In some areas, we are better than countries with the best digitalization

With almost six hundred employees, the Agency for Support of Information Systems and Information Technologies – APIS IT – is the leading company in the state information infrastructure system. Last year, when it marked sixty years since its establishment, after twenty years of joint ownership by the City of Zagreb (49 percent) and the Republic of Croatia, it transitioned to exclusive state ownership through a sale. The CEO of APIS IT, Saša Bilić, emphasizes that the most modern digital platform has been provided for public administration, enabling faster development of new and complex services for citizens and entrepreneurs. Bilić has also been the president of EURITAS, the European Association of Public Information Service Providers, since September 2023.

How did the change in ownership last year, when you transitioned to exclusive state ownership, affect your operations and structure?

– Since our independence, we have primarily focused on providing IT services to public administration, so the change in ownership did not bring significant operational changes. Namely, APIS IT, as a company that takes care of critical state information infrastructure, whether it concerns the systems of the Tax and Customs Administration, elections, or maintaining fundamental registers such as birth registries and OIB, has long been a company of special interest for the Republic of Croatia, so such a decision by the founders was logical and expected. For us at APIS IT, this is an additional confirmation of our strategic position as a key provider of public IT services.

What have been the most important projects so far?

– We are proud of our rich history in which we have truly been pioneers of informatization in Croatia. In the last twenty years alone, we have participated in some of the key projects for the digitalization of public administration: the introduction of eTax and eCustoms, OIB, fiscalization, and the establishment of the Shared Services Center. Today, these are major projects from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO), primarily the ‘Digital Transformation of the Tax Administration’, which is the largest project in our history in terms of scope and complexity.

You are also recognized for your data centers.

– We started with a data center at the company’s location in Zagreb, but with the growth of business volume, especially within the project of establishing the Shared Services Center, which consolidated the state information infrastructure, the need for increased capacity became evident, which is why we now operate two TIER 3 level data centers. This certification guarantees that we provide our users from the public and private sectors with the highest level of security and availability for hosting their IT infrastructure and data.

What are your business indicators? What do you expect this year and next?

– Preliminary results for 2024 indicate that we have had another exceptionally successful year. Compared to 2023, our revenues and profits have increased by thirty percent, and we have recorded uninterrupted growth in all business indicators since 2017. This is primarily a reflection of significant investments made during two terms of this Government, which has prioritized the digital transformation of society and public administration in the NPOO, thus directing a large portion of European funds into digitalization projects. It is also a result of the efforts we have invested in business and technological transformation, which enables us today to take on and implement the most complex projects. Since NPOO projects last until mid-2026, we expect this trend to continue.

How do you compare with similar companies in the European Union?

– APIS IT has been participating in EURITAS since 2017, and we can compare ourselves with companies from about ten European countries, including those with the highest levels of digitalization index such as Finland and Denmark. Through the exchange of knowledge and experiences, we see that we successfully keep pace in all areas of business, and in some, we even lead, as we have provided advisory services to colleagues on two occasions in establishing software-defined data centers.

Is EURITAS achieving its goals?

– From the position of president of that organization, I can say that we have achieved our main goal: promoting the specific interests of public ICT providers in the public sector and positioning the organization as a dialogue partner for the European Commission on important issues regarding the digitalization of the public sector. Our core mission is to work on strengthening digital sovereignty at the European level, that is, to increase the capacity of member states and the EU to independently decide, manage, and protect their data, technology, and digital infrastructure, and to reduce dependence on external actors. The current geopolitical circumstances and the new escalation of trade relations only further emphasize the importance of technological independence, which is why EURITAS has recently expanded to new members in Ireland, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom.