OneClickHR, a leading human resources and personnel software developer, has today struck an infrastructure deal with BT Ignite Content Hosting, the hosting arm of Ignite, BT’s new international broadband Internet Protocol (IP) business.
OneClickHR will rent its flagship product, Personnel Director, to UK customers using BT Ignite Content Hosting’s wholesale ASP Enabler service from BT Ignite’s data centre in Bletchley. The platform allows customers to distribute software to new and existing markets initially using Ignite Content Hosting’s Internet data centres and backbone, which provides speed, reliability and security essential to any robust ASP proposition. It is the first phase of a European expansion planned for the near future and other products from the OneClickHR range will be added to the platform during 2001.
With this partnership OneClickHR is turning the traditional retail pricing model for ASP on its head – allowing firms to access software on a ‘pay per record stored’ basis, instead of the normal ‘per user’ rate. This approach enables OneClickHR to offer the rental of HR solutions to every size of business. Smaller customers will not be penalised and there are no set up costs.
Keith Langridge, BT Ignite’s vice president, Application Hosting, said: “We’re bringing OneClickHR the infrastructure it requires to meet its ambitions in the UK and Europe.”
“It’s one company among many for whom we can open up new marketplaces using the ASP Enabler.”
“Our flexible approach, with customers and partners alike, means we can also adapt our service to suit their requirements as their horizons and business needs change.”
Frank Beechinor, managing director of OneClickHR, said: “With BT Ignite Content Hosting we have a hosting partner who gives us the data centre and network we need to ensure customers that sensitive personnel records are kept absolutely safe and secure. In addition availability of bandwidth and the network uptime that only BT can offer means we can offer a reliable service to customers which is critical to any ASP-delivered model.”
“Together with BT Ignite we’ve worked to develop a service which has a radically different pricing structure. Charging customers by the number of records stored, rather than by each user, drives down the cost of applications substantially. This broadens the appeal of personnel and human resource solutions to smaller businesses with fewer employee records which, in turn, will create a new mass market for our products.”
“BT Ignite’s pan-European presence also means that we have a partner that can work with us as we develop the business internationally”
OneClickHR’s human resource and personnel software and web based HR services are used by more than 20,000 businesses in the UK – including the BBC, Ministry of Defence and the Metropolitan Police. Localised versions of their boxed products are available in Holland, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand. Personnel Director, one of the 20 products in the Vizual range, was launched in February 2000.
