Nikola Dujmović: In Ukraine, we are witnessing an increase in demand for cloud services

Although we are in the holiday season, preparations are in full swing for the most exciting economic day of this year, the traditional Lider event Day of Big Plans, which will take place on September 21 in Zagreb. Given all the economic and political circumstances that have befallen us after the pandemic, such as the Russian aggression against Ukraine, rampant inflation hinting at a recession, still present shortages of materials and raw materials, and (although to a lesser extent) unstable supply chains, it is certain that there will be no shortage of interesting topics and insights at the conference. And this will come firsthand from the leaders of the Croatian economy who will present their forecasts and predictions for the coming year.

Among them is Nikola Dujmović, founder and CEO of Span, one of the leading IT companies, who explained how dependent this sector is on global trends and what its biggest challenges are at the moment.

– In our digital industry, there is currently only one challenge, which is how to find people who are willing to continuously learn and are competent. This challenge is global. The demand for digital services from users is increasing, while there simply aren’t enough IT professionals in the labor market – says Dujmović.

In his opinion, COVID and the war in Ukraine are very good lessons for entrepreneurs about how things can change in an instant, especially when observing the macroeconomic picture.

– What we saw during the pandemic was a paradigm shift. The need for IT in a moment of crisis is no longer at the bottom of the priority list, something companies give up when they need to make cuts. IT solutions and services are now at the top of the priority list during crisis periods. Our users are aware that digitalization is a condition for business survival – adds Dujmović.

The IT industry has been global and uniform for years; business is not focused solely on a specific market. Span achieved a revenue growth of 31 percent in 2021, known as the pandemic year, compared to 2020. Therefore, Dujmović believes that inflation, which is causing many companies to ‘tighten their belts’, will not affect the continuity of companies’ investments in digitalization of processes, although potential savings from clients are possible.

– What happens in traditional industries over a period of two to five years takes three to 12 months in IT. If you are not ready to constantly change and transform, the business environment will consume you. It is in our interest to continue to grow in all segments of business, with an additional focus on Cloud and Cyber Security solutions – announces Dujmović.

Span is a global company that has, among many others, operated in the Ukrainian market. However, unlike many other industries, despite the war events, Span’s business in Ukraine has not stopped.

– The situation in Ukraine has primarily affected us from the human side. We quickly equipped ourselves and organized help for our colleagues from Kyiv. Some of them arrived in Croatia, working from Zagreb, while others did not want or were unable to leave Ukraine, and we are in constant contact with them. The volume of work has decreased, but contrary to expectations, it has not stopped. We continue to work with our clients who have continued their business, and the trend we are noticing is an increase in demand for Cloud services – concludes Dujmović.

In the last 13 years, the business event Day of Big Plans has become a trademark of Lider’s conferences, gathering around 4,600 participants and 220 speakers, mostly leaders from various industries and prominent figures from political and public life. The conference has gained the status of an indispensable political-economic event, and this year it will cover key topics such as global trends, expectations for the next year in the region, monetary policy in 2023, fiscal policy and its effects on consumption, attracting investments and promoting exports, and forecasts for 2023.

Do not miss the opportunity to network with the most successful entrepreneurs; register in time to participate in the 14th Day of Big Plans which will be held on September 21 in the Grand Congress Hall of the Zagreb Fair. More information can be found at the link.