The Virtual WHS Solution in Your Pocket
Wouldn’t it be great if we could use the proliferation of mobile devices our workers carry around with them to replace all the different forms, checklists and templates that make up a typical Safety Management and Compliance System?
What if staff could use the smart phone in their pocket to access up to date incident forms, conduct onsite inspections, complete safety audits or file hazard reports? The biggest change in how we manage our workplace safety is here and it is in the clouds.
If you use an app on your phone you are already part of the virtual world that is referred to as being hosted in the clouds. This is the biggest change to happen in IT since the introduction of the PC.
This makes sense when you consider that about 56% of enterprises consider cloud to be a strategic differentiator, and approximately 58% of enterprises spend more than 10% of their annual budgets on cloud services. The Everest Group, in their recent Enterprise Cloud Adoption Survey, further argues that cloud adoption enables operational excellence and accelerated innovation.
According to Gartner, the cloud is here, and it is accelerating globally. Based on their forecast for 2011-2017, Gartner expects adoption to hit $250 billion by 2017. In the same forecast, Gartner also suggested that the worldwide software as a service (SaaS) market would grow at an astounding yearly growth rate of 20.2%! This means it will be growing from $18.2 billion in 2012 to $45.6 billion in 2017.
The advantages of cloud or SaaS are pretty compelling. The proliferation of mobile devices, social media, data analytics and cloud computing makes this one of the biggest game changers in the way we work. Of course this was formerly considered the IT department’s responsibility, but business decision makers are increasingly viewing cloud as critical to the business.
Here at Safety Concepts we are very excited to be launching our own App.
The Safety Concepts App takes any form or template and creates an online version to give you instant access remotely on any device. For the first time you can convert all your inspection sheets, audit forms, checklists and incident reports into a virtual system that is customised to suit your business.
The App can be used to create an online Governance, Risk and Compliance solution. The best bit is – we do it all for you. You simply provide your existing forms or chose from our library and we upload to your own solution.
Compared to building your own application which can run into the thousands of dollars, the cost of having this App on your mobile device will start at $30 per month.
We have built the Safety Concepts App on a proven platform that is hosted in Australia. The App works on any IOS or Android device and will even work remotely with no internet connection.
When developing our Safety Concepts App we listened to business owners who said they wanted to avoid retraining their staff in how to use a new technology. So all your forms are exactly replicated and when completed can be printed out to look the same as the existing forms. This encourages engagement and avoids unhelpful change management issues.
There are many other benefits to using mobile apps that you may not have thought of.
No Need for IT Support and Infrastructure
Cloud solutions can run on your mobile devices. All of a sudden you do not need servers, routers and large storage facilities. Instead the provider is “renting” you a part of their much bigger and better IT infrastructure.
One of virtualization’s key benefits is that companies can make more efficient use of their IT resources. This benefit is compounded when using a cloud infrastructure service. That’s because cloud infrastructure services let you optimize capacity based on needs. Basically, you only have to pay for the resources required to satisfy the performance characteristics of your VMs. If you need more capacity or compute power, i.e., more of your users need access to the same application or your database doubles in size, you can leverage the cloud provider’s infrastructure to meet these new demands rather than build your own.
Better cost outcomes
It is widely accepted that the true costs of IT are in the additional support and infrastructure. One rule of thumb is that for every $1 spent on software another $7 is spent on hosting and supporting that software. Using a Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS) removes much of the IT infrastructure costs from the business.
Supports Collaboration and Engagement
Cloud allows work to be accessed from multiple devices and from anywhere, which in turns makes it much easier for teams to collaborate on shared data. As we see the focus of business decision makers shift from cost efficiencies in their back-office systems to improvements in their systems of engagement, cloud is often seen as the most effective means of forging a tighter link with the customer.
Flexibility and Speed
It is estimated that over 50% of leading organizations are turning to cloud to drive more rapid innovation in products and services. No more waiting to make the cut on the IT department’s long list of priorities. From efficiency gains to improved employee mobility, leading organizations are able to measure significant benefits from their cloud investments, but equally importantly, can pace their investments so they avoid a big up-front capital expense and pay monthly as the business scales.
Right now you can take the Safety Concepts App for a road test. To get your free trial CLICK HERE. Not ready for a demo but want more info? Contact us at info@safetyconcepts.com.au or call 1300 773801
