With the steady rise of COVID-19 cases, medical and pharmaceutical services have never been more important. However, going to clinics and seeing doctors in person may pose risks. Many Filipinos are anxious, especially those who may need to see a doctor during this pandemic.

The pandemic has been a driving force to many digital innovations in the world, including telehealth. Globe myBusiness recognizes the need of its SME customers to provide health benefits to their businesses’ employees and as such, partnered with KonsultaMD, the country’s pioneer in telehealth. It conducted an online seminar to enable entrepreneurs to explore benefit options for their employees’ health.

The webinar entitled Telehealth in the PH: Protecting Your Business and Your Employees aimed to help entrepreneurs take care of the health conditions of their employees. The online event featured a powerhouse of resource speakers from the Department of Health (DOH), KonsultaMD, and Globe Telecom, and was moderated by Apple Mendoza.

The first speaker was Dra. Beverly Ho, Director IV at the DOH, who discussed the basics of telemedicine and how the need for it has been accelerated by the COVID pandemic.

She defined the concept as delivering healthcare at a distance through telecommunication or digital means. The need for telemedicine comes from the DOH’s goal of bringing Universal Health Care (UHC) to Filipinos, which is a combination of better health outcomes, a responsive health system, and financial risk protection. Telemedicine, then, contributes to the goal by improving access to services, maximizing available resources, and coordinating end-to-end service delivery across facilities.

She then gave a brief history of the concept and discussed the remaining challenges we face today with regard to telehealth. All in all, she painted a clear picture of where the Philippines is in terms of telehealth services, what milestones our country has already achieved, and how things could still improve.

Following Dra. Ho was Alfie Paulino, Sales Manager of Globe Telehealth Inc. She discussed how, KonsultaMD, a subsidiary of the Ayala Group under 0917 Ventures, can help Filipinos.

KonsultaMD would like to create a new normal for businesses by providing them with 24/7 access to local doctors anytime, anywhere, making it easier and more convenient for employees to stay healthy and engaged in their health care. On the side of the business owners, this means increased productivity, and accurate health services for the employees they value. It’s fair to note that they also have the lowest subscription rates in the market at only P1/day.

The value proposition behind all this is avoiding hospitals in the time of the pandemic and subsequently avoiding the risk of getting infected. Additionally, not every symptom requires a visit to the doctor, so phoning in a consultation saves time, money, and effort on the part of the patient, without skimping on accuracy and effectiveness. Finally, it allows people living in places where doctors cannot be physically present to still be able to consult with a physician, be it over the phone or online.

Rounding up the panel of speakers was Nicola Ebrada, Industry Manager at Globe myBusiness. She enumerated the digital tools offered by Globe myBusiness to entrepreneurs, focusing on those that would improve resilience and augment business continuity. With solutions like the e-commerce platform Rush E-Store, the Facebook Ad Creator, the Rush Loyalty rewards system, the AMBER Automated SMS Blaster, the Virtual Private Cloud, Backup-as-a-Service, contactless payment through GCash, collaboration tools like Office 365 and GSuite, and various Cybersecurity or HR solutions, business owners can surely leverage on technology to overcome any limitations placed on their businesses by the pandemic.

Overall, the event was educational and highly useful for the audience of entrepreneurs.

There is no doubt that the Philippines owns the longest Christmas celebration in the world as the Christmas Season starts with the ber months, and last  (months ending with ~ber) and lasts until the celebration of Three Kings a few days after the New Year.

This long festive tradition and unique celebration for the Filipinos wherein everyone feels the Christmas in the air leads to excitement and preparation for gift-buying and gift-giving. However, with the pandemic, some feel it is not good to celebrate Christmas.

But for Filipinos, Christmas is all about giving. Buying gifts for family members and loved ones is a tradition and no matter how different this year’s celebrations may be from what we are used to, the spirit of giving will always be alive in all of us.

Yearly, Globe myBusiness supports MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) with the #GiftLocal campaign that aims to encourage Filipino consumers to purchase their gifts for family and friends from local small businesses.

“We have always rallied the Filipino consumers to patronize local establishments and help Filipino MSMEs, especially during the holiday season,” said Globe myBusiness Strategy and Marketing Head Maridol Ylanan. “This year’s Gift Local campaign will serve an even greater purpose, as we feature the products of our SME partners that will delight Filipino customers for their gift-giving celebration while supporting our local SMEs bounce back in these challenging times.”

As a part of the annual Gift Local campaign that promotes buying and gifting local during the holiday season, Globe myBusiness is holding a 3-day E-Bazaar with Lazada, happening from November 27 to 29. This will feature Globe myBusiness clients and partner SMEs such as Bayongciaga, Punta Riviera Resort, Old World Food Enterprise, and Robi & Peach RTW clothing with live selling to be streamed through Laz Live and Globe myBusiness’ Facebook page.

