Rivo platform
James Jameson, VP of Product Strategy at risk management solutions provider, Rivo, explains how and why businesses should trust the cloud to manage risk across their operations.
The Cloud – often on the receiving end of objections and queries around data location, ownership of data and, of course, security – is undoubtedly beneficial in helping to mitigate risk across complex and global operations.
Gone are the days (bar those living in the dark ages) when businesses would record incidents through inefficient Excel spreadsheets – instead it’s hello to Software as a Service (SaaS) based in the Cloud, meaning that businesses no longer need to invest in a costly and difficult-to-maintain IT infrastructure. It has never been easier to manage risk across any given business – and to keep things simple, companies can set access levels according to staff job roles who will be fed only information that’s relevant to them, ensuring they are up to date at all times.
At Rivo, we believe that for risk management to be effective, it must be flexible. Investing in an SaaS solutions platform allows businesses to drive a complete risk management capability across any element of their operation – keeping it safe, secure and sustainable. Cloud technology makes the whole process that much simpler and targeted, helping to mitigate threats, enhance performance, strengthen governance and increase growth.
Improving the visibility of risk in your operations is where cloud technology proves itself as invaluable to businesses looking to maintain a safer environment for their workers; where is the risk happening and why is it happening?
The most advanced cloud-based solutions allow businesses to drill into the heart of the problem and pull this information together in a single system, allowing them to view complex analytics in a straightforward way. Once you can do that, you’re halfway to solving the problem.
Take Thames Water for example – in just one year, through our software, 35 per cent more hazards were identified and reported, and by addressing these issues the company was able to reduce injuries by 25% over the same period. This is a prime example of how crucial it is to empower the whole of your organisation with the training and software which allows workers to manage the majority of risks at source – cloud technology makes this possible.
Businesses need to think progressively when it comes to risk, and cloud-based technology is key to helping them achieve this. ‘Health and safety’ is no longer a throwaway phrase – in fact businesses have a legal obligation to conform to health and safety protocol and report incidents. So it’s important that they tackle accidents or near misses head-on and understand where and why risks are occurring, and ensure they’re addressed properly before something more serious occurs.
Technology is key to making the whole process more efficient – whether that’s the automated management of training and competence records to ensure you know the status of your workforce, databases that enable managers to quickly identify high-risk locations or processes, or software that can alert you to amendments to laws.
But what if I can’t get online? I can only speak from our own experience, but the joys of SaaS based in the cloud means that even when businesses use the platform in offline mode, the data is still captured and processed accurately then securely transmitted to us – the stats and information will be immediately updated the next time the business is connected to the network, ensuring they have access to the most current information at all times.
Many businesses still need to be convinced that the benefits of the cloud outweigh their objections. If you are part of the non-believers, we hope the above has accentuated the clear business benefits when it comes to mitigating risk. An increasing number of new products and services are also being deployed in the cloud as the default platform, so to avoid being left behind businesses must get with the times, to keep themselves secure if nothing else.
Managing risk across your business is no longer something that can be done by getting the temp to ask around the company and record feedback in an Excel document – health and safety is becoming sexier by the day, and remember, it’s a legal obligation as a business owner. With larger and more expensive operations comes greater risk and due vigilance – put safety first and you will reap the rewards in the long term.
James Jameson is VP of Product Strategy at risk management solutions provider Rivo.
Rivo will be attending the Safety & Health Expo from the 16th – 18th June at the ExCeL in London on stand P2760.
