SMALL
VICTORIES

It can be tough for SMBs to compete for talent with larger firms that offer incentives like stock options and lucrative retirement plans. One way you can level the playing field is through workplace flexibility. As more large corporations call workers back to the office, smaller firms can offer the option to remain hybrid. It’s a powerful incentive. Sixty-four percent of workers said they would quit a job rather than return to the office full time.²

IT can make hybrid work easier to manage through systems that enable support for workers wherever they are located. The Intel vPro® platform, which is available on a wide range of business laptop brands, offers a full suite of tools for remote management, including Intel® Active Management Technology and Intel® Endpoint Management Assistant. These help IT staff to remotely discover, repair and protect PCs.

This helps to ensure that remote workers’ systems are always up to date and running smoothly. “Making sure employees are well equipped goes a long way to ensuring a positive hybrid-work experience,” said veteran technology observer Rob Enderle, principal analyst at consulting firm Enderle Group.

Just like their counterparts at big companies, your workers will be more productive if they can leverage the latest breakthroughs to collaborate with colleagues, get work done faster or create engaging content. But innovations like videoconferencing, AR and artificial intelligence can place a heavy burden on business laptops.

So your staff should be equipped with systems that can run advanced applications while handling intense workloads and graphics. PCs and laptops built on Intel vPro® range from ultralight laptops to high-end workstations, and come with the latest generation of Intel® Core™ processors – including 13th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. With up to 24 cores, these chips can support 4K Ultra HD video and complex business workloads. Intel’s hybrid architecture features performance and efficiency cores to automatically allocate workloads to seamlessly meet performance needs. Meanwhile, the Intel® Connectivity Performance Suite enables automatic traffic prioritization for Intel® Wi-Fi 6/6E (or greater) products.

Investing in systems that can keep up with advanced applications is ultimately worth it. “Using tools like AI helps improve employee productivity, and also helps workers with their work/life balance,” said Enderle.

Cybercriminals aren’t just targeting big brands. Forty-three percent of cyberattacks are aimed at small businesses like yours. And 48 percent of SMBs experienced an incident over the past 12 months.³ Smaller companies in industries that handle sensitive data, such as healthcare and financial services, are particularly at risk. Common threats include viruses and malware, insider threats, ransomware and denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Your IT personnel can respond with systems that are built to be secure from the ground up. This includes issuing personal computers where security features are baked into the hardware. Intel vPro® features multilayer security to meet evolving threats, integrated hardware-based PC protection, including below-the-OS security, application and data protection and advanced threat detection.

Beyond technology, leaders at SMBs must make sure that their employees are aware of evolving cyberthreats by conducting regular training programs. “Security training is very important,” said Enderle.

With a limited IT budget, you need to know you can maintain a technology footprint that is up to date without having to constantly shell out for upgrades. One way to do this is to work with a vendor that offers some level of future proofing.

The Intel® Stable IT Platform offers platform validation that aims for zero hardware changes throughout the buying cycle – for at least 15 months or until the next generational release. This means fewer hassles for your already overstretched IT staff and a positive experience for your end users. Meanwhile, The Intel vPro® platform ensures PC stability through rigorous testing that emphasizes smooth fleet management. “Employees need to feel cared for, and one way to showcase that care is to ensure that their technology provisioning is not only initially adequate, but remains so while they are employed,” said Enderle.

There’s no question that these are challenging times for SMBs, but with a built-for-business technology platform that can simultaneously deliver on performance, security, manageability and stability, your organization can thrive in this new era and punch above its weight.

Additional sources: 1. RSM, 2. ADP, 3. Sage