To say that the COVID-19 global pandemic has changed the world—the physical, as well as the digital—as we know it would be an understatement.
No country, individual, or business expected to have this kind of challenge. So when it did hit and brought about an unfortunate situation, almost every business rushed to have a strong presence in the digital space.
“It’s a tough road ahead and there will be many challenges that Filipinos and people around the world would be facing, but I believe that we will all be able to cope and adjust in the new normal when we get there,” said David Almirol, CEO and Founder of Multisys Technologies Corporation, a leading systems developer and integrator in the Philippines.
David Almirol, CEO and Founder of Multisys Technologies Corporation, a leading systems developer and integrator in the Philippines.
Because of the rush for companies to put up a working website or mobile app, Almirol said that MultiSys has seen a three-folds increase in the number of projects it is involved in since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was put in place.
“There are companies who are just realizing that setting up a meaningful online presence is not an option anymore, but a necessity,” Almirol said.
Because of the sudden increase in volume of work, Almirol said that his team at MultiSys has been quite busy, to say the least.
While most industries are negatively affected by the months-long quarantine period, the situation has actually provided a boost to the IT and software industries.
“The IT business has, in fact, expanded since the ECQ. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to more profit. In these dire times, it doesn’t feel right to put a hefty price on the projects that we work on. We just really want to do our part to help out in any way we can,” he said.
The MultiSys team, led by its CEO and Founder David Almirol, which recently developed StaySafe.ph.
To keep his team at MultiSys from getting overwhelmed with the huge volume of new projects, Almirol said the company has hired some 50 additional employees since March. More importantly, they are looking at hiring at least 100 individuals more, who are mainly programmers, and software and app developers, in the coming weeks.
“This is the first time we’re having a mass hiring at this scale. But we will do what we must to strengthen our capacity,” Almirol said. The CEO is quick to clarify though that they aren’t just out to hire more people, but rather individuals who are passionate at what they do and those that thrive in a collaborative environment.
Almirol gives credit to MultiSys’s ready platforms, which allows them to work on projects faster, given that they already have a working foundation and structure for many of the projects that come their way.
As for the long-term effect of the pandemic in the IT industry, Almirol believes that companies will continue to beef up their online presence even after the lockdown restrictions have been eased.
“This unfortunate situation will really bring about a new normal, because we were all affected mentally, socially, physically, and emotionally. So for our part, we just have to make sure we are ready to take on the challenge of not turning away any company who might need our help. We are open to all partnerships, even start-up ventures,” he said.
Almirol is also proud of MultiSys’s thrust to promote a “digital bayanihan,” wherein people help each other online.
MultiSys recently developed StaySafe.ph, the country’s official community-driven health-reporting, contact tracing and social distancing system to further aid the government contain and mitigate the ramifications brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. This allows frontliners, including local government units and organizations to track and respond to the health conditions of Filipinos around the country.
“We developed StaySafe.ph to enable our fellow citizens to protect themselves, their loved ones and communities through this digital tool, which will aid the government’s efforts to monitor cases nationwide and provide assistance to those in need,” he said.
Since going live in early April, the platform has more than 650,000 registered individuals.
Almirol said, “It makes me proud to lead such daring and inspirited programmers who are eager to contribute to the national cause at no cost to the government. Not only have they helped the country, but more importantly they have enabled a platform that promotes ‘Digital Bayanihan.’ May we all mold the young and future generations to have such passionate and patriotic spirit.” /KMDR
ADVT.