Desktop vs Cloud Time Tracking

Desktop vs cloud time tracking can affect payroll, remote access, audit visibility, and future system growth. In this BundyPlus Podcast episode, Steve Jordan and Levon Lyimo break down the key differences between desktop, cloud, and hybrid time and attendance systems. They cover pricing, Xero payroll integration, Fair Work recordkeeping, mobile access, scalability, and the hidden costs that can shape the right fit for your business.

BundyPlus provides time and attendance solutions built for the way modern teams work. From cloud-based systems to desktop and hybrid setups, BundyPlus helps businesses improve payroll prep, strengthen recordkeeping, support remote teams, and manage workforce data with more flexibility. 

Explore more solutions from BundyPlus: https://www.bundyplus.com.au/pages/solutions

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

As I said, I've thought about this a lot because it sort of perplexes me because I'm very much on the cloud. I tried to get everything off desktop as much as they can, so I can pick up any laptop and still do my work relatively well. I think one of the other big things that I see with some desktop applications, and I'm I'm talking more ERP systems, like very big ERPs, where they do have very much an on-prem offering, is because the databases are so large and to get that performance that the users need to look at their stock levels, you know, screens are super fast on the application versus the cloud. Is that does that weigh into people's sort of thinking like the desktop timesheet processing is faster versus the cloud?

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Welcome to the Bunny Plus podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Welcome back to the Bunny Plus Podcast, and I'm welcoming Lavon today. How are you, mate? Good thanks, Steve. How are you going? Yeah, that's bad. I've had my my first coffee for the day. Um there you go, you're doing better than me. Um today's a really fascinating subject for me, and that seems to be the resurgence in desktop teenage software. Um, we've had a few clients that are sort of you know going down that route, and I'm sort of fascinated to find out why. So probably Levon, you want to start off with like what's the difference between desktop software and what is our class software? Because we obviously support both, and like our desktop's been around for 25 odd years, not to date yourself, but yeah, that's just like break down the basic differences between the two.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yeah, well, I think even before we get into the differences, it's important to highlight the the point of both systems are ultimately solving the same problem, which is time and attendance and um simplifying payroll. So, although there are also some differences in the functionality, I mean the key differences are just how the system is deployed and how it's um it's accessed. So with uh Bundy Plus desktop or studio, obviously the traditional application that, as you said, we've been working on for over 20 years, it's a desktop solution. So everything's run locally. So, in terms of the differences with Bundy Plus uh desktop or Bundy Plus Studio, I mean the main difference is the pricing structure. So with cloud, we sometimes get clients who are averse to you know ongoing costs with cloud subscriptions. With desktop, it's a one-time payment, it's yours to keep. Uh it's a lifetime license, so there's no kind of additional costs or on ongoing costs from the jump. And then as I was saying, how it's deployed and accessed, so it's all installed locally. I mean, technically it could even run without the internet, as long as it's just you know you're communicating with the devices via your your local network. Um and so there's actually a lot of companies who prefer this model. I think primarily one for the pricing structure that I mentioned, and just maybe having a higher level of control where everything's just run locally on your on your machines and you're you're responsible for your own uh backup and data management.

SPEAKER_03 2:52

From like an IT perspective, though, you've got what is like servers and databases, right? For the local on-prem solution. Is that like a bit of a blocker for some people? Or like if it's purely cost based, isn't there a downside in having that kind of infrastructure that you need to maintain as well?

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Yeah, well, as in because there's costs involved with that, right? With maintaining yeah, yeah, sure. And staffing. And and staffing, yeah. I mean, you're obviously still going to require staff with with both solutions and how you're managing that. But yeah, if it's spread across more people and therefore spread across more servers and computers and all the the fees that add up with that, that would be one of the other differences. But I think the main one being the the pricing structure for sure.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

The pricing structure, yeah. As I said, I've thought about this a lot because it sort of perplexes me because I'm very much on the cloud. I tried to get everything off desktop as much as I can, so I can pick up any laptop and still do my work relatively well. I think one of the other big things that I see with some desktop applications, and I'm I'm talking more ERP systems, like very big ERPs, where they do have very much an on-prem offering, is because the databases are so large and to get that performance that the users need to look at their stock levels, you know. Screens are super fast on the application versus the cloud. Is that does that weigh into people's sort of thinking like the desktop timesheet processing is faster versus the cloud?

