Business White Paper

NETtime
A one hundred percent Web-based solution that offers a fast, easy method of automating employee time and attendance processes.

Introduction
As recently as five years ago, an automated workforce management system was not a must-have application. Many companies still used manual processes to calculate timesheets and manage employee scheduling and attendance. Today, however, workforce management is as crucial to an organization as CRM, ERP, HR, and Payroll solutions. The global market for human resources management applications has grown to approximately $1.5 billion in annual license revenues and $4.6 billion overall, including maintenance and services revenues (Forrester Wave, HR Management Systems: Choosing the Right System to Manage your People).

Because payroll comprises the largest operating expense in a company, accurate and efficient time tracking is critical to the bottom line. Inaccuracies of even one percent each pay period add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars in annual overpayments. For organizations still manually calculating typed or handwritten time cards, this percentage is typically even higher than one percent – a figure that can easily be reduced by transitioning to an automated workforce management solution.

While it can seem daunting to replace outdated systems and manual practices with new technologies, this is the path to accurate time tracking and elimination of overpayments. By choosing a Web-based workforce management solution, a company can make the transition process even easier. Web-based options require only the simplest infrastructure if run in-house. And, for companies hesitant about utilizing existing servers or having to purchase additional hardware, Web-based workforce management can be used in a hosted (ASP) capacity, where the entire infrastructure is outside the four walls of the business and in the hands of Internet technology experts.

Regardless of whether a Web-based workforce management solution is hosted or licensed, the technology delivers real-time information through an Internet browser. At every tier of the organization, from entry-level staff to executive management, users feel comfortable navigating and operating the system in a familiar online environment. As an added benefit, automating workforce management also helps make employees more productive and the organization more efficient as a whole. Even for technologyleery employees, a Web-based solution nearly guarantees smooth and rapid user adoption.

In operationally and technologically savvy companies, Finance and IT departments can work together to leverage existing systems and in-house platforms to track employee time and attendance, and to reap ROI out of technology investments. Once a company gets the basic pieces in place, custom reporting, VoIP, and biometric identification can be added to further control costs and improve the utilization of labor resources.

Opt for an Experienced, Trusted Provider
As a software developer and systems integrator with more than 25,000 customers, Time America is uniquely qualified to address the demands for accuracy, efficiency, and greater ROI in workforce management.

Time America’s history of success includes:

• Market innovation: Time America was one of the first workforce management companies to develop a 100-percent online, hosted time and labor management application. The solution, NETtime, complements the Company’s client-server and PC-based solutions.

• Introduction of new technologies: In conjunction with business partner CalAmp, Time America developed a version of NETtime called ExtendTime for VoIP phones, including the Cisco and Avaya platforms.

• Highly leveraged distribution model: Time America empowers strategic partners for rapid and wide-scale private-label deployment and distribution of most product offerings.

• Fast growth rate: The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 named Time America one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America (2003 and 2004).

NETtime: 100% Web-based Labor Management
Time America built NETtime on a standard, non-proprietary Web-based architecture. With NETtime, companies can harness their corporate information using existing systems. NETtime ensures the peace of mind that today’s technology will not become tomorrow’s legacy problem.

Recognizing that customers’ configurations come in many different shapes and sizes, NETtime is offered in either a licensed or a hosted model. NETtime was designed from the top down to meet both the business requirements and Web-based technical demands of enterprises. Its flexible design and use of proven distributed technology supports the high volume and availability requirements of diversified markets.

NETtime will enable you to:

• Eliminate up to 80% of payroll preparation time.
• Reduce employee overpayment for issues such as long breaks and/or lunches, early departures, and late arrivals.
• Streamline time, attendance, and payroll processing by automating procedures, properly applying company policies to time transactions, and objectively enforcing policies for the entire workforce.
• Provide employees with self-service capabilities to acquire their own time-related information (e.g.. hours, schedules, benefits, etc.).
• Allow businesses to focus on core competencies, rather than spending time managing employee time, attendance, and payroll.

NETtime Features

NETtime provides companies with a user-friendly means of automating workforce management processes. Offered as a hosted or licensed application, NETtime can be used from any computer running an Internet browser.

