University Business - May 2007 - (Page 28)

HUMAN RESOURCES hosts the application. These types of applications, also referred to as browser based, are usually accessed via the vendor’s website. The advantage: Users never have to worry about implementing upgrades or accessing the latest software version, which the vendor does on a routine basis. Considering browser-based software? Gross suggests asking the following questions that HR sometimes overlooks: • What’s the vendor’s disaster recovery policy? What is the uptime guarantee? • Will data be replicated to another data center somewhere else in the country? How safe is it and its storage facility? want to get onto the network as quickly as possible, complicated log-ins are better in this case for security reasons. Still, not every HR staffer feels comfortable speaking the language of technology. Break down the barriers. Invite an IT representative into your department to get a better understanding of current software and expectations of future applications. Or consider appointing an HR-IT translator. At Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, HR employs four people dedicated to information management who translate HR’s ideas on how to improve its systems to the university’s IT department. “We’re really not IT people,” says Alan Shryock, director of HR Information Management. “[We] understand how HR does things, what its philosophies are, and what it’s trying to achieve. Our primary [goal] is to bridge that gap between HR and IT so that each side understands the other.” The department also bases tech decisions on a handful of criteria created by HR over the past two decades, adds Anne Matoy, chief HR officer and assistant vice president of administration and finance. For example, each technology piece must empower OSU departments, employees, or students. Likewise, it must integrate information or avoid data duplication. Matoy says HR has to know and communicate its needs. “You can’t walk into IT and say, ‘Get me a system that works.’ ” She believes these translators have significantly helped her department leverage its technology and processes. What’s more, everyone in her department is expected to understand HR’s core systems. “Success comes from doing legwork up front,” she says. “We have an excellent rapport with IT and try to round up ideas and possibilities to come up with the best application.” Even if there aren’t any policies governing technology purchases at your school, working with the IT department in any capacity is good for both HR and the institution as a whole. The more informed you are, the better your choices will be. Don’t make decisions in the dark. Work with IT to turn on the light. employees. The request is discussed with an HR supervisor and an IT director who oversees HR, who then addresses the issue at the next change control committee meeting. The committee, which has approximately 15 people representing different departments, also gets involved in defining requirements for new software, exploring options, and helping departments work through the licensing, contracting, legal, testing, and validation processes. However, the committee’s decisions are not binding. HR can appeal them by contacting Murali or the school’s chief financial officer. If agreement is still not reached, HR’s request is bumped up to the university president, who is the final arbiter. While appeals are not that common, they still happen. Murali says, “Some of the discussions take two to three [meetings] before they’re ironed out. There’s a lot of give and take and discussion.” GATHER KNOWLEDGE, HIRE TRANSLATORS Spend some time understanding how each department across your campus uses technology. In some cases, it can avoid duplication of services, offering chances to share pertinent data or create ways in which different administrators or departments can work together to achieve university goals. At higher ed institutions with minimal IT resources, every department may need to fend for itself, except perhaps on campuswide projects. If this is your school’s scenario, consider hiring a technology consultant and creating a “triangle of ownership,” composed of HR, the consultant, and the vendor, says Charlene Gross, senior vice president of technology and operations at Precept, a benefits consulting firm. Define the responsibilities of everyone in this triangle. Gross says everyone must be clear about each other’s role, responsibilities, and expectations, such as who explores the different applications on the market, manages the vendor relationship, or oversees the licensing agreement. And there are always questions—lots of questions—to ask, especially if a vendor With vendor-hosted applications, IHE users never have to worry about accessing the latest software version. • How does the application’s security model work? How many tiers does it have and what are the capabilities within each one? Can you assign readonly rights to certain employee groups? Can management modify certain sections? Or can only HR make changes? • What are the log-in requirements? A complex log-in method is best, experts say. You may need to, say, change the password every 60 to 90 days. Ideally, passwords should be at least eight alphanumeric characters long and include a symbol or capital letter. While the average user at the institution may Resources BeneTrac, www.benetrac.com Precept, www.preceptgroup.com Oklahoma State University HR, www.okstate.edu/osu_per Western Michigan University HR, www.wmich.edu/hr 28 | May 2007 universitybusiness.com http://www.benetrac.com http://www.preceptgroup.com http://www.okstate.edu/osu_per http://www.wmich.edu/hr http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - May 2007

Contents
College Index
Advisory Board
Company Index
Editor's Note
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Marketing
Human Resources
Financial Aid
Community Colleges
The Innocents Abroad
The Big Business of Research
What’s New in A/V
The Kids Are All Right
Designing a Unified Campus
Business Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - May 2007