Valuable Philippines Most

VOLUME
14
MARCH
THE LEADERSHIP ISSUE
Most
Valuable
Philippines
in the
MVP's guiding principle
2013
ASC Ref. Code: P065P031313P
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LETTER from the
Editor
When leaders
Jovy Hernandez
Editor
Mikey Smyth
Managing Editor
Gerrard Fabie
Editorial Adviser
Markus Jentes
Creative Director
Andrew Batiduan
Art Director
Rissa Golloso
Emily Reyes
Irene Dungo
Cheska Villanueva
Van Davidon
Check Trayfalgar
Ram Anciro
Rose Abes
Editorial Coordinators
Mac Lubaczewski
Michal Perez de Tagle
Enrique Estagle
Mei Abaya
Paula Venturina
Kaye Pineda
Editorial Contributors
Dare
Vickie Perez de Tagle
Executive Producer
As
the millennium arrived in 2000,
it was a time pregnant with
expectations of vast social and technological
change. Of course not much changed any
quicker or more dramatically than in years
past—for the most part “change” still
followed its historical cadence and process.
However, it was also the year social scientist
Malcolm Gladwell qualified the “Tipping
Point” as among the key facets of this
process.
Every change is marked by a point of
“critical mass” or as he more emphatically
pointed out, a “boiling point”. This issue
of Hot Joe centers on the economic
momentum experienced by the Philippine
economy thus far, and how PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise may be instrumental in leading
the next era of change.
Are we at the tipping point of cloud and
data center adoption? In our Sleeper Hit on
page 60, we feature cloud computing’s most
immediate benefits in Disaster Recovery care
of our Symantec partnership.
Change also comes to leading
enterprises as they shift providers, such as
leading BPO ePerformax who saw the need
to make the SMARTer switch on page 16.
We also get the PLDT Insider Cesar M.
Enriquez on page 20 and his thoughts on
what changes to look out for in 2013.
Media itself is changing and that its
center of gravity is moving increasingly
online, particularly mobile. The new PLDT
ALPHA Enterprise website featured
in Solved on page 46 attests to this and
how it ensures our mission to be your
responsive expert ICT partner ready for your
engagement and collaboration.
Remarkable leaders themselves may
be seen as social phenomena, exceptional
and dedicated to change in every respect.
We’ve examined our Chairman’s daring,
his unmistakable “MVP Effect” in every
company and industry he touches in our
Main Window on page 8.
I hope you enjoy this issue as I did in
exploring the nature of leadership,
how the little things cascade into
monumental shifts and ultimately
to excellence. This can be seen
in the way our economy is
moving higher, powered by
a momentum that bears the
characteristic leadership of
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise.
Jovy hernandez
Editor
March 2013
6
Calls
8
CLIENT
GREAT JOB SMART TEAM!!!
Thanks for the support!
06 Letter from the Editor
Regards,
Dennis De Guzman
Sanofi – Procurement Head
Jovy Hernandez discusses how PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise is leading the next era of change,
empowered by the “MVP Effect”.
08 Client Calls
16
09 Main Window
Beyond the myriad titles and honors under his name,
PLDT and SMART Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan
continues to create new synergies for all businesses.
17 live wire
41
PLDT’s in-house kaizen master shares his
journey towards continuous improvement.
PLDT's Annual Report features some very impressive
numbers while Teleperformance’s David Rizzo gets the
most out of his business and personal life with
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise.
47
Solved
This is the ALPHA way to go online and mobile. All
the better to keep you up to speed on ICT innovation,
wherever you are.
51
AVAYA’s Ed Doctolero uses “The Power of We” in
connecting the Philippine enterprise to the world.
55
Coming Going
What’s rising, what’s dying, and what’s
dead among today’s trends.
61
Sleeper Hit
Disasters-- both natural and man-made-- are no
longer an issue with PLDT’s Full Disaster
Recovery Solution.
65
The ALPHA Bits
Words of wisdom from some of the world's
most famous alpha-type personalities.
67
I would like to thank your team and
you especially for the support you
have provided us during our sales
conference in Tagaytay. It was truly a
GREAT DIGITAL EXPERIENCE.
The network services that you have
provided both for 3G and wifi were
SUPERB. We have not received any
negative comments from our users
during the event and with that you can
be assured of continued patronage
of your products and services in our
future requirements.
Thanks,
Madi Medina
Sanofi – IT Head
Caught on Page
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise seals the deal with AIM,
ePerformax, ADP & Pascual Pharma, PR Savings
Bank, and RCBC. Plus PLDT receives unprecedented
recognition for having the best people in business.
35 Partner Peek
20
Were You There
Anticipated product launches, informative talks,
and glamorous nights at the movies, thanks to
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise. Were you there?
21 PLDT Insider
29 ALPHA EXTRA
Jay,
I would like to thank you and
PLDT-SMART for providing WiFi connectivity to our medical
representatives during our National
Sales and Marketing convention in
Dusit last January 10-15.
Thank you for all you have done for us.
You have been a tremendous asset to
the success of our TeleTech team.
Todd Stott
Teletech
Dear Chielo,
Letters from actual PLDT clients, sharing
their own unique PLDT experiences.
BPO leader ePerformax makes the SMARTer
switch, growing even more valuable to their clients.
Hi Eena and Davis,
Hi Sir Jay,
I would like to express my appreciation
for assisting us in all of our JFC Mobile
concerns.
I commend M' Nova for the very good
job on handling our JFC clients.
Thanks & warm regards,
Ritche D. Guatato
Jollibee Foods Corporation
We appreciate the support you have
provided to our event at such a short
notice. We look forward to more
partnerships in the future.
Thank you and regards,
Gail Henson
Pfizer – Business Technology
we want to
Hi Jun and team,
Just want to share our experience for
both SMART and Globe in Palawan.
After scanning available networks
in Coron / Busuanga, our common
experience shows that there was no
signal for Globe.
Thank you and congratulations for the
excellent service!
Joemer Cahayon
VP for Finance
HUPER INTERNATIONAL
hear from
you!
Please send us
your thoughts,
comments & reactions
Email: [email protected]
Call: 88-ALPHA (88-25742)
or visit
www.pldtalpha.com
The Last Say
Eric R. Alberto talks about the dangers - and
possibilities - of disruptive technology to
leaders in industry.
March 2013
8
the
MVP
effect
PLDT and SMART Chairman Manuel V.
Pangilinan’s official titles are legion. Today
he oversees the key companies crucial to any
real sustained economic development—the
leaders in mining, roads and infrastructure
development, healthcare, broadcasting, food
and energy. To call him by the clichés “mover”
or “shaker” falls woefully short; a more accurate
description would be that he is a living pillar of
the re-awakened Philippine economy.
9
March 2013
March 2013
10
Our preponderant
task as a people is
simply to do better to
strive for excellence.
In hopes of keeping a great thing
going, there are the economic pundits
championing drastic action or even
“emergency powers” in continuing our
present upward momentum. This is what
they see as instrumental in discarding
the burdens of corruption and inaction
to free the Philippines of the “poverty
trap”.
But while some talk, write, or
discuss, MVP acts, and does so decisively.
When he does, it’s safe to say everyone
feels the waves.
Share Prices
It has been pointed out often
that the biggest effect MVP has on a
company is the prosperous trajectory
of its share price. Not so surprisingly,
this happens even at the onset of the
11
March 2013
first whisperings of an MVP takeover or
buyout. Philex Mining could probably
provide the best example. Online
discussion boards in 2009 were already
lighting up as Philex (PX) started inching
upwards of its then “resistance price” of
about P 7/ share. Today it trades well in
the teens, as of this writing at just about
P 17.50/share.
Professionalizing
organizations
Much has already been said
of MVP’s celebrated buyout and
transformation of PLDT. Over at the
telecoms giant he took a scalpel to
bureaucratic excess and fat, transforming
PLDT into the innovative modern ICT
provider it is today. He accomplished this
mostly through example and inspiration,
THE ALWAYS-PRESENT CEO
PLDT and SMART Chairman
Manuel V. Pangilinan ensures
that he is not just available for
his ever-growing business, but
also for Philippine society as
a whole.
March 2013
12
People respond
to the fact that
they share in the
effort and success
of the company
never with a tyrant’s mailed fist.
When he assumed the Chair in
2005, MVP voiced his observations
on the Philippine economy and how
it needed reforms. Just as much as
today, MVP lamented over paralyzing
complexity, a lack of goals, and inaction.
In becoming the ultimate hands-on
manager, he struck down the “CEO
as Jesus Christ” philosophy wherein
“their existence is purported but rarely
seen” at the same time he pointed to the
linked fates between employees and their
organizations.
On this he is cited on the Wharton
alumni website:
“People respond to the fact that
they share in the effort and success of
the company,” he told a Wharton Global
Alumni Forum audience in Singapore in
2005. “Now, people like open-style, flat
structures.”
Good Governance
MVP has always upheld that “good
governance”, with its underpinnings
in the principles of transparency,
accountability, and fairness is at “the
heart of corporate leadership”. At PLDT
- and for that matter, throughout all
Metro Pacific Investments Corporation
13
March 2013
(MPIC) interests - they are hardwired
into mindsets and spelt out explicitly in
corporate manuals.
Transparency opens up processes
to wider scrutiny and improvements
in efficiency-- by definition there
should be nothing to hide in a public
corporation. Accountability fosters
responsibility among every member of
the organization. Fairness also implies a
sense of justice and compassion.
MVP’s brand of good governance
effectively counteracts entrenched
interests, “passing the buck”, and
numbing apathy.
