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With today marking worldwide “computer security day”, what better time to assess your company’s approach to data privacy?

Held annually on November 30th, the global event aims to raise awareness of computer, information and data protection. And those in the technology profession have a significant role to play in providing a greater insight into the privacy and security issues surrounding electronically stored information.

However computer security is not something we should consider only once a year. The privacy of potentially sensitive information, and the protection of data from loss, needs to be part of a fully comprehensive approach to data security that is culturally embedded into an organisation.

The nature of a company’s business activity is likely to influence how strictly defined a given approach to data protection is. Those in the legal profession for example regularly handle sensitive records that must remain secure. However every organisation should be encouraged to take a closer look at the level of information they hold. Sometimes it isn’t immediately apparent, but when pushed to answer the question “do I work with potentially sensitive information that should remain secure, supported and private?” the need for a considered data protection policy becomes much clearer. Whether you store personnel records, banking details, or general classified material, such information can prove very costly in the wrong hands, especially as identity theft remains a very real issue.

A survey carried out this month revealed that – for 82% of clients – data security was an important factor when choosing to invest in Cascade’s .NET HR and payroll solution. This is an encouraging sign, as it demonstrates clients’ desire to adopt best practice and protect data from the outset.

But for those of you that haven’t until now identified data security as a priority, what simple steps can be taken to further protect your business?

• Devise a clear data and IT policy so that everyone within the organisation understands the parameters within which they can work. This need only be a simple “do’s and dont’s” document, but ensure it is widely communicated and available for download/access at any point in time. A recent survey undertaken by Imperva revealed that 72% of workers questioned, had swiped confidential data from their employers in the past. 59% stated they did this because they thought the information – such as intellectual property or customer records – was rightfully theirs. More than three quarters of respondents said that their employers didn’t have a data policy that they were aware of, hence they didn’t deem the action inappropriate

• If you accept or exchange valuable data ensure it is encrypted. The very nature and prevalence of email communication means it is easy to send a message to the incorrect recipient if sufficient care is not taken, but data encryption would ensure this is not an issue. Standard PKZIP tools are available to ensure 256 Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). It is important though that the password to unlock the encryption is supplied separately

• It may be necessary to ban or certainly restrict internet and USB stick use. If USB sticks are a necessity, make sure the data is saved in an encrypted format so that if it is lost it is not usable

• Protect PCs and smart phones with a password in case they are lost or stolen

• Keep potentially sensitive electronic information in a different, fully secure location. At Cascade we have created two separate networks – one for regular day-to-day business, and one which stores private data:
*Password access is granted to only a select number of people
*Those working within the network cannot ‘get out’ and access external channels at the same time
*No-one can hack in

• If your company website accepts inputted detail such as personal information, ensure it undergoes penetration testing (an independent security audit)

• Ensure data is sufficiently backed up. When replicating data elsewhere, either use a trusted external device or store information in a separate geographical location. Twenty five per cent of Cascade clients currently opt for the security of housing and maintaining their servers in our dedicated external facility rather than their own premises, for the peace of mind that their systems and data are secure. If backing up your own data, test the device regularly to ensure it is correctly replicating your information

• Do not print off sensitive/personal data unless it is absolutely necessary. If you do need a hard copy, keep it locked away and shred when no longer required

• If sensitive information is stored in a particular location, ensure doors to this area of the building remain closed, and are accessible only with a standard key or passcode. Server rooms should be unmarked so that they cannot be identified from the outside

• When recruiting, consider the level to which you wish to vet prospective employees before they join the business. A growing number of companies are looking to take on temporary staff in favour of permanent employees over the next 12 months, but the recruitment process shouldn’t be rushed as a result. At a minimum references should still be checked to ensure individuals have not breached data protection policies in the past.

Whilst the above mechanisms may seem straightforward, the key to their success is the level to which they are embraced throughout the entire organisation.

