Hybrid work has become the new normal. Most companies have either already established remote work systems or are selecting and updating their enterprise IT infrastructure. For companies that have been unable to start setting up remote environments, 'how much budget to invest' is undoubtedly one of the most critical concerns. Jason Cheng, a software development consultant at 5xRuby, states that VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) is continuously being optimized and improved. While reducing costs will inevitably be the path forward, it's not yet the reality. If companies want to tackle current situations step by step, they may incur hidden costs.

[Figure 1] Hidden costs of remote work that enterprises cannot ignore (Image source: Ruslan Burlaka)

Hidden Costs of Remote Work That Enterprises Cannot Ignore

Currently, decent remote system products on the market generally have entry prices exceeding hundreds of thousands. While finding free open-source software is not impossible, and there are products with good reputations, the available options are limited, maintenance is difficult, and without professional consultants or reliable vendors providing technical support, it remains risky for enterprise IT. For employees, there is a certain learning curve. The best advice is still to allocate an appropriate budget and purchase a remote system that meets most of the company's needs. Jason states that he deeply understands: 'Problems that money can solve are not problems; the problem is not having money.' However,
in the long run, while the initial cost may seem excessive, extending the timeline creates opportunities to save costs.

Overall, if companies do not adopt remote systems or if the systems are too simplified, it will lead to many areas still requiring manual operations. Assuming a company has 30 people, each with a work computer (or work phones, tablets, and more devices), regular maintenance, backup, and testing require handling each device individually, consuming considerable time, distance, and user communication costs. With more people working from home than ever before, without remote assistance, maintenance becomes inconvenient, and hidden IT maintenance costs will be very high. If VDI is adopted, only the enterprise server needs maintenance, no changes are needed on the user side, and IT
can efficiently allocate resources online in real-time.

K.O. Enterprise Pain Points! Choose a Remote System with High Flexibility

On the other hand, when examining actual needs, most people have probably experienced purchasing or implementing a solution where they only use 20% of the functions but have to pay for the other 80% to use it. This is a common pain point for enterprises. Jason believes that when evaluating remote systems, the clearer the enterprise is about the required functions, the better they can select suitable products and reasonable expenditures. He states that if products are sold in bundled packages without considering customers with lower budgets, enterprises must carefully review whether the specifications offered by vendors are appropriate when choosing remote systems.

Observing all remote system products on the market, Jason states that SOSI, the lightweight remote control interface launched by 5xRuby in May, is currently what he considers to have the highest flexibility compared to other options, and it meets basic enterprise needs such as screen watermarks, LDAP, support for multiple virtual platforms, screen and keystroke recording, comprehensive security mechanisms and backups, and user-friendly design. Most importantly, SOSI is also the cheapest among currently available paid remote system products. The entry price (5 simultaneous connections) is less than the cost of two MacBooks. It not only has a professional IT technical team for regular maintenance but also meets these seven remote system inspection indicators.

Finally, Jason also reminds that many people think adopting VDI can save a lot of software licensing fees by providing one set for multiple users. Although this is not illegal, enterprises must understand the scope of software licenses. If the company operates on shifts or different people use it at different times in rotation, VDI can be used to allocate resources and achieve maximum savings.

 [Figure 2] Jason Cheng, 5xRuby Software Development Consultant (Photo source: 5xRuby Software Development Consultant Jason)

※This article is also published on the development team's "5xRuby Software Development" company press release※

Company Profile

5xRuby Co., Ltd. was established in 2014 and is one of Taiwan's most representative companies proficient in the Ruby programming language. The company provides web services primarily based on the Ruby on Rails development framework. Brand clients are distributed across Taiwan, Singapore, and Japan. The company has assisted overseas startups in developing cross-border e-commerce services, successfully raising Series A funding, and has also developed proprietary apps and website services for many publicly listed companies in Taiwan. The company provides technical consulting and enterprise technical advisory services for brands, completely establishing a solid web development foundation for brands and providing professional Internet solutions.