The pied piper
When MPIC sniffs out an
opportunity, everyone does more than
notice. It can be argued that MVP’s
push into infrastructure has spurred
others to mount similar considerable
bids for national projects. Today there
is a clamor to quicken the pace of PPP
(Public-Private Partnership) project
implementation, for the government to
get its act together in launching them.
It all comes perhaps from a shared
realization that there is “gold in them
thar hills” that MVP is looking at.
March 2013
14
As soon as the announcement was made
that the SM Group would team up with
Metro Pacific Tollways to build a proposed
9.97-kilometer expressway linking NAIA
terminals to the Entertainment City, it
naturally piqued more than casual interest
among competitors. The project would also
connect the South Luzon Expressway/
Skyway to the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway
as well as to Roxas and Macapagal
Boulevards.
As always, while others ruminated,
MVP acted first on a decisive plan.
According to the PPP Center, the original
bidding was moved to 2013 from 2012 to
give other groups “time to prepare” their
own bids, which ideally would be just as
comprehensive. In other words, they needed
time to catch up.
a Culture of
professionalism
Perhaps the most profound effect MVP
has had is in the transformation of the
Filipino mind. We have seen the emergence
of a professionalized, rational, and successful
Filipino, one who may never revert back
into “frailty”. Going and hopefully gone will
be the historical shortcomings of Filipino
management, as he pointed out in a recent
rejoinder to naysayers:
“Indeed, the Filipino’s failure to manage
well is shown in almost all facets of our lives
– poor airports, poor sewerage, unclean air,
mediocre economic growth. The list is long.
Our preponderant task as a people is simply
to do better – to strive for excellence.”
And for MVP, that famous pursuit of
excellence never sleeps. He has changed all
of us, and thankfully that change continues.
15
March 2013
March 2013
16
Wire
LIVE
Maximizing
Human
Potential
HOT JOE
investigates
what makes
ePerformax tick.
17
March 2013
March 2013
18
To
Perform
With:
Passion
Empowerment
Resourcefulness
Flexibility
Optimism
Results orientation
Motivation
We don’t just
provide service,
we continually find
ways to improve our
customers’ business.
These
are the words that greet
every ePerformax team
member every weekday morning. As we
wanted to hear this philosophy fleshed out,
HOT JOE sat down with ePerformax’s
Louis Meeks (Contact Centers Vice
President, Executive Support), Fernando
Abano (Contact Centers & BPO VP for
IT), and Ricky Santiago (Contact Centers &
BPO VP for Finance & HR). Together we
explored what exactly makes ePerformax
such a highly capable performer in the
BPO space.
ePerformax is a pioneer in the
Philippine O&O industry, having started
operations a decade ago when the BPO
space was a relatively wide open frontier.
“There were only 20 other BPOs around
then,” reminisces Mr. Santiago. “Now there’s
over 200 in Luzon alone.”
Not only are there more players, but
BPO companies tend to be bigger and more
sophisticated organizations as compared
to ten years ago – given that mergers and
buy-outs by larger, global corporations have
become increasingly common. As a result,
specializations higher up the value chain
have emerged as well.
“We're playing with the big boys now,”
Mr. Santiago says. “But we’re up to the
challenge. We ourselves could have been
merged with someone else - but that's not in
19
March 2013
our culture.”
ePerformax is not as large as some of
the other BPOs, but that is actually a point
of pride for them. “We know what we can
do and what's our value proposition to
our clients,” explains Mr. Santiago. “When
our clients partner with us, they are not
talking to company men, they have oneon-one conversations with Ms. Hartsaw
(Teresa Hartsaw, President & CEO of
ePerformax) or Dennis (Dennis Lindley,
COO of ePerformax). We are a shareholdermanaged company. When our clients have
problems, they go straight to a shareholder.
Contrast this to bigger companies, especially
public ones, where issues are directed to an
employee.”
“There’s this sense of ownership in
ePerformax,” Mr. Meeks adds, “of being
directly invested in it, from the executives all
the way down to our newest teammates.”
ePerformax works hard to instill that
sense of loyalty and belonging in their teams.
“Our vision,” as Mr. Santiago puts it, “is
to maximize the human potential of our
teams. There are two major points here – the
maximization, and our belief in the potential
of everyone who steps through our doors.”
Towards this end, ePerformax has set
up their own training facility for their teams
– the Global Communications Management
Academy. Intensive training programs run
longer than industry standards – ranging
from 9-12 weeks in length, and all this comes
before direct product training. (The industry
standard or average is about two weeks of
training.)
This longer training period is specifically
tailored for the type of people ePerformax
is looking for. “We give those people who
wouldn’t necessarily pass a second chance.
We wanted to provide an opportunity for
those who wouldn’t normally get hired,
and we’ve been repaid by loyalty and hard
work,” Mr. Meeks explains. “And this
really differentiates us from the rest of the
industry – we don’t have the challenges in
recruiting that the others have.”
ePerformax is determined to go the
extra mile – not only for their employees,
but for their clients as well. “We’re not just
a vendor,” insists Mr. Meeks. “We don’t
just provide service, we continually find
ways to improve our customers’ business.
Each of our 3,000 teammates speak to four
customers every hour, learning what they’re
happy with, what they’re unhappy with, and
we pass that on to our clients. This goes
back to our commitment of maximizing
potential – in this case, it’s maximizing the
potential of what we can do for our clients.
We think of ourselves as partners to our
clients, adding value to the relationship
wherever we can rather than simply doing
tasks.”
This attitude dovetails well with PLDT
ALPHA Enterprise, ePerformax’s ICT
partner. The ALPHA motto has always
been “Relationships First,” guiding it
in its role as a powerhouse provider of
enterprise-level ICT solutions and – more
importantly – a company that enshrines
client relationships, anticipating needs well
in advance. PLDT ALPHA Enterprise is
always ready to help and to closely advise
for each company’s unique needs.
For its part as a top-flight BPO,
ePerformax has highly specialized ICT
requirements absolutely vital in performing
at the levels of aptitude they demand of
themselves.
“Most essential to ePerformax is
our connectivity to the US - we watch
our connection on a 24-7 basis. We have
all sorts of diversity built-in, with more
capacity than we require as insurance...
that's how much we value our promise of
continued service,” says Mr. Abano. “A
minute of downtime is hours of wasted
time.”
Together, PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
and ePerformax are well on their way
towards fulfilling ePerformax’s vision not of being the biggest, but being the
best world-class BPO provider. ALPHA
is the fitting choice for a top outsourcing
company that sees itself as a true partner
to clients; it now looks like they’ve found a
true ICT partner of their own.
Tripartite talent
As part of ePerformax' executive
team, Louis Meeks, Fernando
Abano, and Ricky Santiago, help
keep the BPO running at the high
levels of performance.
March 2013
20
Insider
PLDT
the journey
Continues
PLDT’s Cesar M. Enriquez talks
about setting the standard
for continuous improvement
WITH
over thirty years of experience under his belt, Cesar
M. Enriquez’s long career has allowed him to literally
write the book on risk management. As PLDT’s First Vice President
and Head of Enterprise, International and Carrier Business Revenue
and Operations Group, he also plays a major role in transforming sales
and in more effective “operationalization”. HOT JOE was privileged
to spend a few minutes with Mr. Enriquez to learn more about his
continuous journey towards improvement.
21
March 2013
March 2013
22
From Banking, to
Telecommunications
Mr. Enriquez rose from the ranks in
banking. At First National Citibank, NA.
(FNCB – Finance), he took on various
roles: collector, appraiser, manager,
ultimately becoming a regional head. He
soon moved to Cititrust, also owned by
the Citi Group, before becoming the
Country Head for Consumer Banking for
Standard Chartered Bank in 1991.
And after almost thirty years in
banking, he was invited to join PLDT
originally as a consultant by both then
PLDT Human Resources Group Head
(now Maynilad President and CEO), Mr.
Ricky Vargas and then PLDT Senior Vice
President (now Senior Vice President
at Meralco), Mr. Al Panlilio. This threemonth stint primarily involved writing the
billing, credit, and collection manual for
PLDT, adapting best practices taken from
the banking industry.
Finishing the manual on his second
month, PLDT was duly impressed with
Mr. Enriquez’s work; there had never been
such a comprehensive manual on credit
risk management in the organization.
PLDT asked him to lecture on what he
wrote for the remainder of his PLDT
tenure, as well.
The Six Cs of Credit
Mr. Enriquez was asked by PLDT
to lecture and train 1,000 employees on
credit management. “I taught them the 6
“C”s. In school, everyone is taught 4Cs:
Character, Capacity, Capital, and Collateral
(synonymous with Equity). “But in reality
and experience, there are actually 6Cs.”
The two that Mr. Enriquez has added
into the mix were Concentrations and
Conditions.
On the matter of Concentrations,
Mr. Enriquez advised his graduates that
they should not commit all their efforts
on one portfolio. Focusing too much on
23
March 2013
a single industry will prove difficult for
PLDT once problems such as shake-ups
occur, which may result to non-payment.
In short, don’t keep all your eggs in one
basket.
Mr. Enriquez’ understanding of
Conditions is particularly important.
PLDT must remain strict in terms and
conditions of engagement with all
corporate clientele. “We once believed that
if they [clients] are not going to pay, then
we’ll simply disconnect them. In corporate
relationships, especially in crucial
government sectors and services such as
security services and public works, you
cannot just easily do that,” Mr. Enriquez
says.
He cited that if PLDT simply
disconnected their services due to nonpayment, there would be possible legal,
financial, and operational repercussions
from the different government agencies
availing of the services, on top of the
effects it may have on the larger public.
