Dynabook Europe GmbH recently published the findings of its research titled ‘An SMB Guide to Making Hybrid Working Permanent,’ which revealed that many SMBs are still struggling to overcome the challenges of hybrid working, with two-thirds (67 percent) still failing to fully optimize their IT solutions for this. The study, commissioned by Dynabook in collaboration with Walnut Unlimited, polled 1,202 IT decision-makers at small and midsize businesses (SMBs) across multiple EMEA markets. The Integrator speaks with Alexander Malienko, Business Unit Director – Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe, Dynabook Europe GmbH, about this topic.

 Do you believe that hybrid working is here to stay?

Indeed, the evidence from our research supports this. According to TravelPerk, 76 percent of businesses have adopted a hybrid model, with only 11 percent planning to return to the office full-time. For SMBs, which may have suffered more than their larger counterparts during the pandemic, it’s encouraging to see that IT budgets are increasing again after 70% reported declining revenues (McKinsey). According to our survey of 1,200 IT decision-makers from the region’s SMBs, 44 percent will benefit from an increased IT budget this year, while only 22 percent will see a decrease.

Of course, simply having more money at their disposal does not guarantee that the purse strings will be loosened. The macroeconomic situation remains perilous, so budgets must be carefully managed. To understand where this money will be spent, we must first understand the challenges that organizations face today.

What is the biggest challenge facing IT Managers in the era of Hybrid?

With an ever-changing cyber threat landscape, it’s no surprise that 45 percent of SMBs ranked security as the most difficult aspect of IT to manage during the pandemic. This is split between network security (24%) and device security (21%), though the two are inextricably linked, especially in today’s hybrid environments. With IBM reporting that the cost of a data breach has increased by nearly 13% in the last two years, and Sophos revealing that 66 percent of organizations were hit by a ransomware attack last year – compared to just 37 percent in 2020 – it’s easy to see why security is such a pressing concern for organizations that risk crippling financial and reputational damage if undone by a data breach.

While security must underpin all aspects of IT infrastructure, it is far from the only source of concern for SMBs today. Over one-fifth of respondents (22 percent) cited managing employee collaboration as their most difficult challenge, owing to the complexities of connecting a disparate workforce, while a further 19 percent cited employee productivity as their top concern.

How can IT decision-makers improve the productivity of the hybrid workforce?

There may be concerns that employees lack the technology and support needed to perform their jobs to the same ability outside the office as they could do inside it. This explains why nearly half (46%) of IT decision-makers prioritize improving remote IT support and assistance for improving workforce productivity, and 45 percent intend to address this by training employees in IT skills.

Support and training, while important, can only go so far in overcoming productivity gaps. This is where implementing the right technology becomes critical, as evidenced by SMBs’ preference for devices (45%), secure communications tools (42%), and device accessories (32%), in order to improve the efficiency of their hybrid workforce.

Another issue, perhaps more pressing, is IT downtime. According to our findings, nearly half of the respondents (48 percent) lose at least seven hours per month per employee due to downtime, which equates to one day per month or twelve days per year. Furthermore, nearly one-third of those are losing more than ten hours of downtime per employee per month. When expressed in annual terms, the gravity of this situation is arguably amplified. With a seven-hour workday, that equates to each employee losing over 17 days of downtime per year – or more than three working weeks.

Such a significant amount of lost productivity is extremely costly for any business, but the ramifications are amplified for SMBs, which operate with smaller workforces and tighter budgets, leaving less room for error when things go wrong. In this hybrid landscape, minimizing downtime through more reliable solutions – as well as increased support – must be a priority.