The paper offers an insight on the concept of human resource information systems (HRIS) in the contemporary era. The article provides detailed information on the accelerated attention of organizations on the need and vitality of HRIS. The article offers information on the key features of HRIS, followed by the significance of HR information systems for the HR function itself. Furthermore, the article also provides information on the growing market size of HRIS, the design and development of HR information systems and their applicability. Towards the end, the paper also provides an insight on the challenges and barriers to implementing an effective HRIS in the 21^st century.