“Without first setting clear terms and
conditions, clients will always have a
reason to challenge and dispute you,” Mr.
Enriquez remarked.
But on top of those six Cs, Mr. Enriquez
added and stressed the utmost importance
of yet another “C”, which was Common
Sense. “The lack of common sense
makes everything all that much more
difficult,” he says. He emphasized that a
service provider should not just blindly
adhere to policy; there are exceptions and
observable traits to each client which may
supersede it.
For Mr. Enriquez, as much as
Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral /
Equity, Concentration, and Conditions are
important, Common Sense must prevail.
From Credit to Sales
Mr. Enriquez’s PLDT journey reached
a remarkable, if inevitable, point when he
joined the company full-time in 2001 as
the head of National Retail Sales. Recalling
this first mission, Mr. Enriquez said that
he had to expand the distribution network
or point-of-sale “without additional
people”. It may have presented a daunting
and even impossible challenge for others,
but for him the answer became obvious:
third-party sales.
doing it right the
first time all the
time. That’s what
I always say to
everybody.
March 2013
24
steely eyed
PLDT First Vice President and
Head of Enterprise, International
and Carrier Business Revenue
and Operations Group
Cesar Enriquez shows his
characteristic intensity during
his interview with HOT JOE.
25
March 2013
March 2013
26
“Before, the concept of third-party
sales didn’t really exist,” Mr. Enriquez
explained. But soon he was able to sell
voice and broadband by utilizing people
who were selling credit cards, AVON
Products, insurance, and the like. This
revolutionary informal sales team was
another PLDT success. Mr. Enriquez was
able to cut down expenses effectively in
half; owing to the commission basis these
individuals were paid.
Successful in Manila, Mr. Enriquez
was tasked to take the formula nationwide.
“Later on I called these third-party
sales people working on commission
‘Commissioners’,” he quipped. “And they
were happy about it.”
The Journey towards EROS
After he successfully revolutionized
PLDT sales, he returned to handling
billing, credit, and collection for the
company. Around that time, PLDTs EVP
and Head of Enterprise and International
& Carrier Business, Mr. Eric R. Alberto
(whom Mr. Enriquez knew from a
shared banking background) assessed
that there must be a “transformation”
in the corporate world both in endto-end process control compliance
and operations. From there on, Mr.
Enriquez was named by Mr. Alberto as
the Corporate Business Risk Operating
Officer, in charge of enforcing control
functions checklists and Enterprise risk
management assessments across all
workgroups under Mr. Alberto’s domain.
From previous experiences, Mr.
Enriquez knew the value a model provided
in ensuring that whatever they do must be
measureable and quantified. Otherwise, it
would simply not be accomplished.
He also emphasized the need to
always “check what to expect”. “When
you make a program, such as a sales
plan, you make sure that it is backed by
activities and execution, rather than just
a broad concept. I personally check that
the program’s activities are done well and
on time—doing it right the first time all
27
March 2013
the time. That’s what I always say to
everybody.” He did this through an
internal review management system,
preventing people from committing
the same mistakes even before the
onset of external audits.
Mr. Enriquez shortly became
the Head of EICB Revenue
& Operations Support Group,
commonly known inside PLDT as
EROS, supporting PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise and PLDT SME Nation.
He describes EROS as one
of PLDT’s key pillars. Simply
put, EROS’ functions can be
summarized as three major tasks.
Firstly, EROS must “watch the
gates” of PLDT by controlling the
quality of acquisitions, upgrades,
and management. Secondly,
EROS must “count the beans”,
counting fulfillments, installations, and
disconnections to the very end. Finally,
EROS must “plug the holes”—closing
gaps and checking that mistakes are not
repeated.
Kaizen and the Future
Throughout the interview, Mr.
Enriquez stressed the importance of
Kaizen, a Japanese term for continuous
improvement. He explained that
Kaizen can be achieved through selfempowerment, process simplification, and
automation. PLDT’s Kaizen, according to
Mr. Enriquez, must be less inward-looking
and more towards shaping the market.
In order to do that, PLDT must weigh
the voice of the people, the voice of the
process, and the voice of the customer. All
must be “analyzed and calibrated” in order
to achieve true operational efficiency.
Since the formal establishment of
EROS in May 2012, Mr. Enriquez has
been able to use the power of Kaizen in
setting the standard for operationalization.
“Our people can now deliver faster,
with more quality and competence and
at no increased cost,” he says. “Even if
transaction and revenue volumes grow,
The lack
of common
sense makes
everything
all that
much more
difficult
this doesn’t necessarily mean that the
number of people needed to keep doing
the job must grow as well.” Mr. Enriquez
explained that PLDT does this by
“turbo-charging” people, changing their
mindsets and behavior through leadership
role modeling, and not just through
administrative orders.
Looking towards the future, Mr.
Enriquez is quite optimistic with the
Kaizen journey PLDT continues to take.
“Throughout this journey, our leaders
have become more mature and all these
things we’ve talked about will be fulfilled
through leadership and management,” he
says.
“I am confident that our people, from
the roof to the pillars, have become more
mature in dealing with these changes of
continuous improvement.” Spoken like a
true Kaizen master.
March 2013
28
Extra
ALPHA
WORk. Live.
i LL take a
bad golf day.
its worth it,
ALPHA.
says david rizzo.
Serious & Fun
David Rizzo shares interesting
insights to HOT JOE on how
he excels in both his work and
personal lives -- with the help of
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise.
DAVID
Rizzo, President of
Teleperformance Philippines,
is one of the country’s top leaders in the
O&O industry. Appointed to his position in
2009, Mr. Rizzo is responsible for operations
in China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore,
and the Philippines. Under his watch,
Teleperformance Philippines grew to over
15,000 employees in 2012 and is now one
of the largest single markets of its principal
company, the Teleperformance Group.
29
March 2013
March 2013
30
In a 24 hour business
like the BPO industry,
where your clients
are found in every
time zone, you have
to remain connected
Always In Touch,
On Top of Everything
BUT
Mr. Rizzo has more to him
than merely a hard-driving
businessman – his life includes family,
friends, and hobbies as well, and he says that
dedicating time to these things makes him
more effective at work.
“I'm not sure I have just one favorite
hobby,” he said. “My favorite sport is
American football. I’m a fan of the
Washington Redskins - and whoever’s playing
against the Dallas Cowboys!” However the
sports he himself participates in are relatively
less violent-- golf and scuba.
“I never take for granted the fact that
here, in the Philippines, you can play all year
round. Where I grew up in Washington DC
this wasn’t possible, so I enjoy being able to
play golf at any time of the year. And they
always say a bad day at golf is better than any
day at the office!”
He takes any chance to mix work with
pleasure. “Any time I have the opportunity
to mix golf and work is definitely a bonus.
Fortunately, lots of my clients enjoy golf –
it’s a good chance to work while enjoying
fresh air and exercise.”
Scuba diving on the other hand, is his
“complete escape” from work, to get away
from it all. “The quietest place I can find
is underwater,” he said, his eyes filling with
visions of sea fans and pulsing schools of
fish.
31
March 2013
Modern telecommunications solutions,
such as the ones provided by PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise, enable the flexible work schedule
Mr. Rizzo enjoys. He makes ample use of
both fixed-line and mobile networks in order
to get his work done.
“In a 24-hour business like the BPO
industry, where your clients are found
in every time zone, you have to remain
connected - I don't have the luxury to be
out-of-touch. And connectivity allows me to
make better use of my time, because I don’t
have to feel like I’m ever too far from the
business!” And this is how a man who lives
in every time zone achieves true peace of
mind.
Mr. Rizzo credits PLDT for achieving
this. “PLDT provides connectivity for the
business across multiple sites and regions.
It's that PLDT stability and reliability that
allows me to get some sleep at night. And
it’s critical to do that, to relax sometimes,
otherwise both your home life and your
business performance suffers.”
“Fortunately my boss at home, Mrs.
Rizzo, makes sure I always make time for
home and the family!” he joked.
Mr. Rizzo and PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise collaborate in preserving
the balance between work and pleasure
absolutely critical for a well-rounded life –
a balance carefully pursued by thousands of
other executives in the country, all helped by
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise’s complete suite
of ICT solutions.
Mr. Rizzo finds enjoyment in watching and playing a
wide variety of sports ranging from the on-field war
of American Football to the quiet intensity of golf
– and with access to the Philippines’ spectacular
seas, he has developed a keen interest in diving.
March 2013
32
EVERhigher
,
PLDT s impressive annual report figures
showcase the strength of the PLDT
Group, and forecast future profits.
1st
Total Number of Broadband Subscribers
PLDT is the first company in the Philippines to
be granted an “investment grade” rating by
all three major international
ratings agencies.
:
P35.5
Billion
PLDT’s Reported Net Income
69.9
Million
25.5M
25.5 million
under SMART
33
March 2013
2x
2.1 million 3x
3.3 million
How many more broadband
subscribers PLDT has in
comparison to competition
12%
Rise in Reported Net
Income from 2011.
