Human resource (HR) database systems are in vast abundance throughout the business world today. HR database systems help HR professionals manage and carry out basic functions needed to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Column Case Management HR and HR Quick are two commercial HR database systems. Column Case HR is an easy to implement, web-based HR Services delivery solution addressing collaboration, content management, workflow automation, and integration features to improve organizational performance (Column Case HR, 2013).

Column Case HR advantages include multi-language support, 24-hour access, security features, it capitalizes on HR talent productivity and organizational performance, computerizes and regulates organizational practices and communication, and improves information distribution with extremely versatile, case-specific workspaces. Column Case HR only disadvantage would be its price; smaller businesses might not have the resources to afford its services.

HR Quik is a Human Resource Management System that simplifies the processes and procedures of tracking employee information and generating forms that are critical to the employment process (Data Ingenuity, 2014). HR Quik advantages include affordability, user-friendly; can easily track history of job, salary, and manager changes, track benefits plans by employee, employment forms are easily generated and ready to print, and running reports are hassle free.

HR Quick also doesn’t have any management features that would allow the company to manage employee or organizational performance. There also seems to be a lack of security features also to ensure only qualified individuals have access to confidential information. Another slight disadvantage to HR Quik might be that their service is ideal for small to medium sized companies, although their system can handle an unlimited amount of employee data (Data Ingenuity, 2014). The system that would fit the needs of my organization would be Column Case HR.

Column Case HR has a more professional appearance. FedEx is a fortune 500 company that employs thousands of individuals of various ethnic backgrounds; therefore the multi-language support feature helps the program be more proficient. Its security features offers privacy and ensures that only qualified personnel encounters confidential data. Historically, organizations were responsible for purchasing expensive software packages to sustain a competing IT infrastructure. Now all of that had changed.

Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which applicants are hosted by a vendor or service provider and made available to businesses over a network, typically the Internet (Rouse, 2010). While there is much efficiency in using SaaS for its human resource information system (HRIS) needs, only three will be discussed. According to Salesforce (2000), lower cost, simple upgrades and seamless integration are efficiencies that an organization would gain from embracing technology such as SaaS.

A database system called Microsoft Access was developed for individuals and small-to-medium sized business to obtain, manage, and report in a professional way (Learn It Anytime, 2013). Microsoft Access is very limited as compared to other database systems. The program isn’t user-friendly. It’s difficult to distribute files apart from stagnant files. There is very limited space for data collection. All of the data entered is saved to one file making it very difficult to run reports, queries, and forms (Learn It Anytime, 2013). Vendor selection is an important process when a company decides to build a new HRIS from the bottom up.

The HR department works with external vendors to help develop the system (Kavanagh, Thite,& Johnson, 2012, p. 137). When customizing a HRIS, the company may have to utilize multiple vendors in order to create the perfect system for that particular organization. As in any business venture, risks are involved when a company decides to work with more than one vendor. Those risks associated with the use of multiple vendors are functionality, IT Architecture and IT Integration, and price (Kavanagh, Thite, & Johnson, 2012, p. 140).

You have to make sure the all functions are compatible with one another and that they align with organizational needs as well as the opportunity to grow as the company grows. The IT architecture IT integration is the basis of what the HRIS will be built upon and its ability to interact with other functions and operations of the system. A HRIS that can easily integrate with the IT architecture will be more beneficial to an organization. In the end, the price of the HRIS ultimately plays a significant role as well. The costs to create, install, implement, and maintain the HRIS can’t be more than what the system is making the company.

In business, there will always be unforeseen circumstances to occur. Effective managing and planning can help an organization keep such circumstances at a bare minimum. A large part HR is managing a database system that aids in keeping a company organized and the ability to retrieve important documents in a timely matter. A company HRIS is very important and detrimental to its survival. If it’s not managed properly there could be a confidentially breach that could lead to legal issues, there would be increased data misrepresentation, and decreased talent productivity.

To circumvent the confidentially breach, I would install a security feature where only qualified individuals can use a password to gain access to confidential information. Only individuals selected will be able to enter and retrieve vital information from the HRIS. A vital role of HR is hiring new talent and if the HR database isn’t manned properly, it could have some adverse effects on recruitment. Having only selected personnel using the database and running weekly checks to ensure its proper use will decrease its ability for unintended consequences.