For some companies a degree of cultural change may be required. It is widely acknowledged that this is a difficult process to manage, however it may be a necessity if your company is to fulfil its duty of care to staff and customers alike. In order to strike a ‘happy medium’, it is important to educate and engage with employees so that they appreciate the importance of data protection, and understand and fully support the reasons for the described change.

November 30th may be the day when we all assess our level of protection from data theft and loss, but it must be acknowledged that computer security is a very real ongoing issue.

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Click here to read our latest client case study from Sofgen. With around 300 employees and demanding human resource challenges Sofgen are a great example of an organisation introducing technology as a means to make improvements across their business.

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Leading HR software provider Cascade has introduced a creative new approach to planning for the unknown, following the first in a series of disaster recovery training events.

To ensure that their level of customer service remains uncompromised, the company has launched a long-term learning and development programme, testing staff to the limit to ensure they have the skills required to cope in the event of a disaster.

With the monthly training events designed to prepare and test all areas of the business for various unexpected situations, the first session examined how a disaster impacting on Cascade’s hosted service would be managed.

The company recreated the worst-case after-effects of a major data centre loss, which could occur for example following a large fire where the servers are stored. Then it was over to Cascade’s disaster recovery team, made up of a number of specialists from technical experts to customer service personnel.

Dan Edwards, Cascade’s software development director explains: “This may sound like an extreme way to train our staff but we need to ensure we are resilient should the worst happen.

“25% of our clients opt for a hosted service because of the many benefits this option brings; not least the increased inbuilt resilience of all data being replicated, and located at separate geographical sites. If we weren’t fully prepared thousands of people could be without a HR and payroll system!”

“Many companies prepare disaster recovery instruction manuals but few test these paper-based strategies to check that they work in reality. This is why we have focussed on our hosted systems during the first training session to ensure that if a disaster did occur we would be able to deal with it with little or no disruption to our customers.”

To recreate the random nature of a disaster, team members and servers were drawn from a hat so that, just like in a real situation, there was no time to prepare specific equipment and no opportunity to accommodate for staff being ill or on annual leave.

Services to the chosen servers were then turned off so that staff could begin the recovery operation using a ‘dummy’ client. During this process the challenge for the team was to obtain data from the backup server, transfer it to the mirrored data centre and assess whether any data had been lost, all whilst maintaining clients’ Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

The team successfully resolved the issues within their 2.5 hour target, meaning that if the disaster had been real, clients’ SLAs would have been fulfilled with time to spare.

“This exercise has proven that should an external disaster occur in one of our hosted data centres, it would not result in a catastrophe for our clients. Very few of them would find it feasible to implement this level of disaster recovery planning on their own premises and so for our hosted service clients this gives the peace of mind that their systems and data are safe,” says Edwards.

In addition to the practical opportunity to plan for the unexpected, these training sessions are providing staff with the chance to further develop their skills base. Cascade will therefore be holding monthly disaster recovery training events to look at other areas of the business and different types of disaster situations. The next will focus upon how the business would cope without a customer service desk.

Knowledge gained from each training exercise will be passed on to clients so that they too could cope better in the event of a disaster.

“This exercise proved that even during the most extreme, unexpected circumstances we have the skills and capabilities to succeed in providing the highest level of customer service and protection. However we will continue to practice regularly until our disaster recovery procedures become second nature, and we shave even more time off our resolution processes. That way, our staff will be fully prepared should they ever have to respond to the pressures of a real disaster, when there will be no room for slip ups,” Edwards concludes.

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Leading Museums Appoint Cascade

A group of the UK’s leading museums has appointed Cascade to provide HR and Payroll technology.

The group, which is referred to as the National Museums of Science and Industry (NMSI) includes the Science Museums at London and Wroughton, the National Railway Museum at York and the National Media Museum at Bradford.

