One should not be afraid of change but have the courage to try something new in business

At the transition from Business to Technology, this year’s WinDays16 conference discussed the changes brought about by digital transformation.

Lejla Zukić-Krivdić, the director of the WinDays16 conference, stated in her presentation that the number of over 1500 participants is proof of the significance of the IT industry in Croatia and emphasized that from 2009 to 2014, the number of IT companies grew by 40 percent, and the number of employees in the Croatian IT industry also increased by 40 percent, adding:

– At the WinDays conference, we talked a lot about 21st-century education and how to retain young people in Croatia, and one of the answers is definitely technology. It erases borders, the market becomes the whole world, and children are born with technology. Today, it is possible to develop a business in, say, Zagreb, and have customers in China or anywhere else in the world, so the message of the Conference is that one should not be afraid of change but have the courage and faith to try something new in business.

Michael Kögeler, General Manager of CEE Multicountry at Microsoft, highlighted how digital transformation will change the world in the next 10 years:

– The world is changing rapidly, and organizations must be quick to adapt to changes. A few years ago, it took Fortune 500 companies 20 years to reach a value of 1 billion dollars, while today’s startups achieve this in just two. The fact is that digitally mature companies perform better, which is why it is necessary to rethink business, to think about how to do new things differently. Look at Uber, for example, the largest transportation company that does not own a single vehicle, or Skype, the largest telephone company that does not own any infrastructure, which are proof that companies must reconsider and change their business models. Today, a customer comes to the store to look at a product and get advice, and based on that, they make a purchasing decision, ultimately buying the product online. The company Thyssen Krupp has shown, for instance, how IoT solutions and predictive analytics work. Elevators have sensors that send data to a database, and through analysis, calculations are made about when one of the elevators will break down, allowing the company to send technicians to resolve future failures.

He also added that 86 percent of global CEOs see digital transformation as the key to survival.

Ivan Vidaković, director of Microsoft Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasized that the 4th industrial revolution is happening due to the propulsion of technology that enables us to do things we could not even imagine a few years ago, such as the use of 3D printers in medicine, traveling through virtual worlds, using drones that will change the logistics industry, blockchain technology that will eliminate intermediaries, etc.

– The amount of data will increase 50 times from 2010 to 2020. Companies and organizations need to use them so they can know each of their users or customers and understand what they will buy tomorrow. Companies that are innovators and first movers, as well as those that are fast followers and keep up with contemporary trends, are the ones that will succeed. Croatia, in this context, has three advantages: geographical advantage, tourism, and significant agricultural potential – said Vidaković, concluding that the WinDays conference discusses the growth mindset, i.e., how to grow, how to create new industries, and how to launch startups that have the power to disrupt or transform industries.

The third and fourth days of the WinDays16 conference are dedicated to the Technology part, and this year’s focus is on new topics: digital marketing and open-source solutions, as well as new solutions in the context of megatrends – Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, and Big Data, along with many other interesting topics. Cloud business is the future of technology, Microsoft has invested over six billion dollars in cloud development, and currently has 28 data centers around the world. At the same time, Microsoft Azure is experiencing tremendous growth of up to 200 percent in the last year, further proving its success, said Tomislav Tipurić, director of content at the WinDays16 conference, in the opening speech of the Technology part. Draženko Kopljar (PBZ) spoke about the practical application of cloud business from the perspective of a bank that has fully transitioned its operations to the cloud.

– Cloud business is more productive, faster, and more economical. One should not be afraid of the cloud; the future is in the cloud – said Kopljar.

Two new directions that received special attention in the technology part are digital marketing and open source. Adis Jugo (skybow AG) and Domagoj Pavlešić (dizzy.hr) showcased new possibilities of Power BI solutions via Azure, which can integrate BI into their own applications. Jesus Serrano Castro (Real Madrid) also spoke about the use of BI (Business Intelligence), using the example of the royal club Real Madrid to discuss hyper-targeting possibilities, processing vast amounts of data that are extremely important for understanding the target consumer group, as well as predicting their behavior. He also talked about the “Home Stadium,” or holographic technology that will allow football fans to experience the stadium atmosphere in their own homes.