Interview: Max Hsu from ViewSonic

In an exclusive interview with Rabab Zehra, Executive Editor, TECHx, Max Hsu, ViewSonic Regional Director – MEA, discusses how ViewSonic’s MyViewBoard is facilitating the education sector, ViewSonic’s corporate solutions, the remote working environment, and the challenges faced by CIOs and IT departments.

TECHx: MyViewBoard, ViewSonic’s digital teaching and learning platform was released in 2018, but it quickly gained traction in the remote-learning scenario. Tell us more about how it is assisting learners and educators, specifically in the MEA region, in overcoming hybrid learning challenges.

Max: ViewSonic’s myViewBoard offers a full suite of tools, features, and functions within a single platform that provides cloud storage for teachers to access their lessons from anywhere, digital annotation tools and multiple presentation options for better engagement. It has a built-in platform for video-assisted learning with over 2 million vetted educational videos with customizable lesson plans. The modern classroom requires a visual learning solution to bridge physical and virtual learning spaces with a single holistic platform. Our platform currently has 3,000,000 + users globally, and they’ve been proliferating since the pandemic began. This ecosystem is designed to ensure continuity of education. We have been offering all schools and universities in the MEA region free registration and usage of the platform since schools and colleges were first forced shut due to COVID-19.

TECHx: When it comes to monitors and projectors, what solutions do you have for corporates and business setups?

Max: ViewSonic provides a wide range of monitors to meet different corporate needs – VG series with single-cable solutions, VP series for professional designers and creative work, VX series for entertainment and of course XG series for gaming. For example, ViewSonic’s VP ColorPro Professional Monitor features the exclusive ColorPro Wheel, which acts as a colour sensor to achieve the most precise colour calibration. The ColorPro Professional Monitor is ideal for creative professionals and has been widely recognized by the industry and numerous certification organizations. In addition to the iF Design Award, the monitor is also Pantone- validated and Fogra-certified. Similarly, we offer a range of Smart LED projectors that can be used both indoor and outdoor. ViewSonic’s comprehensive smart LED projector lineup includes the portable M Series for an exciting on-the-move lifestyle and the flagship X series for premium home entertainment with 4K image quality and smart functionality. ViewSonic is now a leading projector brand across the globe.

TECHx: Apart from the security concerns, what other challenges should businesses consider when building and implementing a hybrid model that allows employees to choose between traditional office environments and working remotely?

Max: Aside from security concerns, companies and employees should be aware of workplace setup and try to create a healthy and conducive environment. A big challenge can be avoiding unconscious bias. Remote employees are required to stretch their working hours more often than office workers, but their commitment often goes unnoticed, as they work “out of sight”. Lack of transparent communication is another challenge that fuels the feeling of isolation among remote workers and widens the gap between them and their office-going counterparts. Dilution of work culture is another big challenge of implementing a hybrid model. As the workforce disperses, its impact on the organization’s culture could be detrimental if the organization doesn’t invest efforts in keeping its workforce aligned with its core values.

TECHx: What do you think are some of the most prevalent issues that CIOs and IT departments have encountered when it comes to employees working from home?

Max: CIOs and IT departments across the globe have seen some unprecedented challenges while implementing a remote working culture during the pandemic. The lack of unplanned casual interactions like coffee breaks and lunch table chats resulted in a lack of one-on-one relationship building that affected employee morale. Not being able to integrate new people into the team effectively posed to be another issue. Add to it the domestic and logistical challenges of working at home because long periods of suddenly working from home, a place one wasn’t associating with work earlier, was not something most people were prepared for. The difficulty in modifying workplace expectations and helping the workforce adjust to the nature of remote work has been a big hurdle, too. The usual connectivity issues and unstable communication, probably the most visible issues, have been ever-present to keep the IT departments on their toes in to implement improved security and seamless collaboration.