Dimitri Denissiouk, Managing Director, IBA Group South Africa. (Image: IBA South Africa)
Hybrid work was a temporary solution until it wasn’t. Until it became an expectation. According to PwC, companies with rigid working frameworks experience higher attrition across key demographics that include women, skilled workers and senior employees.[1] It’s an attrition companies can ill afford, especially in Africa where retaining and finding skilled employees is a challenge. The continent also has one of the highest youth populations in the world with clear views on how working environments need to be more fulfilling and flexible. The PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2024 – African Perspectives found that 59% of respondents prioritised hybrid working, even as companies tried to bring them back into the office.[2]
Companies that fail to offer flexibility risk losing top talent and their competitive advantage. However, many are still trying to find more effective ways of balancing the hybrid approach because their resistance to hybrid comes down to their technology, not their culture.
“Before the pandemic, people had the technical ability to work remotely but most companies still expected them in the office,” explains Dimitri Denissiouk, Managing Director at IBA South Africa. “Now, hybrid work is a normal part of working frameworks but legacy systems are struggling to keep up with demand.”
Traditional IT infrastructures were never designed for distributed workforces. Many can’t scale across geographies, integrate smoothly with cloud platforms or ensure consistent performance across devices and locations. This means, says Denissiouk, that every remote employee has become an endpoint and each endpoint is a potential target for cyber attack. “Companies need to modernise their systems and implement zero-trust architectures capable of enabling hybrid while keeping the business protected,” he adds.
According to Check Point Research, companies are currently experiencing an average of 1 925 attacks a week in 2025, which is, says the research, an increase of 47% on the same time last year.[3] Zero trust gives companies a framework within which to architect their hybrid working by assuming no device, user or network is safe. The system is always verifying.
“Companies also need to consider multifactor authentication, especially when users log in from new locations or devices,” says Denissiouk. “It complements a zero trust approach and allows for companies to create a secure and accessible security ecosystem.”
He adds that a hybrid cloud model can also provide both security and scale, allowing companies to keep critical data on-premises for privacy and compliance, while cloud systems handle collaboration and remote access. It’s a combination that ensures both control and flexibility.
“Further reducing risk also means implementing granular access privileges so employees only have the permissions they need and using AI-powered threat intelligence to detect suspicious behaviours,” Denissiouk says. “Stay one step ahead with intelligent systems and then bolster this with systems that are not disjointed and disconnected. Hybrid work relies on integration between collaboration tools and enterprise platforms.”
Disjointed systems create silos, and silos create problems. If tools don’t talk to each other, employees end up duplicating work, copying data manually or relying on shadow IT. “Give users one entry point and ensure information flows automatically between systems so communication and activity are synchronised,” says Denissiouk. “This needs to be aligned with training and visibility as well so employees know standard operating procedures and are aware of security and access requirements. Everyone needs to use the right systems in the right way.”
When everyone is on the same digital page, hybrid work becomes a strategic advantage. It’s a proven model that will attract talent, enhance the workplace culture, tap into the youth market and give companies access to a far broader talent pool that is unconstrained by geography.
“Mix zero trust with intelligent automation, integrated collaboration and smart systems to create an infrastructure that inspires hybrid work,” concludes Denissiouk. “It’s an advantage in the modern workplace, and will drive both employee and business performance.”
[2] https://www.pwc.co.za/en/press-room/global-workforce-hopes-and-fears-2024.html
