Serverless Computing and How the TriNet Clarus R+D Platform Optimizes Tax Credits

Many businesses have moved from having servers located in their office, to putting the server offsite in a data center, to utilizing a server within a cloud service provider, similar to Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure. Going serverless altogether is the next natural step in that evolution. In serverless computing, the custom software that you decide to run is packaged into a software container which hosts both the executable code and the operating system. That virtual container is run on one or more servers that you do not need to manage, which is truly the ideal state of cloud computing.

From a business infrastructure standpoint, you can scale the computer power up or down by simple configuration, and only pay for what you use. The containerization of your infrastructure provides another layer of security protections. The ability to define your infrastructure in code allows for more rapid iteration cycles when developing new capabilities.

At TriNet Clarus R+D, we used a cloud service provider’s container repository to store the containers of executable code when developing the latest features for our research and development (R&D) tax credit platform. The containers were then published to the cloud service provider’s container repository, which created a new server cluster each time, drained the users from the old cluster to the new cluster, and then teared down the old cluster. Amazingly, this rolling deployment process can take place while users are still logged in and working in the platform.

Using the mentioned advanced development techniques, exciting new features are rolling out in the TriNet Clarus R+D platform. We’re committed to providing a platform that helps make the process of claiming the R&D tax credit easy and efficient, and these new enhancements will greatly benefit small to medium-size businesses who claim the tax credit by using the TriNet Clarus R+D platform.

AI-Powered Tool for Determining Qualifying R&D Activity and Expenses

One of the most exciting updates is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist clients with the four-part test, which is a crucial aspect of claiming the R&D tax credit. This test determines qualifying activities and expenses for the tax credit. The AI-powered tool makes it simple to enter information into the platform, which helps generate example responses based on the that information. These AI-generated examples will serve as a foundation for crafting unique answers tailored to your specific R&D activities, and they also greatly reduce the amount of time it takes for you to complete the study.

Importing Contractors and Employees

We’re also simplifying the process of adding contractors and employees to the expenses section in our platform. You can now directly import this information from your payroll providers’ platform. This feature helps to ensure the secure access of payroll and contractor data from your preferred payroll platform, and helps to streamline the entire process.

Streamlined Fit-for-Purpose

Our fit-for-purpose workflows are another major enhancement added to the TriNet Clarus R+D platform. You can now add projects with a simple click, directly from a list of commonly qualifying R&D activities specific to your industry. This fit-for-purpose feature will help save time and effort when identifying and including your R&D projects and maximize your tax credits by suggesting activities that you may not have realized qualify for the tax credit.

Advanced Input Checking

To further streamline your experience, our platform now offers advanced input checking. This feature will help identify unqualified activities in your expense descriptions. It highlights words and activities that may not meet the R&D tax credit criteria and provides an explanation message explaining the reasoning. This proactive feature aims to help save you time by notifying you before the TriNet Clarus tax experts review your work, so that you know to adjust your answers in real-time.

Take a look at how going serverless can enhance your computer infrastructure and use the TriNet Clarus R+D Platform to help claim your tax credit for the innovative work that you do.