Implementing and operating HR and finance systems has long been a challenge for public sector organizations. Fortunately, cloud-based, SaaS HR and finance system providers are changing the game by leveraging data and technologies such as AI and ML to help organizations overcome obstacles and achieve success.
Traditional HR and finance systems typically required extensive customization, lengthy testing periods, and were not easy to update, preventing public sector organizations from getting the return they needed from their talent and capital.
However, there was reluctance to invest in a new system due to the risks involved.
Today's cloud-based SaaS HR and finance systems offer powerful capabilities that are easy to deploy, while also being more reliable, safe, secure, and lower cost of ownership.
Let’s take a look at how things are changing to empower HR and finance teams with better technology and deliver a more productive future for public sector organisations.
Every Cloud is Unique
The public sector is increasingly realizing the benefits of cloud computing, including reduced maintenance costs and modern, innovative software.
However, there can be a temptation to simply lift and shift legacy platforms to the cloud, with the mistaken belief that this will minimise business impact and commercial risk.
Unfortunately, this approach sets organizations up for continued inefficiencies, diminishing returns on investment, and perpetuates vendor lock-in.
Cloud-native HR, finance, and planning systems like Workday combine agility with depth of functionality to present compelling opportunities for public sector organizations.
For example, in an “adopt, not adapt” approach, capabilities are pre-built and can be configured rather than customized to fit the needs of individual departments.
Additionally, the time it takes to adapt new features to an organization's needs in a cloud-native system can be less than a day to several months less than in a traditional cloud system.
Plus, it automates security and simplifies access to new features.
These features and capabilities make it important for buyers considering cloud transformation to thoroughly evaluate the market.
Enjoy the benefits of SaaS implementation
The primary benefits of SaaS-based HR and finance systems are felt by the end-users in those departments.
For example, cloud analytics can provide actionable insights in real time from a single source of truth.
These insights can inform financial forecasting, help identify skills gaps, facilitate annual audits, and more.
A cloud-based platform that combines external data, such as Workday Prism Analytics, with core HR and financial data allows IT teams and policy and operational leaders to focus on key priorities.
For example, IT can control security, while other teams and leaders can self-serve without coding or buying additional software licenses, and easily assess and share insights.
These platforms also seamlessly integrate with third-party systems to help improve productivity.
SaaS-based systems empower HR and finance teams to become more autonomous, data-driven, and proactive by making it easy to find and act on the information they need, when they need it. They also enable these teams and their organizations to seamlessly adapt the system to meet their changing needs.
But help is available when you need it: cloud-native providers like Workday and its partners can offer ongoing support and guidance to help your organization maximize the return on your investment and operate with confidence.
Compliance with government security standards and sovereignty requirements
Security is at the core of Workday's culture, process, and technology, and this extends to achieving the assessments and approvals necessary to deliver services to public sector organizations.
In Australia, one of Workday’s most significant recent initiatives has been completing an assessment to a “protection level” under the Information Security Registered Assessor Program (IRAP).
As our Vice President of Cybersecurity, Robin Fry, recently stated, IRAP has been a “cutting edge” in our work with Australian public sector organisations.
“'What's your IRAP assessment status?' is typically one of the first questions teams from these organizations ask us. This assessment is a hurdle we must clear in order to work with highly regulated organizations that manage highly sensitive workloads,” Robyn explains.
IRAP complements other market authorizations, such as the U.S. Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorized status at the Moderate security impact level for Workday Government Cloud.
The IRAP assessment follows Workday's appointment to the Australian Government's Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) Cloud Marketplace, and covers Workday's applications, including Workday Financial Management, Workday Human Capital Management (HCM), and Workday Adaptive Planning, as well as related infrastructure, hosted in the AWS Australia region.
The IRAP and FedRAMP assessments are just two outcomes of a global compliance program that encompasses a range of data security and privacy audits and certifications.
Public Sector Clients Achieve Strong Results
Our impressive and growing list of public sector customers is a testament to the benefits of adopting Workday's SaaS-based HR and finance systems.
For example, in the UK, government procurement organization Crown Commercial Service deployed Workday to replace separate systems for HR, finance, and learning, as well as multiple manual offline processes.
Benefits of implementation include direct access to data for senior management to review in real time during meetings, reduced administrative workload through consolidation of headcount and labor cost reporting, and streamlined payment of supplier invoices, eliminating payables older than 91 days.
The company also now has access to a powerful avenue for continuous improvement through the various enhancements and features shared in Workday's semi-annual releases.
Other UK public sector organisations that use Workday include the Department for Education, Innovate UK, Student Loans Company, Channel 4, Cabinet Office and Ofcom.
In the United States, organizations like the City and County of Denver and Clark County, Washington, are realizing big, measurable benefits with Workday: Denver is saving up to 20 hours per month by automatically generating asset accounts, allowing them to spend more time analyzing new assets.
With Workday, Clark County completes payroll 60% faster and maintains 9,600 fewer general ledgers, saving $1.6 million annually.
The silver lining: the future of AI
As the age of AI arrives, cloud-native SaaS systems offer the public sector a future-proof solution.
These platforms can deploy new AI capabilities as soon as they become available, with minimal disruption to your teams.
Workday allows organizations that are still evaluating where AI capabilities fit into their workflow to opt-in to these services when they're ready.
As public sector organizations adapt to a changing workforce, Workday uses AI and ML to enhance employee experience, augment human capabilities, and improve decision-making across HR and finance — unlocking the full potential of people and capital to drive better outcomes across all aspects of the organization.
For leaders considering upgrading their HR and finance systems, the process is no longer a painful one. It creates an opportunity to break the cycle of risky programs, high costs, and low return on investment from outdated technology, and embrace a future of work that is more productive, simpler, and more cost-effective for the public sector and its employees.
