KUALA LUMPUR: Complete Human Network (CHN) recently gathered IT and ITC decision makers from across industries to share a secure and flexible model for employees and devices in a world of hybrid work. Held as a follow-up to Apple's 2022 WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference), the seminar – "Managing and Securing Mobile Employees in a Hybrid World" – was organised in collaboration with the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) targeted at addressing gaps that have arisen in an increasingly hybrid work environment.
Just last month, the president of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) called on the necessity to equip human resource personnel and department heads with the knowledge and infrastructure to develop agile policies for hybrid workforces.
According to the enterprise mobility company, the local economy begins to once again operate at full force and employers now have to balance the feasibility of flexible work arrangements with growing employee demands in Malaysia and that the seminar was useful for companies to understand the reality of hybrid work arrangement and embrace its quality.
"We believe this seminar has been enlightening for local businesses to grow into becoming remote-friendly employers and helped make the idea of supporting a hybrid workforce less daunting," said CHN founder and chief executive officer Teh Chai Peng.
The half-day seminar featured presentations from Apple who talked on how Apple products are uniquely designed for work in a hybrid environment as well as the intricacies of how the company manages its employee IT experience.
"It (the seminar) has offered insights from Apple, detailing devices, systems and functionalities that make managing hybrid working easier. There was even a one-of-a-kind sharing session from Apple on how they manage hybrid working, which allowed others to learn from the best practices of one of the world's leading companies," added Teh.
CHN's Business Development director James Choong also addressed the participants with a presentation on CHN's Enterprise Mobility as-a-Service (EMaaS).
Commenting on the increasing need for IT as a service solution for businesses in this hybrid working era, PIKOM CIO Chapter deputy director Ngoh Chee Hung said that CHN's model will be able to solve businesses' concerns when adopting the hybrid work arrangement.
"CHN's Enterprise Mobility as-a-Service (EMaaS) model has the ability to address challenges enterprises and businesses face with dispersed locations and limited support resources when it comes to device deployment and management. SMEs will definitely benefit not only from the ease in IT and security management but also from better management of cash flow, Enterprise Mobility as-a-Service (EMaaS) is definitely the way to go."
The seminar concluded with an in-depth discussion on the topic of hybrid working at a holistic level featuring representatives from the education, SME and start-up communities as well as from the commercial enterprise industry.
The panel featured the Education Ministry's deputy director for Education Resource and Technology Division (BSTP) Dr Wagheeh Shukry Hassan, Cradle Fund's senior vice president Ahmad Kashfi Abdullah, and Celcom Axiata's head of enterprise strategy and business operations Pedro Aleixo.
The 30-minutes panel discussion saw the panellist dissect various concerns and challenges faced by their respective industries in adapting to more hybrid demands of the post-pandemic world which include cost efficiencies, productivity in remote scenarios, dispersion of office workforce across states and nations, remote teaching and learning, and upcoming Apple devices and how this could assist in hybrid operations.
Wrapping up her thoughts on the event, Teh said, "In being future-ready, companies should not only look to keep up with the demands of digital transformation but every aspect of supporting a hybrid workforce, especially as employees increasingly prioritise a work-life balance. This includes employee choice in tech devices and creating seamless ecosystems that facilitate this choice and the choice of working flexibly and remotely".