Riordan Manufacturing HR Upgrade

Riordan’s HR information is comprised of eight separate systems with system having separate processes to access and manage the data. The proposed HR system will be a single integrated application (Apollo, 2006). In order to achieve this, a completely new HR system is needed in order to meet the required. A specific software platform has not been chosen yet, as there are many in the market that is suitable for Riordan’s needs. Ascentis HR software provides a suite of software that integrates with each other, is easy to use and set up, and comes with hundreds of out of the box reports (Ascentis, 2012). PeopleSoft is an Oracle product that has a huge market and is designed to meet even the most complex business requirements (Oracle, 2012). There are many more that provide varying degrees of features, complexity and ease of use. The proposed system will be a server-client based infrastructure. The base server hardware specification will be configured to follow the hardware specifications for the specific HR software. For ease of installation, management and out of band administration, HP DL360 G8 servers will be used (Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., 2012).

The base operating system is Windows 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1. The default database used will be Microsoft SQL 2008 R2, unless a specific version of a database is required. To account for high availability and load balancing, a minimum of four servers will be used for the new HR system. Two servers will be used as a clustered database instance. The other two servers will be used as a clustered and load balanced web front-end. The software solution for the HR system is a single instance that encompasses all aspects and departments within HR. The system will use a role based access control (RBAC) model so that only authorized people can view HR information and edit the information. By default, no one will have rights to anything, and strict access control and auditing will be in place as employee data is very sensitive. The RBAC model will allow cross-functional HR employees to view just enough information and edit only the information they are allowed to edit, without providing too much access into the employee’s file or to groups of employees that the HR employee does not manage. The HR system will interface with external services using connectors.

Currently a third party maintains workers compensation information. The connector to this third party is two way, so that information updated from Riordan will synchronize with the third party systems and the information updated from the third party will synchronize with Riordan’s HR system. The connector will be designed to update once a day. In case of information conflicts, an alert will be sent to the HR group so that the most accurate information is recorded. The HR systems main point of input will be a web-based interface. Each of the high level HR departments will have a main page, along with subpages as required, to input employee data. Using the RBAC model, even within the specific HR sections information can be segregated intelligently so that not one employee has access to too much data. The web interface will allow each section to input data into a central location. While a HR employee is working on a particular record, the record will be locked so other HR employees cannot accidently overwrite information that is being worked on by another employee. Additionally, workflows can be introduced to approve new information or fulfill requests.

The web interface acts as a front-end to the database servers. All data ultimately resides on the database server, the web interface simply acts as a human friendly interface that allows the HR employee to manage the data. The each employee will also be given limited rights to view their records. The employee will access a different web site than the HR employees, but will connect to the same database so that what the employee sees is up-to-date real-time data. The employee records will allow the employee to request leave, check leave balance, submit a FMLA request or ADA requests. The employee will also be allowed to submit formal complaints. The employee requests will initiate a workflow and notify the appropriate HR contact or manager for action.

Managers of employees will access the same employee website, but will have additional pages that provide visibility for the employees they manage. The website will provide an interface to approve leave, provide feedback and make notes on the employee record. The HR system will be on the corporate Intranet and secured with firewalls. Both the HR web interface and the employee website will only be accessible while on the corporate network. The connector that interfaces with third party services will route out of the internet, but the connection will have strict controls so that sensitive data does not leave the HR system.

References

Apollo Group, Inc. (2006). Riordan Manufacturing. Home. Retrieved April 29, 2012. BSA 375. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/business/riordan/index.asp Ascentis. (2012). Ascentis HR Features. Retrieved from http://www.ascentis.com Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (2012). DL360. Retrieved from http://www.hp.com Oracle. (2012). PeopleSoft. Retrieved from http://oracle.com