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Definitely, and I think it's for that reason the desktop solution is more for you know smaller to medium-sized businesses because we've had clients who have been using the desktop system for quite a while, and as their um their uh business has grown, obviously their data by database and their employees count has grown. Uh, and therefore those tasks become or processing the desktop system becomes quite data intensive and can obviously slow down. Sure, there are tools that we can do to make the system more efficient, but ultimately moving across to cloud would resolve that that issue. So for the larger scale businesses, for sure, it would be a lot more harder or difficult to manage. One just because of a lot of moving parts. If you have a business with many different sites and with desktop, as we know with the hardware, it just communicates locally over your network. So requiring that the cloud system, or or that's where even the hybrid uh platform, which we we can we can talk a bit more about, where that can come into play, because that can solve the issue of not requiring everything to be on the one network. So that the clouds, the clocks can communicate over the internet, but then still be pulled back to to a single desktop interface or or installation.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

Yeah, I mean that that has been one that I've seen where we've had long time customers using desktop, but they've got that need, uh, uh especially when they went remote or some remote where they wanted to have a mobile app, and the desktop didn't natively support mobile, so having that hybrid approach where you could use sections of the cloud to you know gather the people's clockings and then download via the good old trusty industry standard Glockcoms, which has been around for probably even 25 years, longer than than the desktop app, that's been a real winner for some people. So let's touch a little bit on the auditing side of it. How would you say the auditing on desktop, would that this is a question of how would that still suffice, the fair work rules as far as recording people's times? Does that still suffice?

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Uh I mean there is audit trials and and audit logging in both systems. I I would say it's a lot more comprehensive in the in the cloud-based system. So yeah, on the back of you know, the last episode, making sure that everything's up to standard with with with fair work regulations, you might need to just look at that a lot more closer with the with the desktop uh installation.

SPEAKER_03 6:30

Yeah, yeah. I think the desktop really does cover the basics and what the requirements are, you know, recording when people clocked in and out. You've got records of that in order to when it happened. I think if you wanted to go into more depth, cloud is definitely like if you're doing like forensic type work, you know, where did this person clock in, what GP list location, what device were they on, what what area, who modified what and when, and what was it from, the cloud is by far the best. And that's probably the choice that the end customer's going to choose, right? Like what's important to them?

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Yeah, definitely, essentially, and as it relates to their requirements. So I think, you know, when you're you're thinking about which way to go, yeah, it really comes down to, you know, do you prefer that that full data control and want to take care of your own backups? Obviously, if the pricing structure is is a critical component or reasoning as to which way you go, um, that'll pretty much decide for you. If if it's just a, I mean, for whatever reason, we have people who who just yeah don't want to have any ongoing payments, they just want to buy things one time. I think there was a lot more resistance to this back when cloud was a bit more in its infancy, and when you could, uh there were still were a lot of solutions that were offered in the on-prem format. But now, as we're seeing like everything move to cloud, it it's rare actually still, and and and which is why it's still interesting that we still get inquiries for the the on-prem solution. Yeah, so you know, whoever's making the decision or the business owner, it comes down to that. Or do you prefer the flexibility or you got remote teams where the cloud system's pretty much going to be a a no-brainer for you?

SPEAKER_03 8:01

And I think it's probably where you know Bundy Plus in its infancy, it was only desktop and and we developed the cloud. So we've always had that sort of native progression and migration path for many businesses, and and we can we do it every week. You know, clients have been long time desktop and going to cloud and we're going hybrid first and then to cloud. So how many people are still deciding on desktop? And it's still cost like sorry is it still cost? Cost is the primary driver for going to desktop.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

I I think that's the primary driver is is cost. You know, people like I said, they just want to pay for something once and then kind of like forget about it. Whether that how that fits into their their budgeting, I'd imagine, you know, is uh plays a a role in in that decision.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

Mm-mm. And sort of the overall sort of employee count for those ones, is it purely, you know, they've got a hundred employees, they've done up the ROI on the cloud, monthly subscription versus a once-off, and they've they've worked out, look, I can repay this in 18 months or you know, nine months, let's just go desktop. So is that sort of like their their try before they buy type option?

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Yeah, in in a sense, I mean, with the pricing structure, you'll you'll see that you know they'll they'll do their calculations of of what they're they'd be looking at in terms of the monthly fees on the cloud subscription, and they say, okay, well, in in a year's time, that's that's basically how much it's going to cost me to to purchase the desktop system one time. There is obviously the ongoing uh maintenance with the desktop, uh, but that is you know in comparison to to cloud where that's included in your usage charges. So yeah, I think that's what uh uh business owners are thinking about when they make that decision for sure.

