Reliable Partner To Giants

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 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?

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

- 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”. 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.

“Together with the EU, we continue to support Bosnia and Herzegovina in completing the construction of Corridor Vc. The new highway has already improved transportation connectivity and business in the country” –

Slovenia To Decide On New National Airline This Month

The Slovenian government is expected to decide whether to establish a new national airline this month. An expert working group formed by the government has completed its work, and its findings will be reviewed by the Slovenian Ministry of Infrastructure in the coming weeks, after which they will be presented to the government. According to the “24ur2” portal, the review showed that the Slovenian market is too small for other airlines to step in and replace the former national airline Adria Airways, according to the Exyuaviation portal.

B&H: GRANT AGREEMENTS WORTH 43.8M EUROS SIGNED

The Minister of Finance and Treasury in the Council of Ministers, Zoran Tegeltija, and the director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development /EBRD/ Office, Manuela Naessl, signed three contracts on a grant from the European Bank with a total value of 43.8 million euros. By signing the contract, grants from EU funds were secured for works on sections of the Rudanka-Putnikovo Brdo interchange highway, the Putnikovo brdo-Medakovo interchange tunnel, and the water supply project in Visoko. Tegeltija said that 42.8 million euros of grant funds were directed to construct two sections of the “Pet ce” corridor, namely 30.8 million euros for the section in the Republic of Srpska and 12 million for the section in the Federation of B&H.

The Western Balkan Four Founded In Skopje

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, announced on his Twitter account that the Western Balkan Four was established in Skopje, consisting of North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. As reported, Osmani stated that the platform of the Western Balkan Four is in accordance with the common foreign and security policy of the European Union, but also with democratic values and principles. Along with the announcement, Minister Osmani published a joint photo with the representatives of Albania, the so-called Kosovo and Montenegro, which launched this initiative together with North Macedonia.

“The world has been hit by multiple crises - pandemic, energy and geopolitical. Despite the above, and thanks to the joint efforts of regulators and commercial banks, the stability of the banking sector in Montenegro has been preserved” – RADOJE

ŽUGIĆ, MONTENEGRIN GOVERNOR OF THE CENTRAL BANK

U.S. SEES OPEN BALKAN AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MONTENEGRO

The U.S. views the Open Balkans initiative as an opportunity for Montenegro and the region regarding economic integration, said U.S. Special Envoy Gabriel Escobar and reiterated that America will support all initiatives that bring the Western Balkans closer to Europe. In an interview with the Montenegrin news agency MINA, Escobar said that he supports initiatives that bring the countries of the region closer together and that are open to all of them. “In other words, as long as the Open Balkans is fully aligned with the Berlin process, we support it and see no reason to oppose it,” said Escobar. That, he noted, does not mean that the U.S. is less supportive of the Berlin Process or the Common Regional Market.

Capacity Of Offshore Wind Farms In Croatia Is 25 Gigawatts

The action plan for renewable energy sources at sea in Croatia is the name of the study that identifies the optimal areas for the construction of offshore wind farms, which was prepared by experts from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding in Zagreb (FSB), Oikon - the Institute for Applied Ecology and the Island Movement, and in the coordination of the Association Renewable sources of energy in Croatia, the portal Morski.hr reports. Thus, more than 29,000 square kilometres of area available for offshore renewable energy sources (RES) have been identified, including offshore wind farms, fixed and floating, and floating photovoltaic power plants.