Hybrid work adoption crucial for small businesses, says GoTo
SMALL BUSINESSES and companies must adopt a hybrid workplace to boost productivity and growth and meet the overall demand for flexibility, global mobile device management solution company GoTo said.
In the age of digital transformation, consolidated software capabilities allow enterprises to spend less and focus more on the needs of both employees and customers, Lindsay Brown, vice-president and general manager at GoTo Asia Pacific and Japan, said in an interview with BusinessWorld.
“There are probably eight key IT management capabilities you’d have to get eight software licenses for,” he noted. “Especially as a small business, it becomes very expensive.”
Mr. Brown said digital adoption has grown as a necessity for the survival of any business today. “For a small business, it can end them.”
He added that the increased demand for flexibility across all generations can be observed, catalyzed by the pandemic. “Older employees want flexibility for more time with their family, while the younger ones for multiple jobs.”
Results of the Asia Pacific Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2023 showed the Filipino workforce preferring hybrid work (51%) and full-time remote work (24%) arrangements.
The 2023 PhilCare Wellness Index, which studied Gen Z — the digital-native cohort born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, found flexible work arrangement and having multiple sources of income as their priorities.
GoTo, originally known as 3am Labs, started two decades ago in the river-bisected city of Budapest, Hungary when its founder finally refused to drive through traffic from the Buda district to Pest where he worked, Mr. Brown said.
“He created remote software to allow him to access his computer from Buda,” he added, noting that the company eventually included remote support, management, and communications for businesses over the years.
GoTo aims to open such opportunities for small and medium businesses and simplify the complex environment of hybrid work with all-in-one automated IT management and business communications software solutions, Mr. Brown said.
These include remote access and support, conversational ticketing, visual engagement, and remote monitoring and management for its Resolve product, he noted.
It also allows phone and messaging, video meetings, webinars, and contact centers for its Connect platform, he added.
He added that GoTo’s solutions portfolio employs zero-trust security by design. “Any transaction has to be authenticated before it happens, which makes it almost impossible for anyone to get in,” Mr. Brown said, noting the potential data and financial risks associated with digital adoption.
The company also caters to large enterprises in the country like the Philippine National Bank and business process outsourcing company Inspiro Relia, Inc. for off-network support through its Rescue tool, he added.
Mr. Brown said the company has plans to set up servers in Southeast Asia beyond Singapore in the coming months, and continue the growth it has recorded in the Philippines.
“We’ve seen about 65% revenue growth, 30% customer growth, and 40% channel growth [in the Philippine market],” he added. — Miguel Hanz L. Antivola
