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TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, involves the use of existing, new and emerging…
TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
IT PURCHASING PROCESS
- A PROCESS for PURCHASING TECHNOLOGY
The process must therefore be customized to the situation
DEPENDS ON SCOPE OF TECHNOLOGY
Is the product an HRIS that will be integrated with internal databases and external vendors, or is it a simple application that requires no integration and has only one user?
- Does the org has a brand that it wants to apply to all its internal & external communication?
- How reality do the users accept change?
IT AS A PARTNER
The IT function or provider is an integral partner in the acquisition process.
- First, the function is a key source of information about the organization’s current technology and the requirements and capabilities of many technology products.
- Second, IT has its own needs that may be affected by HR’s technology
- Third, IT will be instrumental in providing the necessary technical support for implementing and maintaining the technology.
:check: HR should secure IT’s involvement early on. This can make the process itself more smooth and more efficient and can improve the quality and effectiveness of the selected technology.
- CONDUCT A TECHNOLOGY NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The first step in selecting technology is to define what HR wants the technology to do = start with an internal assessment.
HR'S NEED
- What HR objectives is the technology aligned with?
- What problems does it solve, or what opportunities does it allow HR to capture?
- What does the technology have to do or produce?
- What are the budget and technical constraints?
- What compliance issues may exist?
USER'S NEED
- How will the user interact with the technology? What does the user need to understand, see, and do?
- What will restrict use of the technology (for example, literacy, color perception, hearing, high-speed access, fear of technology)?
- Are there different types of users who need to see or do different things or who may have different levels of access to data?
- What data does the user need to access? Where is it located?
ORGANIZATION'S NEEDS
- How does this technology align with the organization’s current strategy?
- How does it align with the organization’s current and future needs?
- What is the organization’s risk appetite? How much control does the organization prefer to exert over its activities?
- PRIORITIZE TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT
review available technology solutions and narrow options
INTERGRATED & BOB SOLUTION
:check: HR should explore with an IT consultant whether to use an integrated solution (such as an ERP HRIS that performs multiple functions and can serve multiple HR departments in different locations) or to use multiple smaller best-of-breed (BOB) systems, each supporting a different HR department or performing a single task.
Direct ownership of hardware or software increases control, which can be an issue for organizations that must minimize risks to operations and security.
However, it decreases flexibility and agility—the ability to change technology quickly and with lower costs.
Acquisition Options in Technology Purchases
INTERGRADED SOLUTION
:green_cross:
- Feature a common interface “look and feel” across applications, making learning and transitions for users easier
- Use integrated data and technological infrastructure, reducing the need to manage multiple architectures.
- Provide greater ease of integrating data from multiple HR functions.
- Reduce the complexity of vendor management, because there is only one vendor.
- Can be less expensive per application to implement than best-of-breed solutions.
:red_cross:
- Offer minimal customization options; because of their large scale and integrated nature, it can be prohibitively expensive to customize or to maintain customizations as new versions of the underlying package are released.
- Do not necessarily offer the best solutions in each functional area.
- Are challenging to upgrade, because a change to one function may have dramatic impacts on others.
- Slow down the introduction of new features and upgrades due to complexity.
BOB SOLUTIONS
:green_cross:
- Can develop a “best fit” solution for each functional area.
- Provide quicker implementation, because the system is simpler and affects fewer employees.
- Do not lock user into a single vendor for all needs.
- Allow vendors to be more responsive to user needs.
- Make it possible to purchase only the functionality needed.
:red_cross:
- Pose difficulties in integrating data across applications.
- Present increased learning curves for each application because of the lack of consistent interface.
- Require careful management of relationships with multiple vendors, which can be challenging.
- Demand interoperability among different applications, which may not be easy.
APPROACH
:!: important to decide how to deliver the technology
- On-premises. With the on-premises approach, the organization purchases and installs hardware and software on internal machines, supported by internal IT staff or an IT vendor. It is critical to discuss with IT its ability and willingness to accommodate and support the technology.
