Information technology market value is smaller than last year, but everybody who works in a big software company is still optimistic.
Total value of Serbian IT market was evaluated little more than 400 million of euros in 2012. That represents the 3% fall comparing with last year.
Nevertheless, people in big software companies are not pessimistic.
These data firstly say that record value of 545 millions of euros, which was accomplished 2008 (before economic crisis), will stay unachievable limit for several years, according to Milovan Matijevic, IT analyst.
-Serbia with less than 60 euros investment yearly has stronger market than Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Similar investments have Bulgaria and Romania, but we are in an huge backlog with north-western neighbors who invest 200 euros and Western Europe is unreachable with 800 euros per inhabitant yearly-says Matijevic.
When he was asked what the cause of that is and why many regional states are better than Serbia on IT, software and following equipment market, our interlocutor said economic strength and informatics investments are in direct connection.
Rich people mostly invest in information technology and one who invest much in IT will have strong economy and well-ordered society. First statement was proofed in last two decades and the second is having more and more bystanders, getting support in states which are trying to join the club of developed countries- Matijevic explained, he added that underdevelopment of internet trade is consequence, not cause of current IT condition. If we set goal that Serbia have to exceed the limits of 100 dollars investment, that would mean that average economic yearly growth will be bigger than four percent until 2015. Having on mind that we will have economic drop around 1,5 percent of BDP, and the decent growth around 2 percent next year, 100 euros investment level per inhabitant seems like far future.
In the biggest IT companies which exists in our country are people still optimistic.
Serbian market offers great potential which will be actualized sooner or later, declared Borko Kovacevic, Marketing Director for South Balkan, for Politika. He also admits that nothing has changed.
Service business, marketing and selling scope of this company was around 40 millions of euros. Two years later almost nothing has changed.
Nothing important has changed with regard to 2010, despite the challenges Serbia meet. Our business is stable. We don’t consider conditions in Serbia like crisis or pessimistic. We consider them as conditions where business has been doing for a very long time and where exists opportunity for growth and development- said Kovacevic.
As to black market and piracy which makes so much difficulties for everybody who works legally. He says that piracy is important but not main question in Microsoft office in Serbia. According to newest data, very high level of piracy 72% was reduced for two percent and in period from 2006 until 2011 it has been reduced for altogether six percent.
-Direction is good, but trend should be accelerated and in that process we see that the stat has the crucial part. Serbia still lags most of the countries- concludes Kovacevic. He is not precise in which level does Microsoft have influence on retail price of this software in Serbia.
Aseko company which deals with software resolution development exists does business in Serbia from 2008 and has around 500 employees also confirms than this economy branch potential is big for the better or worse.
-This industry contribution to economy in Serbia increases year after year, thanks to its high export potential. According to some data, in the value of 200 millions of euros was software exported from Serbia last year- explained Vladan Atanasijevic, member of administrative committee of this company.
He added that software development can be useful for so called brain drain in Serbia.
-This have to do with high competitive products and services which restrain drain of the young and educated from Serbia, it doesn’t contaminate environment and doesn’t demand import of raw materials.
Engineers from this sector are currently most wanted her in country and abroad because they have knowledge which is globally recognizable and it’s easy for them to change firm, city, state or continent, they will still be doing the same job-concludes Atanasijevic.
Software and economy
Every euro from software selling generates extra 1.25 euros for service information firms. Software selling earnings increase distributive hardware channel earnings.
-Of course, it is not surprising that software has such an influence on economy. It became irreplaceable production tool for companies and organizations at all sectors. IT is also critical component for everything from a telephone to a car, from entertainment to science. The future software growth will depend upon good protection of intellectual belonging, software legality and economic situation- it is said in Microsoft.
People from Asek say that Serbia cannot compare with India or China which are the greatest software exporters, what many people do.
-There is 7 millions of us and one educational system from India educates more than 100 thousand engineers from this sector. Our advantage is quality, not quantity when it comes to software development- it is said in Asek.
Source Serbia Business