SPEAKER_03 9:42

Yeah. All right, so making the decision is probably pretty hard for like a lot of businesses. I mean, it's it's easy for me. I know which way I I go, but just throwing up an example for you, Lavon. I'm Acme Bolts. I've got 25 employees. I use Xero for my accounting. So what TNA time capture would you be recommending? Desktop or cloud?

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Yeah, for that, and that's just purely based on what you mentioned about the payroll integration using Xero. I mean, that's a no-brainer, that would have to be the cloud system because the desktop doesn't have any API integrations or even any any type of integration specifically with Xero. Sure, desktop still supports and has interfaces and file integrations with many of the payroll systems, but zero is not one of them. So if if someone was coming to me and that's their requirements and that's where they're at, uh it would be, yeah, it would be the cloud solution for sure.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

Cool. Um, so I am growers plus. I've got um 200 employees. Costs are super important to me. I just want to do what is the bare minimum to meet my fee work record keeping requirements. What would you choose then?

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Yeah, look, there the the desktop might be a better fit. Um, you know, it seems like one of the the key points there was price and and ROI and that type of stuff. So in that case, getting buyer with a desktop system would, I think, meet your requirements, you know, without even knowing, for example, the the payroll integration required. And even just a slight caveat to the last example with zero. I mean, if you were happy to do your own manual input to zero, that would be possible as well. If it was a smaller size or smaller team, that that's still possible too. Uh, which we we definitely still finding uh clients who who want that. Even though they're they're using a payroll system that we support, they still want to use you know their systems of just you know, export a timesheet in as as Excel and then they can key that into zero. But going back to your second example, I think the desktop system there might be a better fit for that company. Any final thoughts? Final thoughts. Look, we we I briefly mentioned the hybrid uh scenario or solution. So, you know, whether that's as a means of somewhat reducing your costs on the cloud system where you're primarily using desktop for your for your final processing, but you might want to leverage using the cloud system for, for example, the the our mobile app. Um, or it's if you have you know different sites and you know you don't have a VPN across your different sites, so you can't really manage that with the desktop environment. So using the cloud system for that as well. The hybrid solution is something that we still have a number of clients using, also.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

And and just lastly on that, the the advantages of cloud as well, aside from functionality and and remote access and all that kind of stuff, is also just scaling and kind of future-proofing. I mean, even though desktop or our on-prem solution isn't quite end of life, I mean, it's it's kind of ceased in terms of development. So going with the cloud system, you know, kind of guarantees you're gonna get all the updates and all that kind of stuff in included.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

Yeah, I was just gonna touch on um probably do your full due diligence to start with. I mean, you might, you know, go down the cost path, but there might be a lot of hidden costs as well that might be, you know, in there if you if you want to go desktop but you don't have a VPN, okay, let's set up a VPN, not knowing that that's gonna cost you 25 bucks a month. So you might as well have gone cloud. Um, or uh yeah, just just the whole flexibility of it. I mean, in a couple of podcasts ago, we spoke about resilience and payroll, just having that flexibility um in cloud is is is is much more um available. The add add-on ability for different clocks, you might be hyper nimble where you want to add mobile clockings for anyone at any time. Whereas if you're fully down the desktop route, adding those things on later is probably a little bit harder. So yeah, my point is do your full diligence, don't just go on the one price. What else do I need to add to fulfill that on-prem solution? Is it is a you know, two hours of a DB manager's time? What does that cost you? And you don't have to have that in cloud.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Yeah. Yeah, so yeah, due diligence is important or being thorough with the full project scope when you're when you're making the decision for sure.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

All right. I think that's just about it, Livon. I'm still as perplexed as why people are doing it. Um I don't know. You how many desktop apps have you got still? I think I've got two. Not many.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Not many.

SPEAKER_03 14:07

Yeah, I got two. One is uh like an AutoCAD thing that's comes down to performance, like cloud autocad's bad, and uh development system, and that's desktop as well. Same thing. So um that's it.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yep, and even in in any of the desktop ones I'm thinking of are still you know essentially cloud hosted anyway. You're just you're just running the you're just running the application, but you're still, yeah, uh it's essentially still accessible remotely.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Excellent. So if someone's looking for like a solution and need help, um they just book a discovery call with you in the show notes down there.

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Book a discovery call uh either with myself or Mike. Um we'll be obviously happy to go through all your requirements and and and pick the best solution for you or at least assist you in making that decision for sure.

SPEAKER_03 14:51

Awesome. All right. I think that's it for today. Lavon, thank you. I think we've got you in the next step. I think we'll bring a little bit of clarity on why people are doing and why not. So um, yeah, we'll see you in the next one. Gotcha, Steve.