Number of
People in PLDT’s
Combined Cellular
Subscriber Base
28.4M
28.4 million
under Talk ‘N Text
15.7M
15.7 million
SUN Cellular
How many more subscribers
PLDT has compared to
the competition
Total subscriber base for PLDT’s Fixed Line solutions
P67 Billion
& 2 years
71%
1000
54,000 Kilometers
14,000 Kilometers
100%
Doubled
four
What was spent
on PLDT’s network
enhancement
PLDT’s 3G
Population Coverage
Number of
Operational LTE Sites
Length of fiber
assets in place
Amount of fiber-tothe-home rolled out
How many of PLDT’s Metro Manila
sites are Fiber and IP-ready
How much more Internet
gateway capacity PLDT boasts
Number of international cable
landing stations wholly owned by PLDT
March 2013
34
the right people
at the right time
Avaya discusses their
plans in the Philippines
There
are not many telecom companies that can
claim over a century’s worth of experience,
and also have the fire and flexibility of a young agile innovator.
Avaya easily possesses both. Spinning off from Lucent as an
enterprise-focused company 12 years ago, Avaya is known for
its corporate-grade collaboration technology. Encouraged by the
Philippines’ rising economic strength, Avaya set up its operations
in the Philippines and has become a valued partner of PLDT.
Ed Doctolero, Avaya’s Country Director for the Philippines,
sat down with HOT JOE to discuss the evolution of Philippine
enterprise organizations and what Avaya has to offer.
35
March 2013
March 2013
36
All
Avaya solutions are developed
under Avaya’s guiding
philosophy: ‘The Power of We’. Doctolero
describes it as, “Connecting the right people
at the right time to drive enterprise to the
right results.”
Avaya is a company completely
dedicated to the enterprise; it does not
have a consumer division, leaving it free
to devote all resources to enterprise-grade
business collaboration solutions. This
laser-tight focus on a single field is Avaya’s
key differentiator, leaving the company
free to invest heavily in their R&D, which
is devoted entirely to enterprise-grade
communications.
Avaya’s cutting-edge technology and
focus on R&D fits in well with rapidly
growing Philippine industries. These
solutions grow and evolve as their clients'
communications systems develop. Thus,
Avaya is banking on the growth and
success of Philippine enterprise creating
opportunities to utilize and appreciate
Avaya’s advanced telecommunications
products.
The Era of the
Mobile Workforce
Enterprise communications has
evolved rapidly over the past few years,
fueled by advances in different fields of
technology such as the rise of cloud-based
solutions, improved network hardware,
and the increasingly popular trend of
“Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) and
telecommuting/mobile workers.
Previously, collaboration solutions
involved complicated phones hardwired
on top of a mahogany table, restricting the
users to the confines of their boardroom.
But now, collaboration solutions need
nothing more than a cellphone and a
data connection for full-fledged video
teleconferencing.
“You could spend three hours in
traffic just getting to a meeting in Quezon
City from your office in Makati – or you
could set up a video-conferencing call
on your mobile phone with a single tap
of a button. I should note this mobilephone conferencing solution requires low
bandwidth, so it’s feasible for any situation
and circumstance,” Doctolero enthused.
37
March 2013
If you have one
bank that has the
infrastructure to
call a customer back,
compared to one that
can’t, customers
will choose the
obvious winner.
"the future is social"
Avaya's Ed Doctolero explains the newest,
social driven BPO trends.
“THE FUTURE IS SOCIAL”
AVAYA’s Ed Doctolero
explains the newest,
social-driven, BPO trends.
He also noted that there has been a
dramatic increase in video-conferencing
usage over recent months in the
Philippines. “This year, we have been
observing a call ratio of 20% video to 80%
voice, as compared to a 10% - 90% split last
year,” Doctolero added.
The PLDT Investment
Pays Off
The focus on mobile solutions
dovetails neatly with PLDT’s own corporate
strategy. PLDT’s mobile arm, SMART
Communications recently had their network
superiority confirmed by a third-party
consultant, Ericsson. SMART’s network
rated highly on different key performance
indices, including call setup success and
dropped call rates. This follows a P67.1billion PLDT network modernization plan
which established new benchmarks for
network resilience and redundancy.
Avaya’s advanced mobile telecommunication solutions take advantage of nextgeneration services such as Long Term
Evolution (LTE). SMART is one of the
first mobile providers in the region to offer
commercial LTE, joining the ranks of
advanced markets in Japan, Korea, Hong
Kong, Australia and Singapore.
March 2013
38
Connecting the right
people at the right time
to drive enterprise
to the right results.
Doctolero expressed enthusiasm
about Avaya solutions tailored for BPOs
– a vital industry sector in the Philippines,
now a world leader in business support
functions. However, with the peso gaining
in strength – thus lowering the Philippines'
cost advantage against other countries
like India and China - and companies
expecting more from their BPO partners,
many believe that the Philippine
Outsourcing and Offshoring (O&O)
industy must evolve in order to keep its
position. Avaya, which holds a doubledigit market share in the BPO sector, has
been of great help for them to realize their
full potential.
“The reality is the Philippines can
no longer rely on global labor arbitrage
to make our call centers economically
appealing. You have to go up in value, into
providing analytics, real ways to improve
39
March 2013
the business. Instead of just people
answering telephones, you provide a
complete ecosystem,” Doctorlero warns.
The Future is Social
He also expressed his thoughts on
future BPO trends including the true
synergy of operational analytics and
business intelligence solutions. He said,
“Social networks are being considered
by contact centers as a way to enhance
customer experiences, and so enterprises
are integrating social media into their
infrastructure. We offer contact centers
the technology for these value-added
services, including analytics software.
These are important strategic tools for
evolving the customer experience and
studying results or outcomes.”
Avaya is also developing speech
analytics solutions for the BPO industry,
which Doctolero thinks will be proven
as very valuable. “For example, a BPO
servicing a bank may notice more
inquiries than usual about ATMs in a
certain area. The BPO advises the bank,
suggesting strategic ATM locations based
on analytics of inquiries. Advanced voice
recognition may soon be good enough to
automatically register a caller simply from
the sound of his or her voice, pulling up
relevant information with no need for
an agent to manually enter it – such as
customer profiles, past records, or credit
card numbers,” he emphasizes.
Avaya also services most of the
major banks in the Philippines. “Banks
are very customer service-intensive, so we
address their need to enhance customer
interactions,” he explained. “If you have
one bank that has the infrastructure to call
a customer back, compared to one that
can’t, customers will choose the obvious
winner. There’s a world of difference
between banking interactions in the
‘70s and ‘80s as compared to today, and
we have the solutions that enable these
modern innovations.”
Voice recognition for thousands
of calls and mapping them to customer
profiles, banks' call-back systems,
advanced speech analytics – all these
solutions are very data-intensive
applications. Doctolero praised PLDT
ALPHA Enterprise’s network of
VITRO Data Centers as a “necessary
and important factor in any Philippine
enterprise communication solution. The
VITRO Data Centers, interconnected via
PLDT's massive, powerful Domestic Fiber
Optic Network, boast facilities certified
to international standard and rock-solid,
earthquake/fire/storm-proof security”.
“Data centers are a very important
and strategic part of these analytics. Avaya
is the engine, but we need a facility that
can handle the enormous volumes of
data. Some customers also do not have the
capex to invest in their own data center
and are looking to providers who can do it
for them,” Doctolero concluded.
With this formidable partnership,
Philippine enterprises are assured that
they will always be in touch with the
right people at the right time. Such is
the new enduring standard of modern
collaboration.
betting big on the philippines
Avaya's advanced telecommunications
solutions can be utilized to their fullest
potential only by developed industries which Avaya is wagering the Philippines
will have.
March 2013
40
Y
WERE YOU THERE
WERE YOU THERE
Were OU
There
1
Taking a
Bite of the
SMARTer
Network
SMART’s nationwide
iPhone 5 launch
counts down to a
holiday crescendo
It’s
obviously not a surprise to
anyone that when the Apple
launched the iPhone 5, it was met with
the excitement and elation iPhone
launches have always been known for.
That is why it was such a joy for
PLDT and SMART executives to see
the gleaming eyes of their enterprise
customers once they received their
iPhone 5 devices in an exclusive event
last December at Arcama in Taguig.
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise clients, as well
as PLDT SME Nation “Bossings”, were
among those in attendance as they were
eagerly waiting for the time they’ll finally
get their hands on Apple’s latest mobile
device, connected to the nationwidest
network of SMART.
What made this event more special
was that even PLDT and SMART
Chairman, Manuel V. Pangilinan, made a
special appearance. His presence assured
everyone that the much-acclaimed
iPhone 5 finally had the right network to
optimize its celebrated features.
“This is certainly an exciting night
for us, as we come together to welcome
the arrival of the new iPhone 5,” said
PLDT FVP and Head of PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise and SMART Enterprise Sales
and Marketing Head Jovy Hernandez.
He added that “Such a feature-packed
phone needs an equally efficient service
provider to provide you with the best
mobile experience, and this is what we
are delivering with our ultra-exclusive
enterprise iPhone 5 plans. There’s no
better time than now to take a bite into
the better network with the iPhone 5
now available from SMART.”
PLDT and SMART pulled out all
the stops in making the iPhone 5 launch
one of the most memorable launches in
recent memory. Enterprise clients will
be assured that once the next iPhone
launches-- hopefully in the near future-it will be met by PLDT and SMART with
the same glitz and glamour as this recent
one. Maybe even better.
2
3
6
4
1.
Arriving early at nationwide venues, eager customers awaited
the launch of the SMART iPhone 5.
2.
PLDT Group Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan draws one
of the lucky winners of the brand new SMART iPhone 5.
3.
PLDT FVP and Head of PLDT ALPHA Enterprise and SMART
Enterprise Sales and Marketing Head Jovy Hernandez with
SMART Enterprise Product Marketing Head Chet Alviz
4.
Jaybee Angeles of SMART hands over a brand
new iPhone 5 to Hans Montenegro
5.
