Fadata in the press

The software business is a boxing match

Mir Bogoev

Dr. Levi, you have clients from 4 continents – financial and insurance institutions. At the meetings with the people on management positions were there indications that there was something wrong, that something was wrong with the financial markets?
No, I would not say that, because our professional contacts are more specific – software systems, security, support. The thing that could be easily seen, however, were the large funds that were available in the companies for new projects. On the other hand, our consultants and friends, including at a very high level in Credit Suisse and City Bank as well as in Bulgaria had emphasized that behind the real money are offered countless financial derivatives. In my opinion, for the experts it was not a secret that one day these largely distributed financial instruments should be realized as real money. The economy of the financial engeneering, however, had been domineering in the world economy for the last dew years. It was not important anymore who what goods and services offered and supplied, no matter if software or steel were concerned, but who will take out the most attractive for the investors financial instruments. Thus, an artificial growth was established as well as artificial employment and artificial demand.

And what is happening now?
Now the price for the negligence of ecology and for the global social lagging in the last years should be paid. The process will be painful, because financial instruments for trillions of dollars have been issued, behind which no real goods, services or important for the whole society exist, for example like improved environment.

Is the impact of the world financial crisis felt in the IT sector as well?
As people say when the wind starts to blow some catch it in their sails, while others take shelter. In our business, however, there is no shelter! That is why we think that now is the exact time to renew totally our product, because those who offer top technological solutions and better flexibility, may again rely on the trust of the clients. The crisis is our time, because as a company we are prepared for the new technological solutions and we have good knowledge of the needs and perspectives in the insurance business, of the development of the business we service with our software

How do you select the people in your company?
These who want to stay on the market- should gather people with ideas by all means. We do not need good executors, to whom you should tell what to do, but people with imagination and ambitions to do things better than the rest of the competition. Because often a lucid moment and imagination cost much more than years of discussions and guidance. Recently I read a book - The World in 2020. In it an ex-boss in the CIA says before students of the Princeton University that with a linear analysis may be presented clearly some phases of a cocoon. But in order to imagine what will be the butterfly of it, we need imagination! This is the most precious thing today, because creativity is a splendid weapon in the competition battle. And in our branch it is like a boxing match. Every round is for itself. You may have won 9 in a row, bur in the next you may be knocked out, if you are not on the alert. Between the rounds, however, you have only one minute for rest and reflection – what to do. So, creativity is necessary, only this we may compete with the large software companies from abroad.

Does the current education in Bulgaria develop imagination enough?
Let’s put it in this way – there are separate cases, despite the system. But it is clear to me that the modern technologies are developing in geometric progression, while the people who may work with them – in an arithmetical.

Was the fact that your company is from Bulgaria an obstacle to you?
Unfortunately, yes, it was. There is still a prejudice, especially in some of the countries in Europe. Even many times people have offered us to do so that we offer our software as … American. But together with our partners we never agreed, because it is a system established for educated and trained in Bulgaria people. We make an export of totally Bulgarian copyright.

What are the innovative changes in the software insurance system?
The basic trend now is such that with one installation of the system (in one instance) the insurers will be able to work in many countries and companies simultaneously. Thus, they will be able to follow the activities of their numerous associated companies easy and fast. And this makes simple the management, the development of the necessary software and one important thing – it costs much cheaper.

Source: Trud