Licensed vs. Hosted

Hosted	Licensed
• NETtime is hosted at a worldclass AT&T data center with 128-bit encryption SSL and firewall protection.	• You own the software license and rely on your environment and Internet service provider to use NETtime.
• You make a minimal upfront investment and pay a Per Employee Per Month (PEPM) fee. • NETtime receives automatic, transparent upgrades.	• You control the system and your IT expenditures. It’s up to you to perform upgrades, back-ups, system maintenance, etc.
• You do not need any additional software or hardware.	• You leverage your existing hardware and software systems to run NETtime. • Add additional functionality based on your needs.
• NETtime is outside your firewall.	• NETtime is inside your firewall.

Employee View
Employees can clock in / clock out, review hours worked, check schedules, and review benefit balances all on one Web page. Employees can also personalize their pages, making them easier to navigate.

“Initial set up was easy. Employees like the convenience of clocking in right from their PCs.”
- HR Admin, Frontenac Bank.

Supervisor View
Supervisors can run reports against employee data to perform job costing, control departmental costs, monitor staffing, track benefit administration and more.

Administrator View
Administrators have full rights to the system. They can access the same functions as a supervisor, but are also able to close pay periods, assign security rights, and transfer data to payroll.

“As the administrator of the account, I like the simplicity of the software. I also like being able to access the data off the web. It came in handy last summer when multiple hurricanes forced us to shut down our office due to power failure. I would not have been able to provide accurate checks without NETtime.”
– Payroll Benefits Manager,
Axolotl Corp.

Interfaces
Time America partners with companies that share a passion for workforce management and related fields to deliver the highest quality products and services to customers. NETtime easily integrates with the most popular HR and payroll solutions, including those offered by Time America Authorized Resellers and Strategic Partners.Examples of payroll exports include:

Abra	Darwin	Gevity	PayPlus	SpectrumHR
ADP	Dominion	Great Plains	Payroll Associates	Summit
CBS/Intuit	EBS	Hewitt Time	PeachTree	Topps
Ceridian	Evolution	HRPyramid	Pensoft	Ultipro
CertiPay	Execupay	ManGrove	Pentamation	Unicorn/Geneva
CityPay	Fidelity	Millennium	Prime Pay	Visions Non-Work
Compupay	Fundware	Munis	ProBusinessPFL	Visions TimeCard
Cort	Genesys	Paychex Preview	Quickbooks	And more….

Fully Automate the HR Process

NETtime helps businesses improve labor management processes by integrating with a variety of HR solutions, which provides a seamless interface for employee data tracking and payroll preparation. Master data is typically stored in the HR application. Using XML and Web Services, HR applications can share data with NETtime. NETtime can also be accessed via an icon on the HR portal enabling single sign-on access to both systems.

Technical Considerations
Determining the right deployment architecture for a corporation can be challenging as technology continues to improve at a rapid rate. When establishing your hardware and software configuration, make sure that your systems are scalable and built on a platform that will last. Also, verify that your IT staff has fully considered issues such as peak concurrent usage, fault tolerance, availability, corporate environment, application architecture, performance, and platform.

Corporate Environment
The corporate environment will ultimately determine the type of deployment architecture. Begin by determining whether the solution will be implemented in a single or multi-site scenario. For multi-site scenarios, consider whether your environment can support a centralized solution. In some cases, implementing a decentralized solution will allow greater flexibility and broader management options. Also, plan to include factors such as LAN/WAN configurations, IT staff availability, budget, etc. Time America recommends that you consult one of our workforce automation experts before your implementation begins to verify that your systems have been optimally configured to run a Web-based solution.

“With three bases of operations it brings our timecard gathering in one place and speeds the payroll process.”- Director of Finance, Lakes Region EMS

Usage
Many corporations size their equipment according to expected peak usage levels. To determine peak usage requirements, begin by tallying how many users will log in and use the application concurrently. Concurrent usage is figured by calculating the different types of users (supervisors, employees, administrators, etc.) by shift, geographic location, and time zone. Often, the number of workstations in a corporation with multiple shifts limits peak concurrent usage. Generally, industry averages for concurrent usage of NETtime systems are five-percent of the total employees being managed. However, this percentage will be higher for enterprises with employees using Employee Self Service to report their time. This factor will also vary depending on industry and corporate environment.

Performance
Many enterprise systems do not have measured performance statistics on a per-user basis to determine server sizing and configuration. However, to help our customers gauge their hardware requirements, we load test all Time America products at various levels to determine performance capabilities. On average, companies can expect to service 250-300 concurrent users per CPU on a dedicated Web server. For configurations where multiple services (database, Web, application, reporting, etc.) are installed on the same server, the number of concurrent users per CPU will decrease.