- Hosted. In the hosted approach, applications are purchased and installed for the organization, but they are located at the vendor’s site and supported by external IT staff.
- Software as a service. With SaaS, the firm does not purchase or install any software. Instead, the organization subscribes to software that has been developed for multiple users and that runs on the vendor’s hardware. It is accessed through the cloud.
DEFINE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
- What is the targeted budget?
- What is the targeted date for launching the technology?
- What level of traffic must the technology support?
- What capabilities will the technology provide (for example, types of transactions, navigation parameters [the number of clicks required to navigate to the desired information, etc.], integration with other technologies, reports, speed of transactions)?
- What are the responsibilities of HR, the organization, and the vendor?
- IDENTIFY, SELECT & IMPLEMENT
Identify Technology Providers and Assess Offerings
research possible providers before contacting vendors:
- Do an Internet search and review general articles and vendor websites.
- Review analyst reports. Your organization may subscribe to reports from Gartner or similar analysts who publish thorough background information on product areas and reviews of specific products.
- Ask for recommendations from HR colleagues in other organizations.
- Contact existing vendors with good records of service to see if they offer a product with the needed features.
- Attend HR professional meetings and technology trade shows. There may be presentations about the needed technology and/or vendor booths.
Select a Technology Provider and Create a Business Case
- Send RFP to several providers
- Select using the same process used in outsourcing other HR services. Criteria are selected and weighted by importance, and each provider is scored
Implement and Assess New Technology
- Step 1: Testing may be implemented through a test in one part of the organization and then introduced broadly throughout the organization
- Step 2: HR introduces the new technology (with change management skills)
- Step 3: The project should be assessed against the original criteria (cost, stakeholders attitude survey, vendor commitment)
HR &TECHNOLOGY
Understanding a few basic concepts about information systems can help HR professionals see opportunities and anticipate technological issues
BIG DATA & HR
describe the explosion of data that could be captured and stored as the result of computing and communication advances
3 FEATURES
VOLUME
Datasets have grown so large that new tools are required to store, access, and analyze them. Storage using cloud computing services
:check: Storage using cloud computing services
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VARIETY
Data is not only numbers now. It may be still images, videos, or audio recordings.
BENEFIT HR
:check: to see patterns and trends, to create models that isolate possible causes and predict outcomes
:check: to make decisions based on facts or evidence and to objectively measure the effectiveness of their actions.:check: 3 WAYS BIG DATA CAN HELPS
- Collecting new data. New data collection about when, where, and how employees do their jobs to provide business process insights, reduce errors, and increase efficiencies.
- Using existing data more effectively. To better understand employee engagement and motivation and why employees do what they do
- Better strategic analysis. Mapping how information flows in organizations and the relationships that people rely on to do their work.
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MANAGING TECHNOLOGY OPPOTUNITIES & RISKS
HR professionals can manage the opportunities and risks that technology presents by assisting in developing and implementing policies and procedures about its use and communicating possible threats and good “digital hygiene” to all employees.
RISK POSED BY TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORKPLACE
The opportunities and risks associated with technology are many and varied, but they can be grouped into three general categories: data and system security, data privacy, and social and ethical implications.
DATA & SYSTEM SECURITY
- Sources of threat: internal/external, deliberate intention/unintentionally (carelessness or ignorance)
:check: General protections involved:
Limiting Logical and Physical Access to Data and Systems
- with firewalls, which are software and/or hardware intended to filter incoming and outgoing communication according to preset rules
- Access to databases containing employee data or to the payroll system may be restricted to only certain job classifications or individuals
- The system can create an auditable digital trail of transactions.
- Computers with access to data and systems can be secured with passwords or biometric controls (such as thumb prints), and employees can be trained to increase their awareness of the vulnerability created by unlocked computers.
- Passwords can be strengthened and changed more often.
