SINGAPORE, November 18, 2014 – PayrollServe, the Payroll and HR Administration Services division of Chio Lim Stone Forest, has successfully leveraged Microsoft Azure and .NET framework to deploy a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application called PayDay!. The application allows small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to process their payroll needs without the complications of managing their own IT infrastructure. Today, PayrollServe has about 700 active customers using or trialling the solution currently.
PayrollServe observed an increasing number of SMBs require simple, specialised, and easy-to-use applications alternative to the traditional HR and payroll solutions in the market, which traditionally cater to the needs of large enterprises.
PayDay! runs on a pay-per-use subscription model, which means that PayrollServe’s customers do not have to commit to any contractual obligations or up-front payments. Since Microsoft Azure employs a pay-per-use model, PayrollServe achieves both cost-effectiveness and scalability by deploying a web- and cloud-based application that is also fully managed.
Microsoft Azure was selected for the performance, security and efficiency that it offers the company. In addition, as privacy and data sovereignty is of utmost concern to PayrollServe and its customers, Microsoft’s longstanding commitment in protecting customers’ data was a key consideration for the company when deploying a cloud-based platform for a payroll application that dealt with highly sensitive data.
Shorter time-to-market
During the development of the application, time-to-market was a primary concern. PayrollServe was able to design and build the PayDay! from ground-up within a span of 10 months due to its developers’ familiarity with the .NET/ASP Framework. Deployment was also simplified – PayrollServe’s technical team saved 66 percent of their time in set-up, management and maintenance, compared to deploying on-premise infrastructure. The new PayDay! SaaS platform in comparison, can be deployed in a matter of days.
“We wanted to push out a newly-designed system in the shortest possible time,” said Thain Lin Tay, Head of Information Technology and Solution Architect, PayrollServe. “As our development team was already familiar with Microsoft technologies, it was a logical move for us to develop our platform using the same technologies.”
Simplified support and updates
PayDay! allows employers to manage payroll anywhere, anytime using any connected device, while enjoying robust data security. Due to the highly confidential nature of the data the platform handles, security patches and updates are critical to the application. Also, as payroll is linked to the legal framework in Singapore, PayDay! must stay up-to-date with the latest rules and legislation governing payroll and statutory Central Provident Fund contributions.
With Microsoft Azure, PayrollServe’s technical team no longer has to manually install server patches and security updates, simplifying the deployment process of necessary updates when required.
Tay added, “Running our PayDay! SaaS solution on Azure makes it easy for developers to deploy updates as necessary. This means convenience, reliability and 24/7 availability for our customers.”
Leveraging on PayrollServe’s expertise in the industry, as well as PayDay!, the company plans to expand its services to overseas companies, as well as looking at expanding the platform to incorporate the legislation and regulations of other countries.
Joey Tan, Cloud & Enterprise Business Group Lead, Microsoft Singapore said: “Microsoft Azure provides flexibility, convenience and reliability to companies like PayrollServe so that they can focus on their core business and expertise in the payroll and HR arena, while still offering differentiated and value-added services such as PayDay!, without having to worry about their IT infrastructure.”
To find out more about Microsoft Azure, visit http://azure.microsoft.com/. To learn more about the security, privacy and compliance features and policies undertaken by Microsoft for Microsoft Azure, visit http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/trust-center/.
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About PayrollServe
PayrollServe is the Payroll and HR Administration Services division of the Chio Lim Stone Forest group, a leading accounting and business advisory group that focuses on growing businesses. PayrollServe is supported by a team of more than 700 professionals in Singapore and 320 in China, specialising in Payroll, HR, Corporate Secretarial, Accounting, Taxation and Management Information Systems.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.