Startitup: Slovaks supply NATO with future-proof technology. For all that, the company does not even have fixed working hours

The future has arrived in Slovakia, too. Aliter Technologies, an inconspicuous Slovak company is one of the businesses giving our country great reputation abroad. Along with several multi-million contracts chalked up, Aliter is also successfully implementing a sizeable NATO project as the first Slovak company to supply the alliance information and communication technologies.

Aliter Technologies brings a breath of fresh air in the security, information and communication technology (ICT) market and thanks to the company’s novel technological solutions, its annual turnovers are reaching €30 to 40 million.

The technology company which develops IT and communication systems for defense and security sectors, multinational suppliers of military and aviation technology as well as international players, is based in Mlynské nivy in Bratislava. The company brings on board 150 employees for whom no dress code or fixed working hours apply.

A group of IT experts led by CEO Ján Grujbár put together its own software powerhouse dedicated to cloud computing, sophisticated communication technologies, cyber security as well as development of specialized drones. In addition, Aliter has developed a unique airship and reconnaissance microrobots – all in-house products and solutions.

From a two-bedroom condo in Bratislava to the global stage

The company’s humble beginnings date back to 2007 when Peter Dostál, the company founder, put together a group of experts who were just leaving Ministry of Defense for retirement pension at the time.

Aliter Consulting was founded in a small two-bedroom apartment in Bratislava, where it initially focused on developing studies and preparing strategic materials for companies doing business in defense-related sector. Over time, however, they discovered a niche in the market and began developing their own in-house solutions.

One such opportunity was the discrepancy between the systems operated by the Slovak armed forces. Procurements of individual technologies from different suppliers often caused that the respective components lacked mutual compatibility.

“This created an opportunity for us to integrate these technologies with our own components and hardware equipment. It is thanks to our solutions today that radios from one manufacturer can communicate with radios from another manufacturer etc., ” Dostál explained for Forbes magazine.

Domestic technologies help defend Slovakia

The integration solutions were soon joined by our own technologies, diverse IT and communication systems providing service not only at home but also abroad, including international organizations.

Aliter’s most prominent customer is clearly NATO, specifically NCIA – Communications  and Information Agency, the heart and soul of the North Atlantic Alliance’s technology and cybernetics. Last March, Aktuality server even brought the news of a €30m contract for NCIA, for which Aliter Technologies would supply technological solutions.

The company’s most important products include COMTAG^® and COMTANET ^®, complete hardware and software solutions enabling communication of units even in hard-to-reach locations. The innovative solution can transmit a variety of communications, including video calls, via radio waves. To this end, Aliter Technologies uses a sophisticated system of servers, routers, switches, batteries and radio gateways.

However, these solutions are not necessarily intended for defense forces only as they can also be used by emergency first responders, the police or firefighters. Thanks to simple deployment, it is now possible to set up a command post even in difficult terrain and explore the environment e.g., with Aliter’s intelligent microrobots or drones meeting even the high military standards of the US Army.

An immediate hacker-proof solution

However, information and communication technologies also go hand in hand with other important aspects of our daily lives. One of them, for example, is cyber security. Even the largest global companies are not 100% safe today. This is confirmed, for example, by the hacker attack on Twitch (owned by Amazon), where – in addition to sensitive data – the entire source code of the platform and associated software was leaked.

Aliter Technologies is also a dedicated provider in this area and can provide companies with e.g., security analysis, protection testing, vulnerability monitoring and immediate response to security incidents, not only within the conventional corporate IT infrastructure, but also in the field of public or private clouds.

Jobs without fixed working hours

In recent months, Aliter Technologies has been fundamentally changing its corporate philosophy, culture, but also its very structure. “We are introducing home office to a greater extent than ever before and we have abolished any dress code rules. Still, the most visible step towards an improved ‘work-life balance’ is the move to scrap fixed office hours. This is our way to achieve better distribution of time spent with our families, hobbies and at work,” Aliter’s HR manager Zuzana Ištoková is pleased to explain the changes.

A free working environment with open communication is yet another of Aliter’s fundamental pillars. The company motivates employees and managers to exchange efficient feedback, thus attempting to give each employee more space and open up opportunities to implement their own ideas and solutions when performing the work tasks and assignments.

Internal changes are also supported by the transformation of company top management. In the past, most of the decision-making power was concentrated with the CEO causing a heavy burden and creating a genuine bottleneck in company management. The company founder and former CEO Peter Dostál has become the chairman of the supervisory board of Aliter Technologies, which allows him to focus on strategic management of the entire company, searching for new markets, acquisitions and new product development.

As part of the transformation, a new board of directors was also appointed, headed today by Ervin Haramia, who has been with the company since its foundation. At the turn of 2021 and 2022, Ján Grujbár was transferred from the position of COO to become the CEO thus taking over the responsibility for the day-to-day operations and accomplishment of the company’s business goals together with other members of the executive management.

Helping the community can also be a measure of success

Everyone perceives profit and financial results as key criteria for business success. Well, success can be defined by entirely different indicators than charts and figures only. For example, through the criteria of humane approach, the ability and willingness to support activities and projects that benefit the wider community.

Reflected in Aliter Technologies‘ strategic goals every year, corporate social responsibility activities are an integral part of the company culture. Aliter focuses on supporting sports, education, diverse social responsibility agenda while trying to give helping hand bz addressing the current demanding situation caused by the global pandemic.

The company equipped several high-footfall facilities, such as entrances to large administrative buildings or hospitals with temperature measurement frames, involved its 3D printers in the production of safety plastic shield brackets, supplied protective and disinfectant products to front-line workers, participated in the project titled IT Companies Help Slovakia supplying both its professional resources as well as technical equipment to emergency and crisis response management bodies.

Moreover, towards the end of 2021, Aliter donated €100,000 to the military hospital in Ružomberok, where a fire destroyed the surgery section.

Despite the raging pandemic, the company was simply doing great. In June 2020, Slovaks from Aliter Technologies acquired a share in Runecast, a British company dealing with IT infrastructure analysis with global corporate customers such as Verizon or Scania.

“Entering Runecast gives us more space for further expansion into international markets, which are of key importance to us in terms of business growth,” concludes Ján Grujbár.

SOURCE: Startitup