Forbes: Innovation is the most important pillar of our company, says COO Aliter Technologies

You were the first Slovak company to have a contract with NATO, and since then you have signed several contracts. What does such cooperation look like?

I have been working at Aliter Technologies since 2010, and cooperation with NATO was one of the first big challenges for me. To date, we have managed to obtain almost forty contracts, the largest for more than 30 million euros. As part of it, we participate in the modernization of NATO infrastructure. We are currently a stable NATO supplier and are also involved in new projects.

The company has been on the market for over seventeen years, during which time the demands on cybersecurity and information and communication technologies (ICT) have changed dramatically. What have been the biggest challenges for you historically?

We could divide these into two groups. The first was related to our growth in competencies and the number of employees. When I came to Aliter, it was a small company with one meeting room and about fifteen employees. I was the first project manager, and today we have a separate project management division. At the beginning, we focused on our own products and the construction of data centers and ICT infrastructure.

However, we gradually managed to build a software development division and expanded our competencies to include the development and production of drones and cybersecurity. The changes required a fundamental internal transformation associated with changing internal processes, deploying new tools and hiring new employees.

And the second group?

This is primarily related to our expansion into foreign markets. We are intensively engaged in international projects and today we have extensive experience with deliveries to NATO in many countries, we are implementing a project with the European Maritime Agency in Portugal and we also supply to the ministries of defense in Canada, Hungary and the United Kingdom.

In addition, starting next year, we are starting a new project in Estonia, focused on applied research, financed through the European Defense Funds, within which we are part of a consortium with dozens of other companies and universities. We are also launching new projects on the Canadian market, where we have a branch. The main challenge in foreign projects lies in adapting to different processes, legislation and management methods, which often differ from domestic standards.

Aliter in Latin means in a different way. What do you do differently?

For us, in a different way means that we are constantly looking for new ways to solve our customers' challenges, which is why innovation is the most important pillar of our corporate culture. Our goal is to constantly progress. From the initial products we started with, such as rugged network devices mainly for the military, to virtual masts, mobile command posts and airships.

Our advantage is that we have our own R&D center, where we design, create prototypes and test new products, which allows us to bring innovative and effective solutions.

We produce our own drones, but we also integrate external devices into our solutions. One of our products is the VIMA drone, which allows the creation of a virtual mast, thanks to which it is possible to overcome terrain obstacles and significantly expand the range of the telecommunications network.

For example, radios on the ground have a maximum range of a few kilometers, but if we place them on a drone flying at a height of a hundred meters, the range increases to tens of kilometers.

A dynamic working environment and development undoubtedly attract potential employees. What appeals to them about Aliter Technologies?

Colleagues primarily appreciate the interestingness and diversity of our work, as well as the opportunity to travel and be part of international projects. We have over 150 employees and we provide a very wide range of services - software, hardware, development of our own products, foreign cooperation.

However, I must add that such versatility is demanding and our selection process is also strict. The applicant first goes through numerical, verbal, logical, language and finally personality tests. For some positions, we also have practical tests.

Do you also invest in employee training? How does it work?

With each employee, we go through the requirements we have for them and look for what they could improve on. Some positions also require specific certifications, which are very valuable for many. At the same time, it is very important for us to build competencies within the company. When we say that we are going to develop a new technology and we need to train a special team for this, we specifically nominate them and finance their qualifications.

SOURCE: Forbes