The use of digital technologies is growing in most countries in Southeast Europe, and it is already clear that the crisis caused by the pandemic has accelerated the process of digitalization and digital transformation.

On the other hand, this global crisis, which inevitably affected the information technology industry, showed that the IT sector, due to its creative potentials and innovative solutions, always has a chance more, says Gordana Kovačević, director of Prointer ITSS, which operates within Infinity International. Group.

One of the leading IT companies in the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which created new jobs in a difficult corona year and implemented several important projects to help business and the wider community, recently received another award. Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a world name in information technology, has awarded Prointer Partner of the Year status.

It is just one of the many accolades to your company, but it still arrived in a rather challenging and difficult year. How did you do that?

The year was difficult, but it taught us a lot. First of all, how important it is that in such situations there are IT companies that operate in the domestic market and share both good and bad with it. Also, how important it is to build a team and educate staff who can respond to all challenges. So it should come as no surprise that year after year we have more and more professionals who are constantly improving their knowledge and gaining certificates and licenses backed by leading global IT leaders. This is logically the strongest and strengthens the position of a company such as Prointer on the market. By creating such professional teams, we jointly create a modern and advanced business environment. This is exactly what the reputable company HPE recognized, but also many before it.

For many, the biggest challenge was how to preserve the staff in a year marked, among other things, by mass layoffs. Instead, Prointer hired new people and created new jobs. Do you have a "recipe"?

Our primary goal was to preserve the staff and we succeeded in that. We tried to continue everything we had planned before the crisis, in terms of training people and developing potential. We were aware that every crisis comes and goes, but people are what remain. That is why we continued with new employment, and through the "Start a career" campaign, we also attracted some new experts of various profiles. In this way, we have opened the door to all those who want to work, learn and test themselves in skills they did not even suspect they possessed. I think we can rightly boast that in the past year we have hired almost 80 new workers who have become part of our IT story precisely because of their expertise and talent.

Given your many years of experience in this field, do you think that the fact that modern technologies, even in crisis, have proven to be irreplaceable in everyday life could be a wind in the back of the IT sector?

Surely. In this crisis, it has been especially shown that the use of modern technologies has been a salvation for many, and it is thanks to them that some people have started a business in this difficult time and realized many great ideas. Also, the IT sector has proven to be an industry that offers huge potential and in which experts from various fields can find their place, not only those with technical occupations. The fact is that it is not easy to keep up with modern technologies that are changing faster and more advanced, but that is why we have never given up on continuous education and training of employees while following new trends, because it is a safe investment for the future.

Is the importance of the IT sector sufficiently recognized in our area? How much is invested in it, in every sense of the word?

Although many like to say that IT is the future, it has long been our present. I think that there is no longer any doubt that the adoption and conquest of global technologies that we will adapt to local needs, is something without which there is no quality business. That is why it is time for not only the public sector, but also small and medium-sized companies, with government incentives, to introduce modern technologies in order to increase productivity. I don't see anyone denying that all together, from the smallest to the largest business, we have to invest in technologies and conquer them, much more than before. Also, at a time of numerous constraints due to the pandemic, when we are quite self-centered, we have the opportunity to place much more confidence in domestic forces and experts. And in the IT sector we really have them.

You recently took over the "helm" of the company, how do you see it in the future?

Certainly, the intention is to maintain the leading position in the IT sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also to become, to an even greater extent, the engine of the development of innovative solutions. That is why, without the dilemma of "full throttle", we continue to gather the best and most professional, because only with knowledge can a real step forward be made. We will offer our clients quality and state-of-the-art software solutions that will make their daily business easier. In order for success to be likely, world trends must be followed, and it is crucial that we at Prointer believe that this is possible here as well, building a company in Banja Luka. Thus, we will draw this city and country on the global map of companies that offer quality and create a climate for serious partners, big names in this business to step even more openly with us on this, and we on many other markets.

Are there any other activities planned to help the community, such as last year’s micro-business assistance campaign?

Our company has acted as a socially responsible company since day one and has always been a part of important business, scientific, sports and cultural events. In the beginning, we recognized the need to help young talents, students and athletes whenever we can, and it will certainly be the same in the future. After the outbreak of the pandemic, in addition to helping the health sector and numerous humanitarian actions, we also estimated that help to micro business in Srpska is urgently needed. Thanks to our campaign "Micro means more", 53 small entrepreneurs received financial and professional assistance in the total amount of 117 thousand KM. Prointer was also the golden sponsor of the "eDomaće" project, the first such platform in our area, where numerous businessmen from Republika Srpska registered for free and connected with their partners and clients.

We will definitely not stop at this. In order to emphasize the mission of our company even more significantly, we will soon unite all our wishes to support many good things in our community through the foundation within the group, and part of that will certainly be socially responsible projects. We want to encourage other successful companies to return part of their success to the good by supporting projects that lend a hand to those who really deserve it.

In any case, even when the crisis passes, we will be there to help.