MSC Malaysia companies’ hSenid Software (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and Ceylinco Consolidated (M) Sdn Bhd have launched People Station, which offers a web-based enterprise-class human resource solution at a price aimed at small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs).
The jointly developed solution, intended for such companies (those with up to 500 employees), is now available as software-as-a-service (SaaS) over the Internet by monthly subscription, officials of the two companies said.
When a company signed up for a subscription, a team from hSenid will work with it to configure People Station and map its modules to the company’s internal processes. There will be no additional charge for this consultancy work, said hSenid Software International director Sampath Jayasundara.
Access to the website will be by secure login, with the customer company deciding who had access to employee self-service menus, Jayasundara said.
The 13 modules in People Station are a subset of the full-blown large-enterprise-class solution developed by hSenid's Sri Lankan principal hSenid Software International.
hSenid Software International founder and group chief executive Dinesh Saparamadu said that SaaS is maturing and gaining acceptance as a way of deploying solutions without incurring the overheads and risks normally involved.
"You don't face the capital expenditure involved in buying hardware and software and upgrading it every few years, and in operating a data centre. You don't have to worry that a hardware or software upgrade might cause the application to fail. We will take care of those worries for you," he said.
Also, outsourcing human resources through SaaS frees up human resources staff to concentrate on functional and strategic matters more directly relevant to supporting the company's business.
"Up to 75% of human resources staff time is spent on strictly operational matters. We take on that burden for them, so that the company can devote those resources to more strategic matters," Saparamadu added.
Your choice
There are three subscription packages. The basic package, HR Master, costs RM15 per employee per month for companies with fewer than 26 employees, or RM9 per employee per month for companies with 251 to 500 employees.
The intermediate package, HR Advance, offers optional modules for employee lifecycle management, performance appraisal management and competency management at an additional per head, per month rate over HR master.
HR Pro, the complete package, offers HR Master plus all the HR Advance options, at RM20 per employee per month for companies with fewer than 26 employees, and RM12 per employee per month for companies with 251 to 500 employees.
By contrast, with a maximum cost of RM6,000 per month - less than the salary of an qualified human resources manager - a typical enterprise-class solutions could cost many millions of ringgit to deploy and require a dedicated data centre, Saparamadu pointed out.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said People Station will help improve the productivity and efficiency of SMBs, which make up the vast majority of the Malaysian economy. This will in turn improve the nation's economic growth, Chor said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Saparamadu said hSenid is looking to hire more software engineers for its development centre in Cyberjaya, one of four such centres in the world. The others are in Sri Lanka and India.