Brian Ng, Rene Morta, Sam Dela Cuesta, Jay Lagdameo,
John Lennox-Lancaster, Markku Nieminen, and Sandy Roque
6.
Mr. and Mrs. Magsuci and Mr. and Mrs. Raffy David
5
41
March 2013
March 2013
42
WERE YOU THERE
WERE YOU THERE
2
1
Keep cool,
calm &
connected
Strengthening
the country
within, expanding
capabilities beyond
with PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise
43
March 2013
Last
February 24, 2013, leading
IT managers across
different industries gathered at the Makati
Ballroom of the Makati Shangri La to
learn more how PLDT, partnered with
Cisco, has embarked on “strengthening the
country within and expanding capabilities
beyond”.
Guests were treated to three insightful
presentations that perfectly complemented
their sumptuous dinner. First off was
Mr. Vasanth Raghavan, Cisco’s Senior
Product Marketing Manager for Cloud and
Managed Services, with a presentation that
discussed Cisco’s latest innovations and
solutions for enterprises. PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise Senior Product Manager,
Ms. Irene De Guzman, followed Mr.
Raghavan’s presentation by illustrating
how PLDT’s unprecedented network is
now stronger at the core with the Ciscopowered IP Backbone (IPBB), which is
transported to end users via the PLDT
Digital Fiber Optic Network (DFON).
Ms. Dani Gil, PLDT Business Manager for
International and Domestic Data Product
Management brought the discussion into
a more global perspective by highlighting
PLDT’s unparalleled international network
reach with its multiple points of presence
(POPs), cable landing stations, and worldclass resiliency via the Managed E/IPLC
System.
The night was put to a close by
Mr. Vic Tria, PLDT VP and Corporate
Business Solutions Head, delivering
the closing remarks. He thanked both
the speakers and the guests for this
momentous occasion and assured the
audience that “whatever innovations and
synergies we optimize together with our
partners, such as Cisco, we pass it directly
to you, our clients.”
Of course, tons of prizes were raffled
off with lucky guests receiving Samsonite
Backpacks, Portable Speakers, Apple TVs,
and the much-sought-for Apple iPad Minis.
Good food, intelligent conversations,
and fabulous prizes. PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise sure knows how to make a
simple Wednesday evening more than
meets the eye.
1.
The evening kicked off with a very informative
presentation from Cisco’s Senior Product
Manager for Cloud and Managed Services,
Vasanth Raghavan
2.
IT Managers across different industries listen
to the numerous insights from the speakers’
presentations
3.
JohnRoe Guray and Bambie Santos
with Jay Lagdameo
4.
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise Team
with Vasanth Raghavan
5.
Jeff Mendoza with the two Apple TV winners
6.
Irene De Guzman talks about the Ciscopowered IP Backbone
7.
Vic Tria with Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Banwari
8.
Dani Gil brings the conversation into a more
global perspective with PLDT’s stronger and
more resilient international presence
9.
David Lim, Irene De Guzman, Vasanth
Raghavan, and Vic Tria with the winners
of the iPad Mini
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
March 2013
44
WERE YOU THERE
WERE YOU THERE
3
1
2
4
5
ALPHA at
the Movies
PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise
Treats Clients
to the Latest
Hollywood Flicks
45
March 2013
There’s
nothing like
a night at the
movies – especially in one of the
Philippines’ top private cinemas.
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
recently partnered with Ayala Cinema’s
MyCinema to treat guests for exclusive
private screenings of two recent boxoffice hits. First was the critically
acclaimed musical Les Miserables, held last
January 24 and 25. This was followed
by the action-packed A Good Day to Die
Hard, which was held on February 13.
The guests enjoyed a premium
movie-watching experience in a luxurious
and well-appointed theater; they were
also treated to informative talks, full of
valuable insights for their own businesses,
from two of PLDT ALPHA Enterprise’s
most valued partners. Prior to the Les
Miserables screening, AVAYA’s Prem
Kumar, Regional Sales Leader for Video,
and Rene Valladolid, Regional Sales
Leader for VBU, gave an enlightening
presentation on how AVAYA’s suite of
collaboration solutions allow enterprises
to make smarter decisions wherever their
team members may be, on whatever
device they may have. For the A Good
Day to Die Hard screening, OneAccess
Network’s Franck Lespayandel, Regional
Director for Asia Pacific, and Maxime
Bourrel, Senior Product Manager /
Product Marketing for Voice and Added
Value Services, revealed how Integrated
Business Communications provide
responsive solutions to the needs of both
Large Enterprises and SMEs.
With the success of these two
exclusive screenings, there’s no stopping
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise as it brings
the best of the silver screen to ALPHA
clients. Who knows? Maybe your next
movie date will be with PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise. Pass the popcorn please.
1.
Prior to the movie, guests were treated
to insightful presentations from Avaya
and OneAccess.
2.
PLDT AVP and Head of North Luzon Corporate
Business Dennis Magbatoc, PLDT Product
Category Head for Enterprise Voice Fay Ocampo,
and PLDT Senior Manager and Corporate
Relationship Business Head Jeff Mendoza
3.
Guests smile for the camera prior to the show.
4.
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise clients were indulged with
exclusive screenings of latest Hollywood films.
5.
At the end of the event, guests also received
goodie-bags care of AVAYA.
March 2013
46
ALPHA GOES
ONLINE
Forging Bigger and Better
Relationships through the Brand New
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise Website
HAS
the inevitable arrived? Websites, blogs, and
social media pages may have already eclipsed
traditional media, due mainly to instant availability, relative
accuracy, high engagement, and unbeatable currency. Just
recently, Newsweek published its last print edition. And
with everyone and everything going mobile, we may be
consuming news and entertainment on handhelds just as
much as on desktops.
47
March 2013
March 2013
48
To serve client relationships as
new media has taken over, the PLDT
ALPHA Enterprise Website was
formally launched last December 2012.
“The new ALPHA website gives us
an unprecedented opportunity for
continuous client interaction as well as
collaboration,” says PLDT FVP and
Head of PLDT ALPHA Enterprise and
SMART Enterprise Sales and Marketing
Head Jovy Hernandez.
Designed with the client first in
mind, the website is not just made
to fly on the latest desktop browsers
but also on smartphones and tablets,
allowing users to get the latest product
information and “ALPHA lifestyle” news
wherever they may be.
right corner of every page offers instant
feature information as well as relevant
news items concerning national or global
trends.
Users can also easily print out or
choose to share pages with friends or
colleagues. The sidebar of each product
page and ALPHA Channel article has a
“print this page” button that generates
a printer-friendly output, and a “share”
button that allows users to e-mail it to
their colleagues or post in personal blogs
and social media accounts. And for those
who want to know more about specific
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise solutions, all
they have to do is enter their information
on the website’s contact page and a
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise Relationship
Manager will promptly get in touch
with them.
Feature Rich
The PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
Website features easy-to-understand,
neatly categorized product pages that
inform current and prospective clients
alike about the perfect PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise solutions for business. They
also get the latest in ALPHA-related
news through the ALPHA Channel
-- everything from product launches
to sporting events. And for those who
are looking to get both current and
past releases of the Hot Joe Magazine,
the PLDT ALPHA Enterprise Website
features downloadable PDF versions.
search. print.
share. engage.
If users need to look for a particular
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise product or
service -- like PLDT Cloud, for example
-- the PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
Website’s search feature on the upper-
49
March 2013
More ALPHA
Features Ahead
Further commenting on the power
and potential of the PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise Website, Mr. Hernandez
stresses that it “is just our latest effort
in putting client relationships first by
providing more dimensions in value,
quality, and service above and beyond
the traditional role of service provider
or vendor.”
The PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
Website indicates a continuing mission
to become Philippine enterprise’s end-toend trusted expert ICT partner. And it is
set to evolve even further, with features
and expanded services in the pipeline
that will surely delight and empower
future users.
Keep in touch with PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise. It’s even easier today, just
bookmark and visit pldtalpha.com.
ALPHA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
The new PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise website is also
mobile-friendly, allowing
you to check up on ALPHA
anytime, anywhere.
March 2013
50
Page
Caught on
RCBC enhances network
servicing capabilities
with PLDT.
Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation
(RCBC) has partnered with Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) to
bolster its network solutions capabilities,
expand its customer base and provide
enhanced products and services. PLDT is
providing 600 Apple iPads, equipped with
SMART’s Unlimited Data Plan, for RCBC’s
Business Managers nationwide, enabling
them to be more responsive to the needs of
their clients and customers. Furthermore,
the telecom giant has equipped RCBC’s
offsite ATMs and Business Centers with
Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network
(IP-VPN) connections that deliver greater
network security and drive business growth.
These developments are in line with
RCBC’s increasing emphasis on information
technology as a business platform for
customer acquisition and operational
efficiency.
Shown in photo are (from left): PLDT
executives composed of Jovy I. Hernandez,
FVP & Head of Corporate Business Group;
Eric R. Alberto, EVP & Head of Enterprise
and International & Carrier Business Group;
Napoleon L. Nazareno, President & CEO; and
RCBC Executives Helen Y. Dee, Chairperson;
Lorenzo V. Tan, President & CEO; and Dennis
C. Bancod, SEVP & Head of IT Shared
Services and Operations Group.
51
March 2013
ePerformax makes
the SMARTer Switch
SMART Enterprise, the mobile
corporate arm of PLDT, has been tapped
by ePerformax to enable the wireless
communications needs of the top
Filipino BPO company. With SMART
Enterprise providing superior wireless
services, ePerformax will enjoy enhanced
communications within the organization,
Pascual Lab enhances
business efficiency with
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
Pascual Laboratories, Inc.