Sizing Chart
The following chart provides a sample employee-to-server ratio. Please note that these are samples, not rules. Because a variety of factors affect how many servers are required to run NETtime, each deployment must be treated individually. Note also that this chart does not include machines required for data collection. Typically, these machines are standard PCs, not high-end servers.

Total Employees	Servers	Notes
1 – 750	1	1 Server (for database/web/queue)
751 – 2,500	2	1 Database Server 1 Web/Queue Server
2,501 – 6,000	3	1 Database Server 1 Web Server 1 Queue Server
6,001 – 12,000	4	1 Database Server 2 Web Server 1 Queue Server
12,000- 18,000	5	1 Database Server 2 Web Servers 2 Queue Servers
18,001- 24,000	6	2 Database Server 2 Web Servers 2 Queue Servers
24,001 – 30,000	7	2 Database Server 3 Web Servers 2 Queue Servers
30,000 +	-	Installations with more than 30,000 employees require additional specifications in order to accurately recommend a server configuration

Minimum Hardware/ Software Requirements

• Internet connection
• Internet browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, etc.)

Data Collection
Although NETtime does not require additional hardware, it can support a variety of data collection methods.

	Web-entry NETtime is a comprehensive 100% Internet browser-based time and labor management system. NETtime utilizes the latest in Microsoft browser-based technology, allowing it to run on virtually any platform (Windows, Macintosh, Linux, AS400, etc.). All you need is a connection to the Internet and a browser.
	TA7000 Series Terminal TA7000 data collection terminals are reliable, affordable and is available with features such as built-in Ethernet, proximity card, wireless capability, and high memory capacity. Optional features include a color touch screen, USB ports, biometric fingerprint reader, and more.
	Telephony An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) telephony system is ideal for businesses with remote employees and/or those with frequent travelers. Using a landline or cellular phone, employees can clock in and out, transfer labor hours, submit time sheets, check benefit accruals, and review hours worked. Used in conjunction with NETtime, the IVR system provides a seamless integration between telephony and workforce management, providing fast response time, flexibility, and reliable employee information.
	IP Phone Time America offers a private labeled version of NETtime called ExtendTime™, which can be utilized on IP phones. ExtendTime was developed in conjunction with CalAmp Corporation to allow organizations the ability to track time and attendance, and deliver employee self services through an IP (Internet-based) phone system.
	Biometric Hand Punch Unit Biometric technology is the new standard for employee data collection for a variety of industries including manufacturing, finance, healthcare and more. Biometric hand punch units eliminate buddy punching (i.e. when employees clock in and out for each other). These easy-to-operate units link directly to a company’s existing computer system, providing accurate employee verification based on the unique size and shape of each employee’s hand.

“NETtime is very user friendly and any one can utilize it. Managers will love to create various reports” - HR Assistant Manager, The Reynolds Company.

Reporting
Over 60 different NETtime reports can be generated to measure productivity, empowering companies to know where and how workforce dollars are being spent. Users are able to schedule reports that can be emailed directly to their in-box in a variety of formats.

Sample Reports Include:

Time Card Summary

This detailed timecard report shows the total number of punches, hours worked, and other non-work pay type information. The Notes option enables supervisors to see relevant communications from employees about time used. Supervisors can also view paid and unpaid hours, including a breakout of regular versus overtime hours. Employee timecard approval can be completed online or printed out for signature.

Tardy

The Tardy report displays employees who have punched in earlier or later than their scheduled in and out time. This report may be run for a specific department, group, or employee as needed for counseling purposes.

Labor Distribution

This report displays a view of departments based on a company’s organizational hierarchy – providing a top-down view of hours assigned per employee. It allows for view of departments by pay code breakouts, such as paid, unpaid, etc.

Summary
NETtime provides a user friendly, cost-effective solution that conforms to how businesses organize and track employee data. Flexible user-configurable rules empower organizations to support growth and change without needing to upgrade systems. NETtime enables businesses to track the information they need to make informed labor-related decisions that save the organization time and money. Available as a licensed or hosted solution, NETtime offers the flexibility to automate labor management processes with speed and accuracy.

Time America continues to be a leading provider of comprehensive workforce management solutions with more than 18 years specializing in software development and systems integration. The Company is uniquely positioned as specialists who have successfully understood and addressed the changing needs of customers. Time America will continue to enhance NETtime, staying ahead of the competition through innovation and by supporting the ever-changing needs of the marketplace.

For more information about NETtime or any other Time America product or service, please contact us at 800-561-6366 or sales@timeamerica.com. Visit us online at www.timeamerica.com.