Encryption
- Encryption is the conversion of data into a format that protects or hides its natural presentation or intended meaning.
- Encryption software can be used with stored or transmitted data
- Software can also alert users when there has been an effort to decrypt data.
Hacking: refers to the act of attempting to access data without permission.
- The entire system can be held for ransom during a ransomware attack.
- Access can be obtained by exploiting weaknesses in the system, such as a firewall that has not been updated, or through the use of surveillance software, which can capture passwords.
Social engineering refers to tricking a user into sharing information—such as passwords, e-mail addresses, or identification numbers—that can then be used to access systems. Tactics
- Phishing. E-mails, phone calls, texts, or instant messages that ask for information or ask the user to click an embedded link
- Fake e-cards or job opening information
- Phony security alerts.
- “Click this link” scams
:check: User education is key to protecting against these threats.
-Never disclose a password to anyone, even if the source seems legitimate.
-Do not give private information to anyone you do not know or who does not have a legitimate need for it (in person, over the phone, via e-mail or the Internet).
-Click links only from trusted sources. Never click a link from a source you are unfamiliar with unless you have a way to independently verify that it is safe.
-Delete unsolicited e-mails; do not open, forward, reply to, or click links or attachments in them.
-Assess the request and investigate if it seems unusual
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POLICIES ON EMPLOYEE'S USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Many organizations do not recognize the need for workplace technology policies or erroneously think that existing policies address new technologies.
MANAGING COLLABORATION RISK
effective practices include:
- Setting meetings at times that can accommodate the most participants.
- Creating meeting agendas with estimates of time allocated to each topic
- Providing the host of a meeting with full control over the technological tools being used.
- Using overlapping technologies (groupware, VoIP, a web browser, smartphones, etc.) concurrently to help ensure multiple means of participant access.
- Recording discussions/meetings to allow stakeholders unable to participate in real time to access and review the outcomes.
- Using passcodes to ensure that only invitees are able to gain access and participate
- Creating policies around remote access of company networks, including VPNs (virtual private networks), to promote security.
- Including hierarchies of authority access (read/write) to source documents to protect the source’s integrity while tracking any changes made or proposed
- Including legal disclaimers in all documents/projects that outline the rights and responsibilities of the participants
- Balancing the need for security and rights protection with user-friendly accessibility
"BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE" BYOD
- Restrict the use of personal devices while the employee is working in the workplace during the employee’s work hours.
- State which devices will be supported by IT and the requirements for using the device
- Clarify financial arrangements (such as reimbursement for using a personal mobile device) and legal rights (including the right to wipe or erase a device without liability for the employee’s personal data).
- Define security measures—for example, requiring adequate password protection, prohibiting downloading applications without IT approval, prohibiting accessing the virtual private network with a personal device.
:check: HR must add to its organizational exit checklist the need to remove access ability from the exiting employee’s devices.
:check: HR should also work with the organization’s legal counsel to ensure that the policy and practices do not violate any applicable laws, such as those related to password privacy.
WORKPLACE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORK
Social networks generally refer to the online clustering of individuals in groups with common or shared interests
Policies and practices related to the use of social networks can help to provide a balance between a congenial workplace
:check: The best strategy here is to tell employees ahead of time that their communications may be read or tracked. HR to
- Identify key risks
-Review the organization’s employee handbook for related policies and practices and to determine if they are working and whether employees have to sign an acknowledgment.
- Discuss risks and concerns with the organization’s IT function or consultant.
- Consult with the organization’s legal counsel on key compliance issues.
- Align the proposed policy with the organization’s culture and its stated values
- Develop written policies and secure thorough review and commitment from leaders.
- Communicate the policies and require acknowledgment signatures for them
- Enforce the policies consistently, for both employees and management.
- Keep the policies up-to-date and revise as necessary.
involves the use of existing, new and emerging technologies to support the HR function, and the development and implementation of policies and procedures governing the use of technologies in the workplace.