Efficiency and bringing profits to clients is just the beginning for IT

STORY

Companies today need technology to succeed in any industry. What does a tech company need to succeed? In IT we talk a lot about solutions, but these days it’s not enough to offer customers a solution that is functional and efficient. For an IT firm to thrive it needs to bring something extra to the table, offer new opportunities.

What do you see as the new opportunity for today’s world? Reducing companies’ carbon footprints is an interesting trend. That’s exactly what we offer our clients.

What do you enjoy about working at Cleverlance? In the time I’ve been with the company Cleverlance has grown, the ownership structure has changed, but the important things have stayed the same. I still see this as a place that allows me and the people around me to exercise our talents. Of course almost every company would say that, but in our case it’s true.

How does that look in practice? The key is that we can all choose something and do that thing absolutely our own way as long as it makes business sense. Any one of us can suggest something that fits in with the company’s overall focus and strategy, and if it has the potential to bring profits or teach us new skills as a company, then we get a chance.

A chance to create your own space? Exactly. Anyone can go from regular employee to management or do something creative. I like seeing stories like that around me, and it gives us an incredible dynamic as a company.

Is that your story as well? I came to Cleverlance from a small company where everybody did everything, and I needed a change. Then the financial crisis hit and companies started cutting costs practically overnight. IT firms found themselves under huge financial pressure. At that point I came to Cleverlance with an idea for how to successfully operate even under the new market conditions. I got the chance to put it into practice on a small

“EFFICIENCY & BRINGING PROFITS TO CLIENTS IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR I.T.”

Favorite sport

Mountain biking. That’s a hobby I’m still recovering from.

What I’m proud of

I can run up to the peak of Lysá in the Beskid mountains in under 60 minutes. There’s a community of people who climb Lysá regularly, like once a week, coping with an elevation gain of 2600 feet each time.

#LIVE IT Favorite place

The Rock of Gibraltar. A tiny harbor at the foot of a rock with a tropical park full of mischievous monkeys.

Europe on one side, Africa on the other. It’s an interesting place.

STORY

scale. That idea proved to be a winner, and I gradually took on more and more responsibility. So yes, that is my story.

What was the idea about? The greatest asset for every tech firm today is its people. Instead of hastily assembled one-off teams, my colleague Martin Paták and I suggested an organization made up of teams that focus long-term on what they do best. Production is closely connected with HR and marketing.

What does that approach offer a company? In the long term it attracts qualified, interesting people to the company, and it helps us keep in contact with customers as well. Since we have these teams that work so well together, we can give clients what they need quickly while constantly trying new things. Recently we have also had the opportunity to get a peek into many different companies in many different countries as part of the Aricoma Group (Cleverlance’s parent company), finding out how application development works in those companies and how they view the IT world. Seeing your own work and organization through someone else’s eyes is always a worthwhile experience.

People go on foreign exchanges and internships for that kind of experience. Exactly. It’s so valuable even now.

So the freedom to come up with your own ideas at work is important for you personally? Yes, I put great value on that. But for me personally the freedom is always connected to business.

How does that look in practice? It’s about the opportunity to develop your talents. Not just for me, but for the people on the teams. Freedom means we have the courage to take risks as a company and do things differently. Take a chance on technologies that don’t bring in profits at first. It pays off because they have potential. That’s how we started with virtual reality, for instance, back when it sounded like something straight out of science fiction. Now we have a number of VR projects under our belt and we can offer customers competent, experienced people who bring something new to the table that can give them a major competitive advantage in their own business.

Being willing to take risks comes with a pretty big load of stress. What is your personal survival guide? It’s not just about the stress. After spending years in IT, packing on a few pounds each year, you find yourself standing at a sort of crossroads. Either you shrug your shoulders and spend the rest of your life that way, or else you start doing something about it. So my survival guide involves sports. Since we are in an analytical atmosphere, it’s a good idea to read up on it as well. I started running, for instance, but it didn’t seem to affect my weight. Eventually I figured out how to set things up to maintain a stable weight and not go hungry. And I started riding my bicycle as well as running.

I feel like an affinity for sports goes hand in hand with IT. Would you say that’s an accurate impression? I would say so. A lot of people in this industry are into sports. Without exaggerating too much you could say that IT is full of people who love to play and who mature late, so they keep a youthful outlook on life for longer. It’s also true that sports are simply part of the community, so people tend to get on board. When you’re in IT and spend hours behind a computer, you have to get out and exercise.

No company can get by without IT today. We all felt its critical role in business during the pandemic. Do you see that as a responsibility? Definitely! Our work affects the very nature of how our customers operate. We bring them new systems and change their established processes. We have to consider where and how we guide our clients. On the other hand, of course, we have a responsibility for our own people, so we are always trying to achieve sustainability. As we sometimes remind new employees, you have to think logically in business. That’s true for us as well as our clients. How does what you want to do contribute to our goals or theirs? Does it make sense?

Recently people have been talking about the role IT can play in environmental change. Yes, absolutely. We can see what an important role IT firms can play and the extent to which our work is helping change the world for the better. We’ve been saying that in IT for years, but now the change is tangible. Technology is going to be the driving force behind the transformation of this planet. I am happy to be here to see it with Cleverlance.