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2011 has been an interesting and eventful year, and perhaps for some of the wrong reasons.
In finance we’ve seen economic uncertainty grow to proportions that cause political paralysis; and fiscal instability replace politician led democratic governments with economist led interim ruling elites. (And who’s to say that’s a bad thing?)
In technology we’ve seen the loss of one of the true thinkers and innovators of our time. Ultimately when Steve Jobs had an idea he believed in he backed himself to deliver the vision, and on an epic scale.
What’s around the corner?
As Etz brings the areas of recruitment and finance together in many agencies, we thought we’d offer the view from where we’re sitting. Here are some predictions for 2012.
SaaS will grow
The proliferation of SaaS will continue unabated. The business model behind many web apps is simplicity itself and critically it wraps in compelling benefits supply-side and for customers, especially around cost. This makes SaaS a winner in the short to mid-term at least.
Costs will continue to be squeezed (we say that with uncertainty!)
UK Government is now on record as saying we are four years into austerity with 6 more to come. Merkel’s murky proposal for re-negotiation of EU member contracts looks set to pour oil onto a hot fire. That’s where we are now. Who knows where we’ll be tomorrow? Whatever your point view it looks like the best you can do is plan for more uncertainty.
Social media will continue to grow
One academic view is that social media is democracy in action – it’s a chance to participate and make your view known. However, we’re not sure it feels exactly like casting a vote when we blog, tweet or comment on a post though. What is uncontested is that social media is a powerful force, that intelligently applied, may be put to great use by SaaS providers for the benefit of customers. Watch this space!
Software companies will work harder to stay up to date
The development of Line of Business (LOB) applications goes hand in hand with the SaaS delivery model. LOB creates dedicated applications that meet a specific business purpose (like Etz Timesheets). This is highly effective in solving specific problems, in a business area like finance, or a sector such as recruitment. Technologies like Microsoft .NET framework and development platforms like MS Dynamics CRM enable seamless integration with MS Office, so expect lots more LOB web apps to evolve.
AWR software will become commonplace
AWR (Agency Worker Regulations) has increased the admin burden in the recruitment back office. AWR adds to the list of general recruitment compliance issues. There is an increasing need for agencies to take control of this area as compliance failure has significant financial and reputational penalties. Software that maximises efficiency and totally wraps up the compliance requirement of the recruitment back office is set to be a big winner.
