I just returned from the Kronos Partnership Summit. Yes, I got to see Kronos Version 8! (How jealous are you, dear readers?)
Kronos is referring to the release of version 8 as a Product Event - a release of a product that is so special it has the potential to become a game-changer for its users. In this case, I think the hype is true. Just about everyone is excited, but in all the excitement, I'm consistently hearing a few themes and some questions. We're even seeing questions and discussions over on Kronos-fans! I'd love to get a conversation started - won't you join me?
Theme: It's all about the Java.
Well, no, actually it's not. Yes, that is HUGE. The impact of re-engineering Kronos WFC to HTML5 and CSS is going to fundamentally improve the sleep of many an IT department manager. But for Kronos, it's also about improving the overall user experience. By removing Java, Kronos WFC becomes device agnostic (yay android users!) but improving the user experience also means new user interfaces and functionality. Some of the cool new user interface design improvements include totally configurable views, sorts, and groups for employee and manager timecard screens, a much better process flow for historical edits, and configurable columns throughout the application.
Here's a number that blew me away - between 7.0 and 7.07, Kronos released over 500 new features across the product suite.
Mind. Blown. (How many are you using?)
All those features are in Kronos WFC 8.0 plus many more as noted above. Here's more great news - rather than incremental service patches, with version 8 you get the "Roll up Patch Release." This means all changes are rolled up into the patch so when you take the latest release, you get it all (and IT departments around the world swoon in happy relief).
Another key phrase that I heard repeatedly was Faster Time to Value. Of course, part of that refers to implementing in the Cloud for new customers. Still, over and over again, complexity reduction and increased customer satisfaction were given as metrics that Kronos is tracking closely and as primary drivers in many of the new features in version 8.0.
A couple of questions:
Are HR and Payroll included in version 8? Yes. This is a complete product suite update.
Should we upgrade and move to the Cloud? Hmm…you might have to come back to this blog for more thoughts on that. Generally speaking, it appears that the industry is moving toward Cloud-based solutions in droves. In fact, in data presented by the keynote speaker 68% of companies preferred a SaaS/Cloud Delivery model. That number, to me, is astounding. On a tangentially related note, the number of mobile phones in use now exceeds that of the population. Ready or not, Cloud Technology is being driven by consumerization in mobility, engagement, and integration. It is here to stay.
However, and I do love this point, you have to be careful not to "put your same issues in the Cloud". Question Everything. How can you make your employees' work experience better? How can you streamline your business processes? Do you have the right processes in place? How do you know?
Over the next few weeks, we will be starting a new blog series on upgrading to Kronos version 8. We'll talk about the prep work necessary to do it right, some of the questions you should ask yourself if you are planning to move to the Cloud, and whether or not you should wait or start immediately.
Please comment below with your thoughts about version 8.0 - I can't get the conversation started without you.
Amy - Director of Business Development
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