Globe encourages consumers to make their holidays more meaningful by gifting local and supporting SMEs this holiday season with its Gift Local video: https://www.facebook.com/98531356317/posts/10159429576716318/.

An even grander part of the campaign will happen as more activities and promos featuring SMEs will be rolled out by Globe myBusiness in collaboration with partner malls such as Ayala Malls and SM Premier Malls in the coming weeks. These collaborations with these partner malls are made more exciting through a social media promo that will encourage the public to upload their picture showing how they are keeping themselves safe while shopping and dining.

Globe’s #GiftLocal likewise joins the government’s advocacy, “Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat,” that aims to restart the Philippine economy by building consumer confidence and guiding private corporations and SMEs regarding the best safety practices they can adopt in their operations.

Globe myBusiness’ supports the “Ingat Angat Tayong Lahat” advocacy by encouraging SMEs to adopt digital solutions in their operations to help ensure the safety of their customers and its employees. Services such as GCash for cashless transactions and KonsultaMD for employees’ telehealth service are easily made available to Globe myBusiness’ partner MSMEs.

Globe myBusiness is also partnering with Ayala Foundation for its Brigada ng Ayala project, which provides education packs, health and hygiene kits, and connectivity support for teachers and learners in the new normal of education. The partnership with Ayala Foundation also extends to disaster relief initiatives.

Globe is also supportive of the 10 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as UNSDG No. 8 on decent work and economic growth.

Follow Globe myBusiness Facebook and Twitter pages to get the latest updates on the upcoming events.

To know more about this story, visit Globe myBusiness website

In May 2020, cybersecurity researchers recorded 200,000 coronavirus-related cyberattacks per week. That’s a 30 percent increase compared to weeks before that observation period. Since then, cyber threats have only continued to rise. Phishing and malware have become major threats to SMEs’ operations. Clearly, enterprises now need to adapt and act swiftly to ensure effective security solutions are in place.

Here are some ways cybercriminals can attack your business as a result of the shift to remote work:

• Unmanaged home PCs and laptops – As you and your team work from home, your unprotected gadgets and computers can be hacked easily.
• Rapid move to cloud collaboration – When you move and share your company files and data to the cloud without cybersecurity, you risk losing them because of outside threats.
• Changes in critical infrastructure – Critical infrastructures are your important systems that when compromised, will have destructive effects on your business. If there’s no cybersecurity in place for them, your data will be vulnerable to a breach.

As most businesses own multiple devices, including laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers, securing these endpoints is essential for operations.

Thankfully, Globe myBusiness has the right solutions to keep your businesses running securely during times of uncertainty. With its range of products from Check Point, a leader in cybersecurity solutions, you can address all your security needs, and across multiple platforms, to adapt to the new normal.

Here are two ways to ensure your business is protected, even while your team is working remotely.

#1 Protect Your Mobile Devices

Since the pandemic began, mobile attacks have more than doubled. Now that you connect to your customers and employees more with your mobile device, it’s only smart to protect it.

There are two ways you can go about this. You can choose to do this the DIY way, which is ideal for single devices, or you can have a professional manage it, which is best for teams with 10 or more devices:

The DIY Solution To Protecting Your Device: Zone Alarm

This entry-level solution protects your business with enterprise-grade security that’s easy to install and you can manage yourself. It doesn’t just protect your phone, too. You can use it for mobile, PC/desktop, or for both.

Zone Alarm protects PC data from ransomware and equips it with anti-phishing security to shield against viruses, unwanted traffic, and identity theft. It uses Check Point’s legendary firewall that blocks hackers, trackers, and spyware.

The Professionally Managed Solution Through Check Point’s IT Security Experts: Sandblast

With Sandblast, a professional cybersecurity expert will be the one to manage your mobile devices remotely. Aside from that, Sandblast also has advanced features that are not available to Zone Alarm, such as Anti Exploit, Behavioral Guard, Forensics, Endpoint Data Protection Encryption, and Cloud Management.

Similar to Zone Alarm, you can use Sandblast for mobiles only, PC/laptops only, or both.

#2 Protect Your Network

A quick shift to remote and cloud-based operations like G Suite and Microsoft 365 can lead to security issues like data breaches and hacking. Your website can also be taken over by hackers easily if you’re not vigilant. Here are two solutions to ensure your data is protected when you use cloud-based applications, and that your online services are always up and running:

Protect Your Data When Using Web-based Applications: CloudGuard SaaS

To protect web-based applications like G Suite, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and the like, CloudGuard SaaS has you covered. It blocks sophisticated phishing attacks and malware without interfering with your work, so that cybercriminals can’t take over your employees’ accounts. This ensures your business’ data is protected and threats are busted before they even appear in your accounts.

