{"id":2641,"date":"2016-09-02T01:53:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-02T01:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comparehris.com\/blog\/?p=2641"},"modified":"2016-09-12T13:59:51","modified_gmt":"2016-09-12T13:59:51","slug":"cloud-onpremise-hybrid-software-sandbox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comparehris.com\/blog\/cloud-onpremise-hybrid-software-sandbox\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Cloud, Private Cloud, and Hybrid Software: Who’s In Your Sandbox?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Public,<\/a>Cloud computing is quickly becoming standard business procedure, with 95% of businesses<\/a>\u00a0operating in the cloud in some capacity. Perhaps more interesting, however is the fact that HR, usually one of the last sectors to embrace new processes and technology, has also seen a surge in cloud adoption. According to the 2015-2016 Sierra-Cedar HR Systems Survey<\/a>, more than half of the HCM systems purchased last year were cloud-based.<\/p>\n

But not all clouds are created equal.<\/p>\n

Who’s Playing in Your Sandbox?<\/h2>\n

Remember playing in the sand box as a kid? If you had your own sandbox, you got to make the rules. You could choose a plastic turtle sandbox instead of four wooden walls, or you could opt for a different color of sand. You could use any toys you wanted in there, build any kind of sandcastle, mix pebbles in with the sand for increased building options–you could even pour water in to make a moat. It was your sandbox, your rules.<\/p>\n

But what if the sandbox was at the park? It\u2019s open to the public, so now someone else is making the rules. No pebbles, no water, you can only use the shovels and buckets provided, and the sand has to stay clean. And forget uniquely shaped boxes. The upside was that the public sandbox was bigger, had toys you didn\u2019t have at home, and you got to benefit from other people\u2019s ideas.<\/p>\n

Which one was better? That depended on whether you wanted the size and scope of the public sandbox or the exclusive control\u00a0of the private one.<\/p>\n

Public cloud is like going to the sandbox at the park. It offers increased functionality, greater innovation, and comes pre-configured with the latest features and technology. However, the same rules apply to everyone across the board, and while there may be some flexibility within that environment, you will be limited by the single code that manages the platform.<\/p>\n

Private cloud options put you in charge of your environment. Your sandbox, your rules. You can create a system that accommodates your current business processes while outsourcing the daily administration of the technology to the software provider.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Best Solution for Your Business?<\/h2>\n

Cloud computing brings HR departments out of the dark ages of cumbersome legacy systems and paper processes to a modern, fluid design that delivers more innovative features, better user experience, frequent upgrades, and flexible configuration. The drawback is that once the system has been set up, it can be challenging to customize processes based on your current business practice.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at the pros and cons of the three\u00a0most common cloud options: public, private, \u00a0and hybrid.<\/p>\n