Between them NMSI employ over 1100 people across the four sites and manage some 500 volunteers who support the museums in various roles. Each of the museums is dedicated to developing a culture of excellence, discipline and continuous improvement and has recognised that they cannot deliver their vision and meet the needs of their customers without excellent people.

As part of NMSI’s ongoing commitment to its people, the organisation has chosen to invest in the Cascade suite of integrated HR and Payroll solutions which will be accompanied by managed services, provided by international technology company ATOS Origin.

This is the first time that Cascade and ATOS Origin have worked together to provide an all encompassing HR and Payroll managed contract.

What will Cascade provide?

Cascade will implement its innovative HR software, developed using the very latest Microsoft .NET development technology, and its fully integrated HMRC Accredited Payroll solution. Both have been designed from the outset to span a whole organisation and not just provide functionality for HR and Payroll departments. It has also been developed to engage employees and managers throughout an organisation to ensure best practice, efficiency and open communication when it’s needed and how it is needed.

The removal of paperwork and desktop delivery of actions and decisions, without any need for searching or technical expertise, has transformed the way that more than 280 Cascade clients manage their staff. By managing processes, so that users need just do, rather than know how to do, will mean that NMSI staff can focus on improvement and progression and not be concerned with “who”, “how” and “where”.

A combination of flexible modules including; HR, Recruitment, Online Recruitment, Payroll, Training & Development and also Workflow, backed with key functionality such as reporting and analysis features, integrated organisational charting, shift management and online payslips available through self service, will provide a comprehensive technical foundation to NMSI’s HR and Payroll functions as well as manager’s ability to communicate with employees.

The high quality managed services, provided by ATOS, experts in this area, will further ensure that NMSI staff focuses on running their business safe in the knowledge that HR and Payroll activities are catered for by the all encompassing service being delivered by Cascade and ATOS Origin.

More about our prestigious client NMSI

The Science Museum (London) was founded in 1909 with objects shown at the Great Exhibition held in the Crystal Palace. Today the Museum is world renowned for its historic collections, awe-inspiring galleries and inspirational exhibitions. Collections include Science, Medicine, ICT and Engineering and cover areas such as astronomy and cosmology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, earth sciences, natural history, natural philosophy, navigation, surveying, time, weights and measures, medical science, clinical medicine, community and public health and psychology as well as a host of other important and pivotal aspects of science history.

The Science Museum (Wroughton) is the Science Museum’s large-object store and its library and archive. Of over 220,000 objects, around just 8% are currently on display in galleries at the Science Museum (London).

In 1975 the National Railway Museum was opened at Leeman Road in York. The huge former steam locomotive depot, only 700m from York Minster was an ideal site for a National Railway Museum and, following its conversion and opening as the very first national museum outside London, the museum was an immediate success with the public.

Today the NRM is one of Britain’s busiest museums and is perhaps the most popular railway museum in the world. It serves a diverse audience at its two sites and elsewhere through its network of partnerships with museums and heritage railways across the UK. As part of its plan to retain its popularity, new displays are being created which will help a 21st century audience discover the huge impact the railway has had in the shaping of the modern world.

The National Media Museum covers seven floors of a city centre building in Bradford. It offers:

• Permanent interactive galleries about photography, television and animation as well as the Magic Factory which explains the basic principles behind those subjects.
• Three cinemas including an IMAX theatre showing the latest 3D films, and two other auditoria – Pictureville and Cubby Broccoli.
• Two special exhibition galleries where the museum stages a rolling programme of exhibitions from our Collection or elsewhere.
• The BBC’s Bradford radio, TV and online studio – a real, working exhibit within the Museum.
• A number of areas where learning activities, talks and tours take place.
• A research and collections centre where many extensive collections are held.
• Other facilities including Intermission Café, Pictureville Bar and the Museum shop.

The National Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, opened as the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford in 1983, with a remit to explore the art and science of the image and image-making, and has since become one of the most visited UK museums outside London.