(PascualLab) has tapped PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise to provide IP VPN (Virtual
Private Network) services that will
improve business communications for
one of the country’s top Filipino-owned
pharmaceutical companies. This service
is a big boon given the pharmaceutical
company’s multi-location workforce,
which requires improved connectivity
and flexibility; the ICT infrastructure
project also supports PascualLab's most
critical business process improvement
initiative, the on-going implementation of
the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
system. Aside from IP VPN, PascualLab
will also provide its field workforce with
a reliable mobile communications system
with the help of SMART Enterprise.
PLDT’s corporate mobile business arm,
SMART Enterprise, has been tapped to
deliver more than 200 post-paid lines for
PascualLab’s subsidiaries, which come
with the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 device as
well as the M2M Pharma via PocketWISE
mobile application that includes features
such as Sales Call Entry, Call/Coverage
Monitoring and Contact Management.
PLDT AVP and Corporate Relationship
Management Head Precy Katigbak, and
PascualLab President and CEO Manuel
Salazar (4th and 5th from left, respectively)
with (from left) PascualLab ICT Infrastructure
Manager Kristoffer Po, PLDT Relationship
Manager Eena Samonte, PLDT Corporate
Relationship Business Head Jeff Mendoza,
PascualLab VP for Operations Jappy
Pascual; PascualLab CIO and ICTD Director
Engr. Felix Narito, Jr., and PascualLab
Corporate Communications Director Mia
Pascual-Cenzon during the formal contract
signing held at the PascualLab head office.
AIM TAPS PLDT ALPHA
ENTERPRISE FOR ICT SOLUTIONS
The Asian Institute of Management
(AIM), the premier business school in the region, has tapped PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
to provide high-performance ICT solutions
for the upgrading of its systems.
Citing the leading telecommunications
company’s impressive network infrastructure
and massive bandwidth capabilities, AIM
empowering the company to build a stronger
family and engage with its 4,000-plus
employees.
The new partnership is also aligned
with ePerformax’s continued commitment
to growing its business in the Philippines,
where it has enjoyed ten years of solid
performance and leadership in the industry.
The company has demonstrated substantial
faith in this country as a choice BPO
destination; to date, the Philippines is the
only offshore destination for ePerformax,
and it seems its optimism is set only to
grow further.
has entrusted PLDT to deliver high levels of
ICT connectivity to its constituency both in
the Philippines and in other countries in Asia
Pacific. An upgraded PLDT iGate solution
will provide students with faster access to
relevant information and current activities,
and enable alumni to watch campus events
streamed real-time. PLDT will also provide
PABX to enhance AIM’s communications
systems.
AIM is the Asian pioneer in international management education, established
in 1968 with the Harvard Business School.
With clientele and alumni worldwide, the
institute designs its masters and executive
programs to develop practicing managers in
Asia’s emerging markets.
Photo shows (from left) SMART Enterprise Product
Marketing Head Chet Alviz, PLDT AVP and Corporate
Relationship Business Head Joy Hilao, PLDT VP and
Corporate Relationship Management Head Mitch
Locsin, ePerformax President & CEO Teresa D.
Hartsaw, ePerformax Contact Centers & BPO Chief
Operating Officer Dennis Lindley, and ePerformax
VP for Finance and HR Ricky Santiago at the formal
contract signing.
Photo shows (from left) Mitch Locsin, PLDT
Vice President and Corporate Relationship
Management Head; Jovy Hernandez, PLDT
First Vice President and Head of PLDT ALPHA
Enterprise; Dr. Ricardo Lim, Dean of AIM; and
Victor Tan, AIM Vice President for Finance and
Administration during the contract signing held
at the PLDT head office.
March 2013
52
Photo shows Hernandez and Alingog (2nd
and 3rd from left, respectively) with PLDT VP
and Corporate Relationship Management
Head Renato Castañeda (leftmost), and PR
Savings Bank Chief Operating Officer Carlos
Pasion (rightmost) during the formal contract
signing held at the PLDT head office.
PLDT honors newly
certified professionals
PLDT has once again demonstrated
its commitment to honing the skills and
capabilities of its people as it honored
employees who successfully acquired
ITIL and MEF certifications. These
milestones are a significant achievement
for PLDT, which sees its employees as
partners in strengthening the company’s
position as the dominant service provider.
ITIL (Information Technology
Infrastructure Library) is a set of industry
best practices for delivering IT services
to enterprises. On the other hand, the
Professional Certification Program of
the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF),
considered the defining body for Carrier
Ethernet, is the industry standard
validation of a telecommunications
professional’s expertise of Carrier
Ethernet technologies.
These milestones are reflective of
PLDT’s continuing drive to provide its
people with opportunities to further
develop their competencies and enhance
their expertise to global standards,
53
March 2013
enabling the telecom leader to deliver
on its promise of offering unparalleled
levels of service and support to its
clients. With ITIL certifications, PLDT
is now better prepared to provide expert
guidance to organizations on how to use
IT as a tool to facilitate business change,
transformation and growth. On the other
hand, PLDT’s MEF-CECPs now possess
superior knowledge not only of Carrier
Ethernet standards and technologies but
also of its proper applications.
Photo shows PLDT’s newly certified
MEF and ITIL professionals with PLDT
executives led by EVP and Head of
Enterprise and International & Carrier
Business Eric R. Alberto (back row, 4th
from left), FVP and Head of Enterprise,
International and Carrier Business
Revenue and Operations Support
Group Cesar Enriquez (back row, 3rd
from left), FVP for Human Resources
Management and Development Emiliano
Tanchico (back row, 5th from left), and
VP for Training, Development and Career
Management Alexander Kibanoff (back
row, 6th from left).
PR Savings Bank chooses
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
PR Savings Bank has tapped PLDT
ALPHA Enterprise to provide a range of
business solutions that will help sustain the
thrift bank’s fast growth. Under the service
agreement, PLDT ALPHA Enterprise will
connect the bank’s 46 regular branches
and 46 off-branch offices through its IPVPN and Metro Ethernet services. PLDT’s
iGate solution also provides PR Savings
Bank with a dedicated Internet access that
delivers high-speed, diverse, reliable and
managed connectivity to the global internet.
The bank also availed of colocation
services via PLDT’s VITRO Data Center.
“We added these services to those we
are already enjoying from PLDT because
these are natural transitions once you are
satisfied with the basic services,” shared
PR Savings Bank President and Chief
Executive Officer Roberto Alingog. “We
look forward to subscribing to more
solutions from PLDT in the future, which
will help us as we expand our operations.”
“We are delighted to support PR
Savings Bank by providing topnotch
solutions that will help them improve
customer service delivery,’ said PLDT
First VP and PLDT ALPHA Enterprise
Head Jovy Hernandez. “These services will
certainly enhance the bank’s capabilities to
provide for the banking needs of their evergrowing clientele.”
ADP Pharma and
Pascual Pharma make
the SMARTer Switch
ADP Pharma and Pascual Pharma
Corp., subsidiaries of one of the country’s
top Filipino-owned pharmaceutical
companies Pascual Laboratories, Inc.
(PascualLab), recently made the SMARTer
switch, signing with the nationwidest
network to capitalize on SMART’s M2M
Pharma via PocketWISE application.
Specifically tailored for the pharmaceutical
industry, SMART M2M Pharma via
PocketWISE features a host of mobile
efficiency modules such as call-planning
functions, access to a database of doctors,
inventory management with near realtime updates on stock, and performance
monitoring. All of these functions are
made possible with SMART’s nationwidest
cellular network, featuring a seamless, easy
deployment with a single point of contact.
With the partnership, ADP Pharma
and Pascual Pharma Corp.’s medical
representatives will receive a SMART
Broadband-enabled tablet PC to access all
the SMART M2M Pharma via PocketWISE
efficiency modules. This is projected to
have a positive effect on their productivity
and flexibility, as they will be able to go
anywhere and remain as capable as if they
were at their own desktop machines.
Shown in photo are (from left) Engr. Felix Narito
Jr., PascualLab Chief Information Officer and ICTD
Director; Boyet Arellano Jr., Pascual Pharma Corp.
Vice President; Virgilio Gomez, ADP and Pascual
Pharma Corp. President; Jay Lagdameo, PLDT VP and
Corporate Relationship Management Head; Debbie
Ledesma, SMART Enterprise Business Manager;
Jeff Mendoza, PLDT Senior Manager and Corporate
Relationship Business Head; Eena Samonte, PLDT
Relationship Manager; and Jaybee Angeles, SMART
Enterprise Product Manager
March 2013
54
oming
C
&
GOING
COMING
In this section, HOT JOE puts
on its Tech Forecaster hat and
takes a look at the future.
The technologies that
are about to make a big
splash in your world
Food Trucks
Food trucks used to be – and
in many cases, still are – thought of
as cheap, dodgy places to grab some
chow, with the added excitement of
potential food poisoning.
But there is a veritable food
truck renaissance flowering all over
the world. Now, food trucks (also
called mobile kitchens) are offering
genuinely delightful (and safe)
menus, capitalizing on economic
factors, technological advances, and
the trend of spruced-up street food
chic. In 2010, Los Angeles officially
recognized food trucks as dining
places by requiring them to obtain
health inspection grades just as brick-
55
March 2013
and-mortar restaurants do. By 2011,
Zagat’s even added a Food Truck
section to their famous reviews list.
