THE information and communications technology (ICT) arm of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is offering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a product that allows them to make use of business-productivity tools and compute resources on-demand and pay only for what is required at any given point in time, via online payment.
IP Converge Data Services Inc. (IPC) President Reynaldo R. Huergas said the Enterprise Sachet model empowers the growing start-up movement in the Philippines to harness the operational capabilities of established players at a fraction of the time spent to deliver the technology, and at reasonable cost. “We define the Enterprise Sachet as the business model by which Filipino SMEs and entrepreneurs can use IT [information technology] tools that give them the same capabilities as larger organizations but at affordable, pay-as-you-use packages. It changes the landscape of business IT as we know it, because small operations are now able to compete in the big leagues using IT resources that are affordable, flexible and easily accessible,” he said.
Huergas said many local entrepreneurs understand that growing their businesses requires investing in technology—from tools that help them manage client data to systems that will automate back-office operations. However, budget constraints often prevent them from deploying tools as early as possible. Further, many technology services available in the market provide for small initial use with quick scalability.
Through the Enterprise Sachet model, business owners and their IT managers can access any and all cloud-computing services through cloud.com.ph. The web site is the country’s first and only cloud portal offering locally hosted services and payable online through major credit cards—MasterCard, Visa and American Express—over-the-counter cash payments via Dragonpay or popular online payment provider PayPal. “Scaling up or down anytime is not a problem. You do not end up with too much or too little services, space, or licenses. Customers only pay for what they need, when they need it,” Huergas said.
Cloud.com.ph is hosted in-country and in IPC’s own telco-grade, carrier-neutral data center. This means that customers can expect immediate service with minimal investment, as well as access to a support team that can respond quickly and understands the unique needs of Filipino enterprises.
Services available via the portal include access to cloud servers or virtual machines (Infrastructure-as-a-Service, or IaaS); Google Apps for Work online productivity and collaboration tools; and IPC PayCheck a local timekeeping and payroll management tool (Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS).
In addition, visitors to the website may also avail of 30-day free trial accounts for Google Apps for Work, IPC PayCheck, and Salesforce – the world’s number one cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) application.
Huergas said working with an always-on cloud infrastructure portal allows businesses to meet their IT needs faster, manage fluctuations in demand more efficiently, and ultimately experience increased productivity.
“The benefits of the cloud portal are endless regardless of the industry we are talking about. The idea that an organization can access their IT system anytime from afar, through a cloud portal, means that they have already benefited from it by saving on time and money,” he added.