Cascade are looking forward to working with NMSI who join Cascade as our second client in the museum sector alongside The Victoria and Albert Museum who are also implementing Cascade. Read more about the Victoria and Albert Museum by clicking here.

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“Review your approach to absence management or risk an increase in employee nonattendance” warned The City Region Employer Coalition earlier this month…

Government spending cuts are the most recent blow to the UK workforce. Whether it’s the threat of redundancy, a pay freeze or simply concern that the shake up will increase workloads; employees throughout the country are now subject to a whole new wave of stresses.

So considering reports that 13 million work days were lost in the UK due to anxiety-related illness in 2009, now is the time to shield your business and adopt a proactive approach to absence management, says Cascade sales director Richard Anderson.

If we consider a service-based organisation with a 1,000-strong workforce for example; 200 redundancies and a slashed budget could stretch employees beyond their capabilities, leading to a lesser quality service and subsequent customer complaints.

Increased workplace stress could then cause absence levels to rocket, thus placing further pressures on remaining employees and hastening the vicious nature of the cycle. While managers battle frantically to prevent service levels being further compromised, the support desk becomes overrun with complaints and the absenteeism issue remains unaddressed.

So how can we stop this worrying scenario from spiralling?

• Cascade’s workflow module allows companies to create a best-practice process for any given situation. Forms, screens and instructions guide users as to what action to take, which ensures the right decisions are made by the right people at the right time. Issues are addressed as they arise and no stone is left unturned. With absence management this is particularly important, as early identification is key
• Filters can be set up and attached to the workflow, so that the system runs a report and checks for matching criteria on a daily basis. Should the criteria – for example three days employee absence – be matched, the intuitive reporting tool then automatically starts the workflow process and prompts managers to take the necessary steps, when it is most timely to do so. This efficient, automated procedure eliminates errors, reduces unnecessary manual analysis and administration, and ensures issues are uncovered before they develop
• Cascade’s proactive software quickly becomes a valued and efficient member of the HR team, thus reducing the administrative workload and allowing the HR department to concentrate on a meaningful, supportive relationship with staff
• The self-service module within Cascade’s software empowers staff and helps to create a sense of involvement and responsibility among employees. This too alleviates the administrative workload within the HR department.

Crucially, it is important to remember that soaring absenteeism levels pose much more of an issue than simply the cost of sick pay and lost productivity. Maintaining staff morale levels and ensuring a positive feeling of wellbeing should therefore remain a priority, even in troubled times. This is not just a case of organising a corporate ‘away day’ every six months. Companies need to foster a culture of mutual trust, co-operation and open communication so that every day should is a wellbeing day.

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ICEE are a specialist in the telecoms infrastructure industry offering fast, flexible, high calibre and cost effective service solutions.

ICEE offers full network deployment services together with experienced project managers, in house logistics, warehouse management and engineering support, including the design, manufacture and fitting out of bespoke, or Type 600 high quality electical telecoms enclosures and cabinets.

ICEE has invested in the Cascade HR Management solution. Cascade’s experienced project team, consisting of a dedicated Prince 2 qualified Project Manager and a team of Consultants and Trainers supported by technicians, will provide a range of services such as Project Management, Consultancy, Configuration, Installation, Data Migration and Training to ensure that Cascade is configured to meet ICEE’s requirements on Go Live and that ICEE’s staff are competent in all areas including System Design, Administration and the creation of Workflow.

To engage employees ICEE has chosen to implement Cascade’s Self Service module which is unique as, unlike other systems where the Self Service module is a “bolt on” module and the only element of the system that is browser based, Cascade’s Self Service is, as with all modules, within the fully integrated total HR solution which is all browser based. This means that ICEE’s staff can be given access to as little or as much as is required from the whole range of features in Cascade. Not just those designed into the Self Service module. Access can be granted to any given information or feature on a per user basis if required or in profiles applied to groups.