In the United States, birthplace
and stronghold of the food truck
phenomenon, the food trucks offer
a wide range of edgy, delicious food,
ranging from Sicilian pizza to Chinese
dumplings to artisan ice cream. And
now Manila is getting in on the action,
with the Cucina Andare (Kitchenon-the-Go) held in Glorietta Park
every weekend, featuring Filipino
food trucks selling gelato, shawarma,
burgers, tacos and ramen.
Spas for Guys
A day at the spa has always been the
quintessential ‘girls’ day out’ treat, but in fact
more and more men are indulging themselves
with spa treatments as well. The SpaFinder
Wellness annual report, which was compiled by
some 100 researchers, reported that more men
have been going to spas for several years, and
that is expected to continue in 2013. In addition
to massages, more men are seeking a manicure
and pedicure, facials, fillers and so-called
'brotox' treatments. And spas around the world
have taken notice of their new clientele – a wave
of guy-friendly accommodations and even menonly spas have sprung up in response.
For example, the QT Sydney – a boutique
hotel in Australia – has included a deliberately
old-school barber’s shop in their spa,
where men can enjoy pampering that
is no-nonsense enough to not be
emasculating: wet shaves, facials, and a Green
Tea Salt Scrub-massage-facial combo known as
the Weekend Warrior.
At the Pearl Beach Resort & Spa in Bora
Bora, they have more than mani/pedi combos
– they offer cool Polynesian skin art to appeal
to the male beach-goer. The Chiva-Som in
Thailand has spa treatments and water therapy
rooms tailored specifically for men. Some
retreats also provide deep-muscle "sports
massages," or a "sports buff manicure”. Even
regular spas have made accommodations for
male clients, such as using unscented oils, longer
massage tables, and non-gloss nail polishes for
those who want a mani-pedi without a glossy
red aftermath.
March 2013
56
Hotel Apps
Most hotel guests do not stay in their room
for the entirety of their visit – they want to get out
and about and explore their new surroundings. A
concierge could only help them on their way and
then wish them the best. But hotels are slowly
finding that they can extend their services beyond
their lobbies with their own custom apps. Loaded
onto guests’ smartphones and tablets, the apps
can feature maps of the hotel and the surrounding
areas, with custom markers for tourist attractions;
videos of the hotel; a guide to nearby restaurants;
special customer service functions; loyalty program
access, reservation forms, and remote check-in/
check-out.
It’s a neat way to engender guest goodwill and
ensure their stay is as enjoyable as possible – which
means they will want to come back and stay with
the hotel again.
The Crystal Ball of Big Data
Retiring in the Philippines
With crystal-blue waters and sandy
beaches, the Philippines has always
been a popular tourist destination. Now,
however, the government is encouraging
foreigners not only to visit, but to stay
– they’ve recently began aggressively
courting foreigners to retire in Manila,
relaxing the requirements for such a
visa in order to encourage them to
choose the Philippines as a retirement
destination.
57
March 2013
International Living recently
included the Philippines in its list of
“World’s Top Retirement Havens
in 2013,” scoring high in ease of
integration, healthcare facilities, and
retirement infrastructure and a perfect
100% score in cost of living.
Data from the Philippine
Retirement Authority (PRA) show a
high concentration of foreign retirees in
Makati City, one of the best-developed
areas of Manila. Angeles, close to Subic
and the former American military base,
is also popular with American retirees.
The widespread use of English and
Christianity being the dominant religion
also help attract Western retirees. The
Philippines is popular with Chinese
and Korean retirees as well.
In IT parlance, ‘Big Data’ doesn’t
refer to hard drives full of movies and
photos. It applies, very specifically, to data
sets so large and complex that it becomes
difficult to process using existing database
management tools or traditional data
processing applications. In this age of easy
and powerful data-gathering tools, data sets
are growing ever larger, and their benefits
and importance are becoming increasingly
obvious as well – not only in traditional
fields of large data sets such as meteorology,
genomics, physics, and biology, but in
Internet search results, business informatics,
and finance.
For example, when the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS) began collecting astronomical
data in 2000, it amassed more in its first few
weeks than all data collected in the history
of astronomy. Continuing at a rate of about
200 GB per night, SDSS has amassed more
than 140 terabytes of information. When
the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope,
successor to SDSS, comes online in 2016 it
is anticipated to acquire that amount of data
every five days.
On a more relatable level, Walmart
handles more than 1 million customer
transactions every hour, which is imported
into databases estimated to contain more
than 2.5 petabytes of data – the equivalent
of 167 times the information contained in
all the books in the US Library of Congress.
If you analyze data sets, especially
looking for connections in a large set of
related data rather than analyzing several
smaller data sets individually, you can
generate predictions and conclusions
leading to more efficient work processes,
insight into future trends, and of course
breakthroughs in a number of scientific
fields. The collection, storage, analysis
and visualization of Big Data will become
increasingly important in the coming years,
and more and more tools to deal with huge
data sets will be developed and used.
March 2013
58
GOING
GOING
What things are
on the way out
Tuna
#McDStories and other ill-fated
corporate social media campaigns
It seemed a good idea to the
executives of McDonald’s – a social
media campaign to advertise the fast
food giant, using the Twitter hashtag
#McDStories to invite users to share
their heartwarming stories about their
experiences with the Golden Arches.
McDonald’s started it off with their very
own #McDStories-tagged tweet, linking
to a wholesome story about farmers who
grew potatoes for McDonald’s French
Fries. Unfortunately the hashtag took on
a life of its own as disgruntled customers
3d
59
March 2013
Sushi buffets may be nothing but
a memory in the future unless dramatic
steps are taken to curb the overfishing
of global tuna populations. According to
the International Seafood Sustainability
Foundation, tuna populations all over
the world are overfished. The BBC
documentary ‘South Pacific’ showed
how unless fishing rates were limited,
populations of all tuna species could
collapse within 5 years. The film featured
massive Japanese and European tuna
fishing vessels trawling South Pacific
international waters – their home-waters
were empty, having overfished their own
fish stocks to the point of collapse.
Bluefin tuna is now so rare that a
single fish weighing almost 500 lbs. fetched
and angry critics told their own decidedly
anti-McDonald’s stories on the hashtag. It
was a prime case study on the dangers of
social media for companies.
"Within an hour, we saw that it
wasn't going as planned. It was negative
enough that we set about a change
of course," Rick Wion, McDonald's
Social Media director, admitted. Short
lesson: the real owners of a brand are its
customers, especially on social media.
As soon as James Cameron’s Avatar
burst onto the silver screen in all its
phosphorescent three-dimensional glory,
Hollywood pundits and electronics
manufacturers were convinced that 3D
was here to stay and dominate. Cinemas
frantically upgraded to 3D-capable screens
and projectors. Video games and movies
for the home were released on Blu Ray
(which has the data capacity for 3D), and
the latest TVs had to promise 3D action
in living rooms everywhere.
But the latest news is that 3D
may be a sputtering fad rather than
an evolutionary shift. Although in
the beginning, films like Avatar and
Tron: Evolution raked in huge box
office takes in their 3D incarnations;
things have shifted so that it’s now more
usual for 3D movies to earn less than 2D
versions. Polls showed that nearly 75%
of American theatergoers considered the
higher cost of 3D tickets “not worth it”
and would opt for cheaper 2D tickets given
the chance. The world-famous Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas, formerly
a bastion for 3D toys, was conspicuous
on its focus on “ultra-definition”, massive
televisions with 60–70 inch screens rather
than the old hype on 3D sets. The lack of
3D in an event where it had formerly been
widely celebrated was not unnoticed – tech
blogs immediately began talking about the
“Death of 3D”. Many, citing 3D-induced
migraines and wallet woes, hailed this news
with joy.
Of course 3D isn’t really dead – there’s
been too much money sunk into it. And
there are still new developments in the
technology: better 3D screens, glasses-less
3D like the type used in mall displays and
the Nintendo 3DS, 3D streaming video.
But it seems less and less likely that it will
ever be the omnipresent, ‘default’ setting
for video entertainment that some people
said it would be.
1.8 million USD at Japan’s Tsukiji fish
market. Here in the Philippines, tuna
harvests are declining and the Philippine
Fisheries Development
Authority (PFDA)’s
data shows that
without foreign
catches, the six tuna
canneries of General
Santos City would have
had little to process. Mariano
Fernandez, President of the local
tuna canners association, noted
that General Santos City now sees
only about 300 – 400 metric tons
of tuna per unloading – down from
2,000 metric tons in happier days.
Diamond Engagement Rings
It has become almost Holy Writ
that an engagement ring must come
with a diamond, the bigger the better.
Diamonds, it was said, are forever, and
they symbolized a commitment to the
marriage that should last as long.
As a matter of fact, however,
this ‘tradition’ dates from only the
twentieth century and can be traced
to the absolutely brilliant marketing
campaign of the DeBeers Company,
convincing women in the United States
(which was, at the time, becoming the
world’s foremost market for high-quality
diamonds) that only an engagement ring
with a true diamond in it would do - if
their fiancés really loved them.
However, a small but growing
number of people – both male and
female – are opting for alternatives
to diamond rings. Their objections
are fueled by ethical concerns about
diamond mining processes, over
what sorts of regimes are supported
by “blood diamond” profits, and
disgruntlement about the ‘false scarcity’
of diamonds. Additionally, there is
a growing movement that advocates
alternate stones and rings – ranging
from emeralds, rubies and sapphires
to more offbeat stones like tanzanite
and amethyst, and even stone-less rings
made of materials like tungsten carbide
and meteoric iron – simply for their
uniqueness and their aesthetic appeal.
