The state data centre in Kragujevac isn’t the only such centre in the region, but it is among the most modern. It has much higher capacities compared to other such centres in the region and the latest cutting-edge technologies. It was designed and constructed in accordance with class 4 international classification standards, which represents the world’s highest recognised level
We spoke with Data Cloud Technology CEO Danilo Savić to find out just how this company succeeded in positioning itself on the global map in just its third year of doing business, establishing cooperation with international giants like Oracle, IBM and Huawei, but also to discuss the construction of an innovation district, the future of the ICT sector and other issues that provide an optimistic view of the future.
Thanks to the establishing of the State Data Centre, the IT industry has become the motor of our economy’s development over the past two years. To what extent has this centre contributed to putting Serbia on the map of technologically advanced countries?
– In the UN’s unique assessment of the digital government landscape for last year (United Nations E-Government Development Survey 2022), Serbia positioned itself among the world’s top 10 countries when it comes to achieving progress on the digitalisation of public administration.
Our development index received a very high assessment, with a significant contribution to this result provided by the segment of telecommunications infrastructure – the decisive contribution to which was provided by the State Data Centre in Kragujevac.
Such a positioning would not have been possible without the application of state-of-theart technologies and the highest international standards for data storage, nor without the commitment and dedicated work of a team of young and ambitious experts. I wouldn’t separate the contribution to such results provided by the Data Centre and company Data Cloud Technology from the contribution of the Office for IT and eGovernment, because this relates to a synergy of teams whose activities made it possible to achieve results that are respected and assessed as excellent by UN experts.
Our Data Centre isn’t the only such centre in the region, but it is among the most modern in terms of technical and security standards. In what ways does it differentiate itself among other data centres?
– Your question is suggestive, as it also contains an answer. It doesn’t just boil down to applying the highest standards, which places us on par with similar centres in the most developed countries. Our capacities are much higher than other centres in the region, and the technologies applied are cutting-edge and no one else in this part of Europe has them.
We also distinguish ourselves from the rest in that our data centre was designed and constructed according to class 4 international classification standards, which represents the world’s highest recognised level. To illustrate, our Data Centre can operate smoothly and at full capacity for at least 96 hours without taking power from the national grid
Is the arrival of cloud computing service Oracle Cloud the best indicator that our experts – with their knowhow and commitment – have succeeded in outdoing the most developed European economies on the highly competitive and fierce IT market?
– When Oracle, with its unquestionable renown at the global level, placed its trust in us, it became clear to everyone that the State Data Centre in Kragujevac meets the strictest criteria and is able to compete with the best. We don’t need a better recommendation than that. Maybe everything happened too fast; maybe nobody expected us to position ourselves on the global map in just the third year of operations; maybe there were initial doubts about the very idea itself, and there are many more “maybes”.
Our Data Centre can operate smoothly and at full capacity for at least 96 hours without taking power from the national grid
The facts are indisputable, the results say everything. I don’t consider this as being about victory, I prefer to use the word success, although some say that it is a major accomplishment. None of this would be possible without our partners. The centre was designed and built by local experts and companies.
Does Oracle’s major investment in the regional centre create additional opportunities for the further development of Serbia’s ICT sector, but also for the training and hiring of personnel in this domain?
– With the results that we’ve achieved, and here I’m primarily referring to the cooperation with Oracle, we are recognised as one of the motors of the development of the ICT sector in Serbia. I believe that other giants of the global ICT market will soon also be included on our list of business partners. We have already seen the promoting of the innovation district project, which will be built in the immediate vicinity of the Data Centre in Kragujevac, and they will together represent a complete package. Also located there will be the state cybersecurity centre, a science and technology park etc. This naturally implies the hiring of a large number of young experts. I’m hopeful that this is just a drop in the ocean and that the ICT sector in Serbia not only has clear and beautiful prospects, but rather will also experience accelerated development in that direction, which is something I see as being inevitable.
What does the fact that global ICT industry giants like Oracle, IBM and Huawei have decided to cooperate with you say about company Data Cloud Technology? Is that the best recommendation for DCT?
– These are, of course, the best recommendations. When you have cooperation with such companies, no one questions the quality of your services anymore, but rather they immediately focus on the opportunities that are provided by establishing cooperation. We are recognised and rated according to the results we’ve achieved; we do not need numbers in order to present our success. We are partners of the giants that you mentioned in your question, which undoubtedly implies that we are also a desirable partner for all others. When the biggest players extend their hand towards you, then the smaller ones have no dilemma.
Do you expect your number of clients to increase and the portfolio of services you offer to expand? Do you have sufficient capacity to handle that? Of the three phases envisaged in the Centre’s construction project, how many have been realised to date?
– The project is divided into three phases. Considering that the capacities envisaged for the first phase are almost filled, we are working intensively to implement the second phase, with which we will double the existing capacities. We will thereby create the conditions for us to meet the needs of the numerous organisations and companies that have expressed interest and need to establish cooperation with the State Data Centre in Kragujevac. Alongside the core colocation service that we provide to the largest number of users, ever more clients have also been utilising our Cloud services recently. We are convinced that ever more companies will relocate their ICT infrastructure to the Cloud in the coming period, thus more rationally managing their costs in this area, while simultaneously focusing more effectively on their own business. And is so doing they will entrust their information and communications resources to the care of experts. That’s where we see our big opportunity on the market.