By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

In the global report “Human Capital trends 2012: Leap ahead”, Deloitte highlights how leading HR departments are already using cloud technology to improve the delivery of HR services.

“Recent forecasts for 2012  by International Data Corporation, predict that 80 % of new software applications will target the cloud and that spending on cloud services will exceed $USD 36 billion. This indicates a rate of growth four times faster than the IT industry average,” says Andrew Hill, Deloitte Consulting Human Capital partner.

“HR is helping IT tackle the massive changes associated with cloud, which is redefining the value of the IT function and transforming the roles, objectives, and purpose of the IT workforce. This shift requires new responsibilities and skills, including an increased focus on supplier management, business requirements, and customer needs,” he says.

Cost reduction which leads to improved utilisation and saving of money through consolidation of servers and data centers was one of the key drivers cited for cloud adoption as was agility and adjusting to changing demand and market requirements. This also includes taking advantage of vendor best practices, which are drawn from multiple organisations and rolled out quickly.

Digital disruption: Short fuse, big bang?, the newest paper in Deloitte’s Building the Lucky Country series ,  consider the magnitude of digital transformation within Australian business and government – the size of the ‘bang’ – as well as how quickly 18 industry sectors will be affected – the length of the ‘fuse’.