IT’s role in business has grown crucial with COVID-19’s impact on markets globally. We spoke to the core team of a well-established IT service provider, FunctionEight, about leading the IT outsourcing industry to uncover how outsourcing IT needs is saving companies time, money and value.

Growing from strength to strength since 2001, Managed IT service provider FunctionEight celebrates its 20th year in business by building success from its humble beginnings out of the debris of the dot-com era. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company has grown into a regional IT services provider with a presence in Singapore, The Philippines, and China.

“FunctionEight was founded with a mission to translate our client’s needs and wants to the technical staff, a link that is missing from most other IT solutions providers,” says Martin Abert, Chairman.

“Over the last two decades we have built our reputation, especially amongst multinational companies, for delivering hassle-free, one-stop IT services. We have consistently improved our quality of services through various factors such as establishing our Helpdesk team and expanded it to offer 24×7 support globally, acquiring several reputable IT services companies,” says Phil Aldridge and Chris Young, Partners of the company.

Changing Times

Henrik Runnström, Managing Director of FunctionEight in Asia

New challenges are facing today’s IT service providers because on one hand, the global pandemic did fast-track the need for a wide range of IT solutions, but on the other, many companies had to cease business or downsize. “In today’s highly competitive landscape you have to make sure you focus on your core and outsource the rest,” says Henrik Runnström, Managing Director of FunctionEight in Asia. “We are seeing new trends because the pandemic has created a new work-from-home culture and for many companies, especially multinationals with many staff, the requirements to set up such a system is complex. This has led to a higher dependency on IT support services. Furthermore, cybercrime also surged during this difficult period, so there is a greater need and awareness for cybersecurity solutions,” he adds.

Client-centric Focus

Allo Hui, Head of IT & Operations for FunctionEight in Hong Kong

“FunctionEight’s services have remained true to its core since our inception. Many of our existing customers refer us because we have always focused on providing personalized services to our clients. At the end of the day what we do for them is value-added, effective, efficient, and cost-effective so they can achieve their goals without any hassles. There has also been a strong demand in cloud and cybersecurity services in the last 3-4 years as 95% of our clients have moved their infrastructure to the cloud,” says Allo Hui, Head of IT & Operations for FunctionEight in Hong Kong.

Alex Ho, Head of IT & Operations for FunctionEight in Singapore

“Many companies have realized that the costs associated with building their own in-house IT team, training them, keeping up with the latest tech, etc cannot make them as competitive as outsourcing,” says Alex Ho, Head of IT & Operations for FunctionEight in Singapore.

“Apart from the rapid development of technologies, most local IT firms have limitations in terms of language and understanding how to work in a more corporate environment, while the big global IT firms are sometimes too slow-moving and charge a premium for their services.”

“In Asia, not many IT service providers can offer 24×7 support and have a good foundation like FunctionEight. This niche makes us the perfect choice to fill the needs of both SMEs and multinationals,” he adds.

One-Stop-Shop Solutions!

FunctionEight’s team continues to focus on caring for their customers and on delivering great services. Earlier this year, the company has set up its first Dedicated Helpdesk for large multinationals overseas who prefer to have a Regional Helpdesk solution with dedicated staff who handle the accounts of their Asia users. “We expect the growth of our Regional Helpdesk Team for troubleshooting to remain because the demand for flexible work arrangements will continue. We may also set up more Dedicated Helpdesks for larger companies asking for a one-stop-shop for their users’ support across Asia, and of course our 24×7 service will continue to grow as we are currently expanding our team in different parts of the world,” concludes Henrik Runnström.

The Mediazone Group congratulates FunctionEight for their 20th anniversary milestone and for winning the Most Reliable IT Partner in Asia recognition at the 2022 Asia’s Most Valuable Companies in Hong Kong Awards. We wish the brand more success in its growth.

For more information visit www.functioneight.com