Sinergija 18, the most important regional conference dedicated to IT and business, closed on Friday, October 26, with the traditional Business Day and a panel called “Are we ready for the digital breakthrough?”.
The panel discussion posed the questions – what is the ideal digital Serbia in the minds of those who are supposed to create it, why is now the right time for a breakthrough and how should this breakthrough be made?
Aiming to improve the dialogue among the key decision makers who influence the creation of a modern business environment in Serbia, the panel discussion emphasized the need to act fast and underlined that this is a crucial moment in which everybody needs to create the digital future of the society together.
The upgrade of the digitalization in all spheres of life in Serbia is a process, not a short-term goal, pointed out Zeljko Vujinovic, General Manager of Microsoft Serbia.
– That is why it's important for the access to digitalization to be efficient and decisive. At the next Sinergija, I would like to see some examples of this process, which we will talk about as a good practice for the continuation of progress – Vujinovic said.
U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott pointed out that, for 18 years, Microsoft in Serbia had been connecting technological innovations and business through Sinergija.
– Today, more than ever, technology erases the borders between countries and people – Scott said. He added that those who dared to dream in Serbia had already changed the world and that he believed that there were people still capable of doing so, as Serbia is becoming a global pioneer in the digital world in the 21st century.
Tatjana Matic emphasized that the digital policy of the Government of Serbia had been defined as a priority, focusing on the development of digital economy, while putting citizens in the first place.
– The biggest challenge is to include as many citizens as possible in the digital environment, as the representation now is only slightly above 60% – Matic said.
Nikola Bozinovic, the founder of Frame and the vice president and general manager of the Sector for Desktop Services at Nutanix, mentioned the enormous potential for digitalization in Serbia and added that he believed that there was no reason for the “digital breakthrough” to bypass Serbia and its citizens.
Renowned expert Ramshanker Krishnan, Data & AI Practice Lead in EMEA at Microsoft Services, held a lecture about how artificial intelligence changes the way we do business. He pointed out that there was a clear proof that data are strategic property and that only those with a more mature “data culture” were capable of producing top quality results.
With 100 presenters and speakers, this year's Sinergija broke new records. With nearly 1,000 attendees during the two technical days and more than 400 participants during the Business Day, 30 partners, sponsors and exhibitors, some of them from outside the IT industry, 12 media partners and a party with 750 guests, Sinergija turned 18 this year.
The panel was attended by Milan Dobrijevic, the head of the Department for the Development of the Digital Agenda at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Dr Mihailo Jovanovic, Director of Office for IT and e-Government Republic of Serbia, Milan Simic, CIO, Telekom Srbija, Nikola Bozinovic, Vice President and GM for Desktop Services, Nutanix, Zeljko Vujinovic, Country Manager, Microsoft Serbia, and Anke den Ouden, General Manager of the CEE Multi-Country Europe region in Microsoft, the press release says.