Hybrid setup woes: Good IT infrastructure a must for SMEs to keep up

CEBU, Philippines — As the new generation of workers demands flexibility in the working environment, the hybrid setup reality poses another challenge, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

“With the growing demand to cater to the new generation of workers that enjoys remote and hybrid working arrangements, SMEs should be able to improve their infrastructure, ensure uptime and business continuity, and invest in adequate infrastructure to establish seamless communication, collaboration, and productivity,” said Vertiv Philippines country manager Jason Lim.

Vertiv Philippines is an American company that combines hardware, software, analytics, and ongoing services to ensure its customers’ vital applications run continuously, perform optimally, and grow with their business needs.

Lim affirmed that the new generation of workers in the Philippines values their time and would prefer to get more flexible jobs and offer a hybrid setup.

When companies introduced hybrid and remote working arrangements, Filipinos realized how they could be more efficient and productive in this setup. The same scenario can be seen for workers in Cebu and Davao. The growing number of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in both cities now offer hybrid and remote work arrangements, making jobs more bearable for employees.

According to the Cebu Salary Report 2023, Cebuanos experience better levels of happiness and engagement at work when companies offer remote work. Meanwhile, hybrid setups are expected to not go away soon, as well as in Davao City as its IT-BPM industry eyes to double its workforce by 2028.

To help SMEs as they start embracing flexibility and driving productivity by supporting innovation and new technologies, Vertiv shared these key factors that businesses can consider as part of their strategies: Improve IT infrastructure and ensure uptime. Since hybrid and remote working setups mostly happen between the time and space of the employee, they usually work on their own.

It added that the danger with this is that there is no assurance that the household where they reside can support the day-to-day operations. That is why it is better to safeguard this by equipping them with Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) that can ensure business operation uptime. Its primary purpose is to provide backup power during unprecedented service electrical outages, which protects critical systems from downtime, data loss, and equipment damage.

The wide array of UPS solutions Vertiv offers is perfect even for SMEs. Like the Vertiv™ Liebert® GXE UPS is compact yet has a high output power factor that enables more connected loads, which saves space and costs.

According to Lim, SMEs must embrace technological advancements that can enhance work processes. “Hybrid and remote working arrangements might be similar, but the former has more demands that companies must address. Hybrid means employees must still report to the office with flexible weekly schedules. Even if the employees still utilize their equipment at home, businesses, even if part of SMEs, should be able to sustain an adequate infrastructure to live up to the dynamic needs of on-site employees.”

To do this, Vertiv offers SmartCabinet, which provides all supporting infrastructure needed to successfully deploy a business distributed IT equipment. Using the SmartCabinet solution, companies can quickly establish a standardized rack system that simplifies deployment, integrates essential infrastructure, maximizes uptime, and protects assets.

Likewise, companies are also encouraged to promote active communication and cooperation among team members.

Addressing the challenges with virtual communication, team collaboration, and fostering a sense of belonging between remote and hybrid teams is crucial. Companies can do this by streamlining all schedules in one calendar and utilizing messaging tools, Lim said.

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, USA, Vertiv employs approximately?20,000 people and does business in more than 130 countries, including the Philippines.