The COVID-19 pandemic has seen many businesses need to implement a wide range of telecommuting options in order to allow employees to work from home. Working from home has proved so successful in certain fields that businesses such as Google are reported to be looking at letting far more of their employees work from home than in pre-lockdown times.
One of the biggest boons to working from home is the emergence of cloud-based technologies, allowing employees to collaborate on and share documents in real time across multiple locations, whether at home, in the office or at another office in another part of the world. An area which has benefited greatly from cloud-based technology is recruitment, where details of applicants can be stored, accessed and updated remotely, allowing real time access to the latest changes from any location with an internet connection.
Why use a cloud-based applicant tracking system?
When storing data, broadly speaking there are two options, server backed up and cloud backed up. A server backed up system relies on a business having its own server, housed within the office premises somewhere. In turn, this means that there must be at least one fully trained network manager within a business in order to facilitate connectivity, back up and other issues. Server backed up systems can generally speaking only be accessed from within the premises, with a computer directly attached to the local area network.
A cloud based applicant tracking system stores files on the internet, meaning that any employee with access to the internet and log-in credentials can access the data, whether they are in the office, at a client’s premises, on the train or even at home.
In a fast moving industry such as recruitment, allowing client requirements or applicant status to be updated and accessed in real time can make the difference between a placement being achieved or lost to the competitors.
Could we just remote into office computers?
It is possible to access office computers remotely via software, but this relies on a live connection being sustained with office computers, and the office server being backed up regularly. It also relies on nobody powering down the office computer, or moving a mouse so that the office computer does not pick up on commands being given remotely, to give a specific example.
Cloud based software can allow an office to implement a truly remote desk policy, with employees able to access all business critical data via any internet connection, with collaboration from all four corners of the globe possible.
Cloud based solutions for small businesses
Because of the fully online method of storing data in the cloud, this suits SMBs, as it reduces the need for dedicated technical support in the office. It can also be flexible enough to grow with your business as it expands, meeting your needs no matter how large your business gets.