March 2013
60
Sleeper HIT
WE KEEP THE
LIGHTS ON
61
March 2013
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise offers
Philippine enterprises an all-in-one
Disaster Recovery Solution for all
their business continuity needs.
For
today’s interconnected enterprise, the
Philippines was once a perilous land,
beset by storms, floods, earthquakes and volcanoes.
On top of these ravages of nature, there are the
technical dangers: power outages, equipment failure,
sabotage and human fault – all threatening the
modern concept of the “always on” business.
March 2013
62
This is especially true as delicate
and intricate information technology
systems govern the day-to-day
operations of modern enterprise.
Our increased reliance on computer
networks, databases and online services
exposes greater network risks, such
as employee sabotage, cyber attacks,
viruses, sudden loss of Internet service,
and malfunctioning equipment. A
single hour’s outage can entail millions
of pesos in lost revenue, as well as a
fatal blow to company credibility with
partners and clients – a valid concern
for enterprises, particularly the financial
industry and Offshoring & Outsourcing
firms.
According to a study conducted
by technology research firm Gartner,
only 35% of Philippine business
process outsourcing facilities have a
comprehensive disaster recovery plan,
leaving the rest vulnerable to natural
disasters and emergencies. During the
recent habagat floods, services were
widely disrupted, emergency supplies
depleted, and communications hung in
precarious balance. Polls showed that
during the height of the monsoon rains,
47% of Philippine BPOs recorded an
absenteeism rate above 25%.
Even giant companies like
Disney’s Pixar are subject to data
emergencies in any given workday, sans
a natural disaster. Someone (names
withheld to protect the innocent)
at Pixar accidentally ran the “RM*”
delete command on Linux and Unix
workstations storing all the Toy Story
2 data. A year’s worth of work from
30 people was promptly deleted in 20
seconds. Adhering to Murphy’s Law,
the local backup system had also been
failing for a month unnoticed, so the
film was well and truly gone. They were
only saved from total disaster because
the technical director had brought a
copy of the data to his apartment for
some homework. But corporations
simply cannot count on lucky breaks as
part of their business plan.
63
March 2013
35%
only
That is why a Disaster Recovery
Plan (DRP), with a trusted ICT partner,
is absolutely essential to companies that
manage critical operations.
Disaster recovery is the ability to
continue work after a major incident
– whether it’s a disgruntled employee
pouring window-cleaner into server
equipment (which happened to a British
firm recently) to typhoons like Ondoy.
To be effective, a business should
have a thorough and complete disaster
recovery plan in place, understood by
multiple people within the business and
thoroughly tested prior to any actual
disaster. Having a disaster recovery plan
in place takes a little time and effort,
but the peace of mind it brings and
the ability to continue work after the
unthinkable are well worth it.
PLDT's VITRO Data Center,
having earned several ISO certifications
including the latest ISO 22301
(Certification for Business Continuity
Management Systems), is eminently
suited to help Philippine businesses with
all their DR needs. PLDT boasts the
widest network in the nation, a legacy
of their multi-billion-peso upgrade. This
nationwidest network interconnects
multiple VITRO Data Centers, located
in several strategic sites. It’s from
this strong foundation of network
excellence and multi-site reliability
that PLDT ALPHA Enterprise offers
their top-of-the-line Disaster Recovery
solutions to leading enterprise clients.
of Philippine business process
outsourcing facilities have
a comprehensive disaster
recovery plan, leaving the
rest vulnerable to natural
disasters and emergencies.
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise has
partnered with Symantec to engineer
the best possible Disaster Recovery
solutions, forestalling any emergency.
Founded in 1982 by computer scientists
on a US National Science Foundation
Grant, Symantec is now one of the
world’s largest software companies,
providing security, storage and systems
management solutions. PLDT trusts
Symantec to safeguard their own data,
which is why they also trust them to
provide high-quality DR solutions for
their ALPHA clients.
The VITRO-Managed DR
Solution, powered by Symantec, is an
all-in-one Disaster Recovery Solution.
It incorporates a backup server,
storage, backup software and license,
colocation space, power, and cooling
into one package. It is all hosted at
VITRO's network of Data Centers,
so clients share the cost of hardware
and colocation investments with
other enterprise businesses. And with
a scalable design, clients can easily
increase their storage capacity without
having to invest heavily on additional
storage devices.
It is designed to be an enterprise
backup with expandable storage with
end-to-end “deduplication” for both
physical and virtual environments.
Using proprietary Symantec systems,
it deduplicates on both the client and
target side, making replication quicker,
more efficient, and reducing storage
space.
As technology advances at a
breakneck pace, so too do tech-related
liabilities. Fortunately, disaster recovery
systems are also improving by leaps
and bounds with technology. Future
ALPHA offerings will include cloudbased Back-up Infrastructure where
clients can back up files, increase and
decrease storage capacity, and control
back-up incidences on the fly. And
the operating space of businesses will
be all the more safe in the shadow of
calamity or error—a distinct maturing
of Business Continuity and Disaster
Recovery.
March 2013
64
Words of wisdom
from some of the greatest leaders in history
The tyranny of some is
possible only through the
cowardice of others.
- Jose Rizal
Management of many is the
same as management of few.
It is a matter of organization.
- Sun Tzu
He who has never learned
to obey cannot be a good
commander.
The art of leadership is
saying no, not saying yes.
It is very easy to say yes.
- Aristotle
- Tony Blair
I've searched all the
parks in all the cities —
and found no statues of
Committees.
- GK Chesterton
A business that makes
nothing but money is
a poor business.
- Henry Ford
In a way, success is fleeting.
You succeed this time; then people say,
“Well, when is the next success?”
What you want is possibly to be a bigger
success. So, you have every right to relish
the moment of your victory, but bear in
mind that after a few days the world is
waiting for you to do more.
- Manuel V. Pangilinan
Never tell people how to do
things. Tell them what to
do, and they will surprise
you with their ingenuity.
- George S. Patton
A society will be judged on
the basis of how it treats its
weakest members.
- Pope John Paul II
65
March 2013
March 2013
66
Say
Last
of technology and
Leadership
BUSINESS continuity
It’s easy to understand that disruptive
technology disrupts only if we don’t prepare
for it. But if we do, we can actually harness
disruptive technologies to create new
opportunities, products, or services. This
way, we ride the wave of disruption instead
of flail against it. We can use its momentum
to drive growth and change from within,
instead of plugging the holes that suddenly
appear as rude awakenings.
This is how technology makes us even
better leaders. We now appreciate the added
dimension of informed foresight to plan for
disruption. Executing it however, sounds
a lot easier than it actually is. The next
steps are rather more daunting – uprooting
entrenched interests, dealing with internal
politics, dismantling comfort zones.
That said, I know you are the best
ones to lead your organizations through
these adjustments. You’re in leadership
positions for good reason, not least because
you probably already accept the fact that
it’s better to preempt disruption rather
than be faced with vanished markets. Let
anticipation of disruption come with resolve;
it will always be relatively painful, but not
necessarily as much as it was before.
ASC Ref. code: P059P021213P
The
bogey in the rear window will
always be disruptive technology,
the game changer that threatens entire
markets with upheaval or outright extinction.
History is littered with the artifacts of
disruption that, not surprisingly, are bits of
old technology, or…older disruption.
Looking at any dusty pager or GSM
phone, you realize they signify once –
burgeoning markets, whose overnight demise
were deemed remote or unimaginable.
Imagining (and preparing) for the
unimaginable – this is the point I drive at in
relating technology and leadership today.
These are the days when external
change comes at dizzying speed, with
much of it driven by the business needs of
our customers for improved productivity,
efficiencies and ultimately a better bottom
line. I think it is no longer sufficient for
leaders to merely react nimbly to these
external changes as they happen, but to
predict them and reshape our organizations
accordingly. The “leadership arsenal”
still includes the classic attributes of
accountability and integrity, as well as
adaptation skill sets. But these have been
overshadowed by our ability to foresee
disruption several steps before it is upon us.
first certified for
PLDT’s VITRO Data Center is now the first data center in the country to earn the ISO 22301:2012
Business Continuity Management System Certification, the new global standard for business
continuity. More leading enterprises are using cloud and data center solutions to protect against
extreme weather patterns, regional political instabilities, and natural disasters like earthquakes.
Now is the best time for you to do the same.
VITRO provides the necessary framework to plan, operate, and control an effective Business
Continuity Management System (BCMS), ensuring continuous operations in any disruptive incident.
We’ve also got the widest pool of certified experts standing ready 24/7 to make sure that nothing
should stop or hinder your business.
In the wake of uncertainty and the globalized demands of “always on” business, everyone is
re-examining the true nature of Business Continuity. The answers are in VITRO.
Eric Alberto
EVP and Head of Enterprise and
International & Carrier Business
PLDT / SMART
PLDT’s VITRO Pasig is also certified world-class with leading capabilities:
www.vitro.com.ph
www.pldtalpha.com
Call: 88-ALPHA (25742)
67
March 2013
Born in fire
Shaped by
Excellence
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise: 2013 Anvil Award of Merit
winner for Corporate Identity Program
PLDT ALPHA Enterprise gratefully accepts the Anvil Award of Merit from the Public
Relations Society of the Philippines, recognizing us as one of the premier trusted
brands in the country today.
We re-dedicate ourselves to the business of trust, delivering world-class products
and solutions as the end-to-end trusted expert ICT partner to the Philippine
enterprise. Let excellence live on!
www.pldtalpha.com
Call: 88-ALPHA (25742)
ASC Ref Code: P147P031913P