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The Methodist Church of Great Britain have chosen to implement the Cascade range of HR solutions.

The Church, with employees across the UK, will implement the Cascade solution including HR, Self Service, Training, Recruitment, Online Recruitment and Workflow.

Cascade’s Core HR solution is a powerful, proactive and dynamic solution that offers a huge amount of standard functionality . As users log into the system they are presented with their user specific dashboard which provides them with the key information that is relevant to them on a daily basis. This may include team attendance, workflow tasks or even company wide information should they be allowed that level of access.

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As the world’s leading museum of art and design, the Victoria & Albert enriches people’s lives by promoting the practice of design and increasing knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world.

The Museum’s key strategic objectives are:

• Access and Audiences: To provide optimum access to collections and services for diverse audiences, now and in the future
• National and International: To be acknowledged and respected as the world’s leading museum of art and design
• Creative Design: To promote, support and develop the UK creative economy by inspiring designers and makers, and by stimulating enjoyment and appreciation of design
• Efficiency and Effectiveness: To operate with financial and organisational efficiency

These are exciting times for the V&A - they’re putting on hugely successful exhibitions and events, opening spectacular new galleries and facilities, working nationally and internationally, and making their collections more accessible than ever before.

The V&A recognises that it needs great people to help it sustain this success. It makes the following statements on it’s website:

“Our purpose is to promote, support and develop creativity and this applies to our staff as well as our visitors. We champion diversity and equal opportunities and are committed to the professional development of all our staff. We also offer a wide range of first class benefits, including an excellent pension scheme and generous annual leave.”

“At the V&A we value generosity, imagination, coherence and rigour. We need our staff to be welcoming, inventive, clear, consistent, and engaging. These qualities are vital to our success. If you fit this description then apply to join us.”

The V&A identified the need for a dynamic, proactive HR Management Solution which encouraged innovative development within the organisation through flexibility and the presentation of forward thinking, progressive features.

The Victoria & Albert have therefore chosen to implement the Cascade range of HR solutions including HR, Self Service, Workflow and Learning and Development. Cascade will support the Museum’s staff management and development activities by delivering benefits from the huge range that can be derived from Cascade ranging from specific administrative savings to reductions in absenteeism and also improved decision making at management levels due to dynamic management of KPIs and reduced errors through proactive management of best practice.

Any organisation implementing Cascade should expect vastly improved employee engagement, more accurate and efficient training and development and effective, organised recruitment with reduced costs throughout.

Control, clarity and ease of access are additional benefits that present themselves through Cascade.

These are examples of potential benefits. Ultimately each organisation will derive different benefits depending on their sector, whether museum such as the V&A through to other organisations using Cascade such as Manchester City FC or Morgan Est. Overall Cascade will deliver efficiency, knowledge, flexibility and a proactive, dynamic approach to management of personnel from cradle to grave.

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With less than a week left to go, excitement surrounding the World Cup really has reached fever pitch. National pride is rocketing as families, friends and colleagues throughout the country cross their fingers and hope that 2010 will be England’s year.

This level of passion is certainly something to embrace and be proud of, but businesses cannot lose sight of the need to adequately prepare for the four weeks of potential workplace disruption, caused by such an event. We have read many stories recently warning SMEs of lost productivity and unauthorised absence costs – whilst many have dismissed these warnings as nothing more than scaremongering, we should certainly take heed of some of this advice.

A massive event such as the World Cup could potentially push your HR team to its maximum capabilities, but if managed properly it is a chance to show your employees that you really value their involvement in the company. Here’s how the functionality of HR software could help…

• Preparation is key. Before the hype of occasions such as the World Cup, you could create a policy detailing the compromises you will make during the event, and the procedures employees should follow if they wish to request an authorised absence for example. This could then be added to the company documents module of your software, and staff could even be prompted to tick when they have read the policy, for your records

• A simple option is to listen to radio broadcasts in the office, or if you have a plasma screen why not allow employees to watch the event whilst working? However if you think this may cause too much disruption, you could perhaps nominate one line manager to monitor the event and distribute internal e-updates, or group announcements using HR software

• Many employees will request authorised absences in order to attend or watch an event such as the World Cup. If using a paper-based system, your HR team will find it difficult to manage this volume of incoming requests, and may struggle to grant appropriate authorisations. For example if your company has a number of designated first-aiders, not all can be away from the office at the same time.