Protect Your Network From Attacks: DDoS Protect

DDoS, which stands for distributed denial-of-service, is a type of cyberattack that attempts to disrupt the normal traffic of its targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic. As a result, it prevents regular traffic from entering the system, servers become unreachable, and networks crash.

DDoS Protect will block attacks to your system before they can cause damage. With this, you don’t have to worry about your online services bugging down. No more disruptions to your websites and online stores so that they’re always up and running.

No matter what stage your business is in, keeping your data secure should be a priority.  Fortunately, Globe myBusiness is here to help in times of need.

Ready to protect your business as you drive your digital plans forward? Learn more about Globe myBusiness’ partnership with Check Point and get their top-rating security solutions from us. Click this sign up form so we can guide you on how to get started.

Globe myBusiness and AEC will hold Embracing Technology in the New Normal, a free webinar where SMEs can learn best practices, helpful tips, and how to use technology for business continuity from the country’s leading entrepreneurs. The webinar will be led by Paco Magsaysay of Carmen’s Best; Dennis Ng of Mober; and Joe Magsaysay of Potato Corner. They will be joined by Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe, who will join the discussion as the chief panel reactor.

“The pandemic and the community quarantine has impacted the SME sector. This webinar will open up opportunities for entrepreneurs to harness technology and streamline operations. In effect, this will greatly contribute to the success of the country's economy,” says Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO.

The Ayala Enterprise Circle was developed to upskill, empower, and help SMEs recover through the pandemic. Once fully launched to Ayala Group SMEs, its members will enjoy access to exclusive Ayala Group solutions and offerings, mentorship from industry leaders, masterclasses, business-matching and co-marketing opportunities.

With Globe myBusiness, SMEs can select from a wealth of digital solutions to help them in every stage of their journey, most especially during times of need. Its services include mobile, internet, data, and voice solutions that are designed to help reach new and existing customers, build an e-commerce platform, and be future-ready.

Embracing Technology in the New Normal is open to all SMEs. It will be held on July 21, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 NN. Limited slots are available and registration is required.

To join, visit

https://ayala.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1axeCYiUQyyvgqA0MD53RQ.

For more information about Globe myBusiness, visit globe.com.ph/business/sme.

To receive news and priority invitations to Ayala Enterprise Circle webinars and promotions, please join the AEC mailing list at
www.ayalaenterprisecircle.com

(Press release/Globe Telecom)

Globe Telecom and Puregold Price Club, Inc. will again join hands to reach out to aspiring entrepreneurs at the 14th Puregold Negosyo Convention 2019, which will be held on May 16-19, 2019 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. 

As Puregold’s exclusive telecommunications partner for the past decade, Globe has joined the annual event – formerly known as the “Tindahan Ni Aling Puring Sari-Sari Store Convention” – to help empower members of Tindahan Ni Aling Puring, Puregold’s customized holistic membership program that allows sari-sari store and other business owners to increase potential for their net earnings.

Through the convention, Globe will showcase to Aling Puring members that it’s a reliable partner for businesses through its connectivity offerings and other digital solutions for the modern-day entrepreneurs via exclusive offers and discounts.

The Puregold Negosyo Convention, with the theme “Always Panalo Generation” for this year, is Puregold’s biggest retailer store convention (a.k.a., sari-sari store) where its trade partners can exhibit their products and services through interactive booth set-ups and Puregold members can buy their merchandise needs. The convention serves as a perfect venue wherein suppliers can touch base and inform their retailers of their latest offerings making the event truly exciting with lots of freebies, games, and raffle prizes for lucky attendees.

For this edition of the convention, Globe will be doing 3 special executions.

The “Negosyo Nation” booth features special bundles, packages, freebies, rewards and discounts exclusively for Aling Puring members courtesy of the different Globe brands – Prepaid, Postpaid, Globe at Home, Globe Rewards, and 0917 Lifestyle. Plus, Aling Puring members who avail of the All-in-One Negosyo Bundle Pack (20 Globe or TM SIM cards, 12 Globe Prepaid P100 load cards, P2,000 commercial load, and a Globe At Home Prepaid WiFi or Streamwatch Xtreme Prepaid) will also get exclusive freebies from Globe and Puregold such as SIM cards, belt bags, bag organizers, HomeSURF promos, microphone, and more!

