ever-changing rules and regulations governing employee wages and benefits,î commented Alan Snell, KCSís Group CEO. ìWith our SaaS offering, underpinned by 7global, we can assume that responsibility for our customers, provide improved control of the data and the application, and deliver management reports that facilitate sound decision-making.î
ìWe recognised that companies, large and small, simply wanted choice,î said Alan. ìSome want to outsource the more mundane and least profitable aspects of their HR and Payroll business whilst retaining control of their core data. Others want to ëtest the waterí with Software-as-a-Service and then switch on or off their applications as it suits their needs, to those that want to embrace a complete outsourcing strategy. This is the level of flexibility that we offer with 7global. We call it Rightsourcing; a blend of services and technology to suit an organisationsís HR and Payroll needs whether they self-manage, outsource completely or choose something in between.î
But the decision to adopt a SaaS model is not without challenges, according to Alan. ìWe have come through a steep SaaS learning curve. We have implemented revised business and sales recognition practices, we have undertaken the necessary changes to our solutions so that they can be delivered on a SaaS model and we have adopted the revised licensing and accounting practices to respond to the change in cash flow and business projections. Our reward for this early adopter role is that we now have an established and highly referenceable base of customers who are enjoying our HR and payroll solutions on a SaaS model, and that experience and depth of deployment is what sets us apart from our competitors.î
KCS and 7global are witnessing an increasing shift in uptake from predominantly small companies for whom the advantages of hosted SaaS solutions are a given to larger 1,000 employee companies whose fears about security have been allayed over time and who are now comforted by the experience and expertise that SaaS-seasoned suppliers such as KCS can offer.
ìWe are delighted to have had the confidence and foresight to make our applications available on a Software-as-a-Service model from as far back at 1999. It is now clear and very rewarding for us and 7global that both buyers and sellers of software have recognised that the marketplace needs SaaS and they are turning to experienced suppliers to deliver this.î
For more information on how you can deliver your applications on a SaaS model, contact Tim Waggett at 7global, twaggett@7global.com.
www.7global.com
www.kcsplc.com
KCS and 7global Reap the Rewards of an Early Commitment to Software-as-a-Service
Experience and referenceability wins through for seasoned SaaS partnership, KCS and 7global, as hundreds of companies subscribe to a more flexible way to buy software and services