However HR software can help with ‘key man blocking’, by assessing pre-authorised absences and prompting line managers as to who can and cannot be off as a result.

Cascade’s self-service module also allows for transparency across the whole company. Individual members of staff could look at what annual leave they have already booked off, their remaining holiday entitlement and who else is on annual leave at any given time (using team planners). They could then plan their own requests for authorised absence accordingly

• If some of your staff are based in other countries this would not be a problem with Cascade. The software utilises .NET technology and can therefore be accessed via Internet Explorer, so employees have the ability to request authorised absences with ease, wherever they are across the globe

• Flexi-time could be offered so that employees can take time off to watch or attend the occasion concerned, and they could then work the time back to prevent lost productivity. *But with HR software you could also empower staff and make use of a ‘work from home’ authorisation tool within Cascade’s workflow module

• You could consider granting unpaid annual leave, as long as this doesn’t cause any workforce or productivity disruption. Rather than creating an added burden for your payroll team, HR software could record this unpaid leave, and – due to the fully integrated nature of the payroll module – subsequently aid payroll calculations.

It is important to remember that HR software is an undoubtedly powerful engagement tool. Branded to align with the look and feel of your own company, software can effectively communicate with staff, record this communication and manage what could otherwise be a very difficult, labour intensive process.

So if you don’t have Cascade’s software in place, maybe it’s something you should consider ahead of future major events such as the 2012 Olympics?

* During an event such as the World Cup, some of your UK employees may be supporting other nations, so it is important that your flexible working practices don’t centre solely upon the England games.

Remember as well that not all members of staff will have been bitten by the bug of the event. However that is not to say that they should be exempt from any temporary changes to working practices, as this would dampen morale levels.

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Attendees will have the opportunity to hear how to build the business case for a HR software project, in a bespoke presentation by The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Amy Browne, HR Business Partner from ICE explains how they used intuitive HR Software to improve HR processes and add value across the business. Pick up tips and hints to help you build a business case to implement your own HR Software.

The seminar will cover the following topics;

Building a business case

• What benefits did ICE set out to achieve?
• How was authorisation obtained for the budget and the overall project?
• How did ICE communicate the monetary benefits to the business?

Selecting your supplier

• What methodology did ICE use to evaluate the HR software marketplace?
• What processes did ICE go through to choose which supplier best matched their needs?
• How did ICE ensure that the desired functionality would be delivered?

Preparing for your Project

• How did ICE prepare for the Project?
  - personnel involvement
  - documentation review
  - preparation of data map from source to the Cascade HR data template
  - assessment of technical requirements
  - involvement of IT
  - data transfer
• How did the organisation as a whole prepare for the new functionality?

Rolling out module by module

• What information was discussed in ICE’s project initiation meeting, and how was this translated into a project plan?
• What was the order of implementation and did ICE meet internal and external timescales?
• How quickly did ICE start using the software’s functionality?
• How easy/difficult was the work which had to take place internally to ensure success, e.g. payroll implementation??

Benefits gained

• Has ICE measured success since implementation and if so, how?
• What has the overall feedback been?
• Has the solution proved easy to use?
• Did ICE meet the needs of the business case?

Future plans

What does ICE want to achieve next with their HR & Payroll solution?

When is this seminar?
Thursday June 17th 2010 at 10.15am

Where is the seminar?
London, Olympia

How do you attend this seminar?
Simply click here to register online to attend the CIPD HR software Show.

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