When they founded the company thirty years ago, they infused it not only with professionalism but also with integrity, transparency in communication with clients and resilience against the temptation of quick and easy profit in the emerging Czech ICT sector. “The benefits of this approach came gradually, but they still represent one of our greatest assets today,” says Daniela Sýkorová, co-founder of SUMA, a long-standing player in the field of information technology and a group of IT enthusiasts for whom nothing is impossible.
In the 1990s, the Czech ICT sector was just starting to develop. What were the beginnings like for the company you have led since 1995?
Information technology was new and hard to grasp for the majority of the population at that time. Some IT companies took advantage of the generally low level of knowledge and provided services and equipment that didn’t match their price in quality. We considered this approach unacceptable. From the beginning, we focused on professionalism, clarity in communication and long-term cooperation with our clients. This strategy has worked for us.
At the time, women leading ICT companies were rare. Did you ever feel your gender was a disadvantage in your career?
I did occasionally encounter distrust, but only until our work began to speak for itself. In my opinion, either someone does their job well – keeps learning, seeks solutions, thinks about what they do and how they do it, and, most importantly, what benefits their solutions bring – or they take another path. Whether they are a man or a woman doesn't matter.
Some of our long-term customers only came to trust us over time. The fact that they remain our clients is a testament to the quality of our work.
Would you recall any key moments from those thirty years?
Every day was a challenge from the very beginning. We began in a small two-room apartment, with one room as an office and the other for living. Our spatial expansion continued in a civil defence shelter behind armoured doors in the basement of a residential building. We aimed to create a quality facility, so we bought a building in Prague 4 near the Budějovická metro station, where we are still based today.
The absolutely key achievement is that we have managed to build a stable team of professionally and personally high-quality individuals.
However, the absolutely key achievement is that we have managed to build a stable team of professionally and personally high-quality individuals. Most of us have worked in the company for over ten years – some for even for 25 years. Thanks to them, we have secured numerous valuable contracts and established long-term cooperation with our clients and suppliers.
The company is still entirely yours, without any external investment. What does that mean to you?
It means we can. (laughs) We were able to found it, maintain it and serve clients, most of whom operate in the Czech Republic. We benefit from understanding the local customer mentality and can respond flexibly to changes in a predictable environment. We tailor services to our clients with full accountability. As everything is in our hands, we can vouch for the quality.
What products and services do you currently offer? What makes them unique?
Besides selling computer equipment with consulting, we offer service support, ICT management, short- and long-term computer equipment rentals, licensing services including tailored and cost-optimized licensing solutions, ICT analyses, data backups, but also custom development of information systems and applications. The strengths of our portfolio include our comprehensive services and personal approach to each customer.
Which part of your portfolio do you consider the most important?
The core service is ICT management. Our company’s mission is to take care of our clients’ information technology so they can fully focus on their business. We offer technological innovations that strengthen their competitive edge and help them achieve their business goals. Clients particularly appreciate our comprehensive approach, which involves every member of our team across various disciplines.
Elements of artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly integrated into manufacturing technologies. The understanding of the meaning and significance of this trend varies. What’s your point of view?
I see the main benefit of AI – both now and in the future – in its ability to gather and analyse information more effectively, to replace human labour in routine tasks and to bring innovative perspectives in science and research.
Still, AI sparks certain caution. What are the most common concerns managers have when implementing AI in company processes?
They often worry about how to keep AI under sufficient control, whether the data the AI has contributed to is trustworthy, or whether it conflicts with our current understanding of law and ethics. Sometimes they also face concerns from employees who fear AI will take their jobs. For management and operations, introducing AI involves both financial and time demands.
From your industry’s perspective, where do you typically see inefficiencies in business processes that can be removed?
In poorly and inconsistently designed communication processes, low levels of automation in routine tasks and in poor-quality management and evaluation of information. Last but not least, in the insufficient knowledge of the staff who are supposed to use these new technologies.
As technologies evolve, AI will bring new possibilities even for companies with low-volume production. What will they be?
For example, I see opportunities in automation and robotization of processes, optimization of production planning like inventory management, work scheduling and technological downtimes. AI will also be used for final product inspection, designing customer feedback data collection, and adjusting manufacturing procedures accordingly.
When it comes to AI, most people usually think of chatbots. Who is the typical main beneficiary of AI?
It’s easier to name industries where AI won’t be beneficial. Increasingly, AI will be essential for creators of text, graphic and video content, people who work with information, lawyers, accountants, tax advisors, doctors, marketers, construction professionals and many others.
Daniela Sýkorová was interviewed by Jana Jenšíková and Věra Vortelová
Photo credits: SUMA
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