Goran Car, Member of the Management Board and CEO of Combis: IT is a Resilient Sector, Just Like Our Team

Neither inflation, the introduction of the euro, nor the slowdown of the IT industry have hindered the growth of Combis’s business. According to Goran Car, member of the Management Board and CEO, this will continue as new challenges await the company in the foreign market.

What business results has Combis achieved in 2023?

– We are satisfied with this year, despite inflation, despite the adjustment to the euro, and even despite trends in the IT industry. We have worked a lot, and many things had to align and adapt. Our excellent results this year would not have happened without strong motivation, and therefore a big thank you to all our teams. We have been focused on cyber-security, cloud, networking, and what we could call other services for the digitalization of business. We are very proud of Combis’s cumulative growth of over 50 percent in four years, according to current estimates.

What has been the biggest challenge in business, and how much has inflation disrupted business plans?

– Inflation has brought about various adjustments aimed at sustainability and risk management. However, IT is a resilient sector, just like our team, which has persistently worked on fine-tuning business technology as our users want to work more easily with the help of cloud, the Internet of Things, and smart solutions, increasingly also with artificial intelligence products, such as voice assistants. And of course, with cybersecurity at the highest level. Likewise, our main brands Cloud No.9 and 30SEC have given us new driving energy and momentum in 2023.

This year, the growth of the ICT sector has been halted. Has this affected Combis?

– Generally speaking, there are trends of slowdown, but not to a noticeable extent.

Which projects would you highlight?

– We are working on various and complex projects, and this will not change in the future. Among recent projects is the management of IT infrastructure for the Medikol Group, for which we ensure the reliability, availability, and security of their systems, as well as support. For Arriva, we worked on modernizing the IT environment. In Croatia Bank, we worked on the outsourcing of IT infrastructure, which is a pioneering endeavor in our market – none of our banks has done this to such an extent. There is also the contact center for Croatia Insurance, connecting multiple company locations into a unified computer network, and its monitoring and management for Emmezeta.

What are the business plans for 2024?

– I would say this – we have developed a portfolio of modern digital services for the most demanding users, which the domestic market has recognized, and now our focus is on foreign recognition and the realization of attractive projects that we have started negotiating. At the same time, focusing on knowledge and certification continues to be crucial for us as it improves service quality, ensures competitive advantages, but also increases efficiency and builds customer trust. Therefore, we remain focused on service quality and strengthening knowledge. For this reason, we constantly encourage employees to educate and certify themselves and ensure that the new benefits we introduce in the company are those that can best assist them in their development and balancing their private and professional lives, such as annual leave lasting 35 days for everyone or the opportunity to acquire attractive IT equipment for home office at truly affordable prices. Also, in addition to developing our security and cloud portfolio, we are focused on IT education for the wider public.

How are these educational technology campaigns progressing?

– Like last year, the end of this year is marked by the project ‘Combis Humanitarians’. Combis employees sold picture books from the collection ‘Fairy Tales in the Digital World’, which aims to educate children about online dangers. The collection was created in collaboration with Combis and the Center for Missing and Abused Children, and in this humanitarian action, four different picture books were available: ‘The Three Little Pigs’,’The Ugly Duckling’,’Pinocchio’, and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. All proceeds from the sold picture books are intended for the Center for Missing and Abused Children. ‘Fairy Tales in the Digital World’ is part of a large educational campaign on online safety and the development of Combis’s recognition as a company with the highest security expertise. As part of this humanitarian initiative, gifts were also provided to children at the Suvag Polyclinic for Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation. We ensured a Christmas gift for children from the first to the fifth grade of elementary school precisely with the help of ‘Fairy Tales in the Digital World’. Finally, I wish everyone happy and safe holidays in every respect.

Content created in collaboration with Combis.