Meanwhile, the “Negosyo Hub” booth will showcase the various plans and solutions offered by Globe myBusiness like the CCTV, which lets owners keep an eye on their businesses even when they’re away; G-Suite, an online suite of productivity tools to get work done anywhere and on any device; the Auto SMS Blaster, where businesses can send branded and bulk promo messages to engage their target market; GoCanvas, a digital form builder that lets entrepreneurs go paperless and create the forms they need; and the Vehicle Tracker so that business owners stay updated on the status and routes of their vehicles and be able to respond faster to emergencies.

Finally, the “All-Day Tagumpay” Series is a Puregold business seminar wherein Globe will teach how Aling Puring members can go digital in their businesses. It will be held at the Luna Room, 2nd floor of the World Trade Center on May 16-19 from 2 to 3 P.M.

In 2010, Globe launched the Aling Puring Super Suki SIM, a special multi-function SIM card exclusively available for Aling Puring members that enables them to receive text blast announcements and promos under special call and text rates.  With the SIM cards, they are also able to sell prepaid load as an additional source of income.

A year later, Globe and Puregold forged an innovative partnership for an easy and convenient reload channel that enable Globe and TM subscribers to buy prepaid load from any Puregold checkout counter via its point-of-sale (POS) technology.

Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat who steered up the Philippine tourism industry said, “Tourism is a multi-faceted industry.  The only way to enhance it is through a holistic development of the sector.  We will be advocates of responsible tourist destinations and we will be champions of sustainable tourism to create a dependable source of income for Filipinos.  With all the positive changes that we aim to bring forward in the next four years, we invite the private sectors to be our partners in responsibly developing tourism products, infrastructure and services.”

“With this thrust and vision of the DOT, the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would really benefit from the tourism industry this includes those engaged in the accommodation and food services sectors, have benefited from the unprecedented growth in the tourism industry and the rise in the number of visitors to the Philippines, which reached a record 7.1 million in 2018, up 7.65 percent from 2017”, the Tourism Chief added.

The accommodation and food services sectors account for the second largest in the number of SMEs in the tourism industry.

But challenges like a new breed of competition spurred by the pervasion of digital technology and innovative business models such as on-demand lodging and short-term rentals and the unexpected competition from online travel agencies are hampering the industry from maximizing the benefits of this growth.

In a survey conducted by SGS Philippines, it was revealed that there were three main issues that posed a threat to the continued growth of the tourism sector namely: the entry of new players in the market; retention of skilled employees; and, the lack of up-to-date marketing competency.

Cognizant of these problems that hounded the tourism stakeholders, Globe myBusiness is empowering the industry, particularly SMEs, through digitalization, to help them sharpen their competitive edge against the new entrants, help them understand the causes of attrition so that they can improve their retention rate, and enhance their marketing capabilities so that they can expand their market share and boost their businesses.

Thus, Globe myBusiness gathered more than 200 tourism industry leaders, business owners and other key players to a day-long conference dubbed as “Breakthroughs: Tourism” that seeks to empower and inspire participants to create the future of travel through talks from experts that tackle, among others, the various tourism trends that will shape their businesses in the years to come.

“Breakthroughs: Tourism is a testament to our commitment to empower small and medium businesses to thrive despite the challenges they encounter day-to-day by helping them use innovative technologies as a business advantage,” said Michelle Tapia, Head of Strategy, Innovation and Transformation at Globe myBusiness.

“For the tourism industry, we’re not only helping them understand digital disruption but enabling them to take advantage of it in creating the future of travel and tourism through talks on the changes and trends in their business environment and a visioning workshop to create the future of the tourism industry,” she added.

The conference also featured vision-setting exercises to help stakeholders further understand the future of the tourism industry, the challenges they have to face and cope with amid the fast evolution of technology, and the ongoing revolution in the digital world.

As a major provider of basic telecommunications services to the business community, Globe myBusiness is committed to be the partner in the success of SMEs in the tourism industry by providing them with the right technology and digital solutions.

Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was the keynote speaker of the conference while a stellar panel of speakers discussed trends in the tourism industry, such as “Regional and Local Trends” by Raoul Villegas, Executive Director, Pricewaterhouse Coopers; “Customer Insights” by Gino Borromeo, Chief Strategy Officer, McCann Worldwide Philippines; “Emerging Tech and Tourism” by Alexander de Leon, Head of Product Marketing, Instagram APAC; “Destination Marketing” by Gary Cheng, Destination Marketing Manager, TripAdvisor; “Business Trends” by Desiree Bandal, Head of Government Policy and Government Affairs, AirAsia; and “Sustainability” by Hanniel Almasco, MPM, Environmental Officer, El Nido Resorts and AA Yaptinchay, DVM, Executive Director and Founder, Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines.

