5. 4. 2023

In mid-2021, the Aricoma, at that time still under the banner of its subsidiary AUTOCONT, announced that it had succeeded in a tender for the European Commission and would be supplying technology and consulting services for data centres in more than fifty European institutions - including, for example, the European Parliament, Europol, Frontex, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Commission itself. This would all run to tens of millions of euros over the course of four years. The figures themselves tell an extraordinary tale, but the story behind them is even more interesting. Expect lockdown, closed borders, chip shortage, mistrust of the Czechs, goings-on behind the scenes in Brussels, and also a simple desire to give things a try. This is all described very openly by Jaromír Babinec, Aricoma director for mergers, acquisitions and strategy.

It might not even occur to you these days, but the Covid pandemic has helped make a number of technological solutions a common part of our lives. Online video calls, the ability to collectively manage files remotely, plus lots of other specific tools for various fields. Yet the one place that progress does not seem to have reached is Czech state administration. There is far more talk about digital transformation than there is action. How come? This is precisely what Milan Sameš, CEO of Aricoma, the largest IT player on the Czech market and central Europe region, ponders in this interview. According to him, digital transformation is merely a consequence. First of all, we need to see some major legislative changes and a shift in how we think.