For more about Globe myBusiness, please visit https://mybusinessacademy.ph/ and mybusiness.globe.com.ph

Globe myBusiness, the MSME arm of Globe Telecom, together with DTI, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aims to empower MSMEs through technological solutions. DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez and DTI Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison Maglaya graced the contract signing, along with Globe myBusiness Vice President for Marketing Debbie Obias and Globe myBusiness Marketing Services Head Mary Gaile Guevarra.

Under this partnership, Globe myBusiness Academy will serve as a one-stop platform for information dissemination about topnotch digital solutions and government services that can help businesses thrive in competitive industries.

Moreover, Globe myBusiness will aid in spreading awareness about DTI’s services and the DTI Negosyo Center through its digital platforms and its various workshops, seminars, and conferences, thus giving entrepreneurs access to resources that can help innovate their business operations.

“Truly, this is an exciting collaboration. We believe that this partnership is a perfect fit in achieving our collective goal of helping MSMEs succeed. By working together, Globe myBusiness and the DTI Negosyo Center can better impart the knowledge, skills, tools, and resources that entrepreneurs need to create their own success. We look forward to building lasting relationships not only with Filipino entrepreneurs but also with DTI Negosyo Center,” said Obias.

On the other hand, Secretary Lopez said that while MSMEs today comprise majority of the businesses in the country, their economic contribution is hampered by lack of access to business resources and technology. “With  Globe myBusiness as a partner,  we will be able to empower microentrepreneurs with new technological tools and high quality of service that can help level up their businesses. Microentrepreneurs form a big chunk of enterprises in the country, thus, by empowering them, we can also empower the nation,” he said.

To this, Undersecretary Maglaya said:  “This is our opportunity to reach the small players who are often in hard to reach areas and ease their fear in using modern solutions for their businesses.  We also want to make them aware that the government is here to take care of them. Our partnership with Globe myBusiness is important because we can’t do it alone. We don’t have to start from scratch because we have a partner that already provides the services needed by MSMEs.”

For more information on Globe myBusiness, visit the website at https://mybusiness.globe.com.ph, call the hotline at 730-1010, or visit any Globe store. You can also sign up to Globe myBusiness Academy at https://mybusinessacademy.ph/sign-up/ for free and get instant access to business content and events.

Globe myBusiness, the micro, small, and medium-enterprise arm of Globe Telecom, offers business owners a solution which can protect their company data while boosting their worker productivity. It partnered with Samsung, the global leader in smart device manufacturing, to bring Samsung Knox to local SMEs.

Samsung Knox is a very user-friendly, efficient platform that enables company owners to add restrictions or precautions to ensure that company devices are secure so as to increase workforce productivity.

Samsung Knox is a cloud-based device management solution with an affordable license fee that provides a simple deployment process to help SMEs address enterprise mobility concerns without having to invest time and money extensively.

Albert De Larrazabal, Chief Commercial Officer of Globe, elaborates on the purpose behind the launch of Samsung Knox Manage. He said: “Businesses are now looking into device management to have additional measures to ensure security and increase productivity with employee devices. Partnering with the leading brand in consumer electronics made the most sense as more than half of Globe myBusiness customers are using Samsung. Also, the product was the most relevant and affordable for the SME market.”

He also explains the vision fueling the partnership between Globe and Samsung: “Globe myBusiness has always positioned itself as the Filipino entrepreneur’s partner for growth. Through this collaboration, we would like to empower all small and medium-sized Filipino companies to become globally competitive, by ensuring that there are additional measures for increased security of their information and devices.”

Once Samsung Knox is implemented in the different company devices, management can easily configure it, particularly pertaining on data access, such as minimizing use of personal social media accounts during business hours to reduce employee distraction, as well as making company-installed apps available only for official purposes and impervious to deletion. Remote IT management is now possible to push updates and support when the mobile workforce encounters problems outside of the office. In case of theft, the company’s IT department can remotely locate a stolen office device enrolled in Samsung Knox Manage, lock it, and wipe its contents.

Various features within Samsung Knox Manage make this transition seamless and user-friendly. First, many devices, such as smartphones and tablets, can be enrolled in the platform as one bulk simultaneously. Second, it supports multi Operating Systems, a flexibility that allows Samsung Knox Manage to be applied to Android , iOS, or Windows 10 devices. Third, support is always present and reliable, from the IT department applying remediation remotely to device management and assistance that are provided on-demand upon the company’s trigger.

For more information about Globe myBusiness and Samsung Knox Manage, click on https://mybusiness.globe.com.ph/