ICT and Related Sectors Digital Skills Training Project
Project No. 2.3.1.2.i.0/2/23/A/CFLA/001
On May 8 this year, the “Business Technology Day” conference organized by Datakom took place in Riga at Hanzas Perons. This year, the conference focused on security solutions and services.
Experts from Latvia and abroad shared insights on the latest trends in IT security, company experience stories were presented, and attendees had the opportunity to explore various IT solutions practically at 14 demo booths.
The conference program covered topics such as implementing the NIS2 Directive in companies, real-time cybersecurity prevention, NIS2 & DORA transformation, profitability in trade, innovations of the new era, industry economic updates, IT processes and their critical minimums, experiences with Red Hat OpenShift, information security in modern companies, digitalization program updates, and much more. Additionally, a technical session was held throughout the day, allowing participants to speak directly with representatives from manufacturers (IBM, Palo Alto Networks, etc.) and Datakom technical consultants.
The target audience of “Business Technology Day” included company and government leaders, heads of finance and IT departments, as well as other interested participants. The conference concluded with a musical performance, a lottery, and networking opportunities, which are especially valuable for the business community.
Source: https://www.datakom.lv
What is your experience in the computer technology sector?
My name is Rasa Gulbe, and I am a Board Member of DATI Group. The company has been operating since 1993, initially working with IT infrastructure. At first, the company sold computers and servers, but that has changed significantly, and today we are a systems integration and cloud computing company. This means we provide clients with services that ensure existing IT solutions work well together, are secure, and reliable.
Why is it important for companies in the computer technology sector to engage in continuous learning?
The nature of the industry requires constant change and development. This applies broadly to the IT sector both in Latvia and globally. Speaking about Latvia specifically, this field has significant potential economically and socially. Since we lack natural resources or a large population to drive growth, it makes sense to focus on digitalization, allowing us to achieve more with limited resources. To maintain competitiveness and respond to global developments, continuous learning is essential. In our field, borders do not exist—if you want to provide a service, you must deliver it at a level comparable to other markets.
Which competencies are most important at the management level in the computer technology sector?
We like to think there is a “homo IT-cus,” someone who speaks a different language and behaves differently. Managers running IT companies and teams are unique, but what we see in our company and among our partners is that the most important—and challenging—skill is people management. Many technical experts, as they plan their career growth, eventually face the choice: deepen their technical expertise or start managing people. In Latvia, there currently isn’t enough technological depth to have many specialists solely as technical experts. Sooner or later, all specialists realize that they must manage people, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, understand clients’ perspectives, and “step into their shoes.” In my view, this is the most critical skill for developing new IT leaders.
Which current information technologies are being implemented in the computer technology sector?
Regarding emerging technologies gaining popularity in our sector, Latvia shows a certain lag, especially in private-sector implementation. We often think digital transformation is slow in the public sector, but statistics show the public sector in Latvia is quite digitally advanced, willing to invest in IT and develop personnel. The private sector, however, is different: average companies are relatively small, focus on their core business, and often see IT development as an expense rather than an investment that can create added value. As a result, the private sector follows global trends more slowly.
What we see today is that more small businesses are choosing cloud services and applications they don’t need to implement or maintain themselves—they can simply use them as a service. The question is no longer whether to adopt a tool “as a service,” but to embrace “everything as a service.” Even hardware can be acquired as a service rather than purchased as a product—a crucial trend.
Another important trend is cybersecurity, highlighted especially after the war in Ukraine. Companies started thinking more critically about operating under hybrid conflict conditions, assessing risks, implementing solutions, and training employees to identify and respond to potential threats.
The third trend is artificial intelligence (AI). From discussions with our clients, AI is often at the conceptual (planning) stage and applied to some activities, but few companies have integrated it into their core business processes. I believe that will happen in the future.
What is your vision for the sector’s development in the future?
My vision aligns with what I mentioned about AI. Over the next 5–10 years, we will see the development of AI use cases designed for core business process automation and improvement. Early examples of automation already exist—for instance, manufacturing companies using AI in quality control.
An interesting but not yet widespread use case is employing AI as an assistant to support not only technical or manufacturing tasks but also everyday office functions. Latvia has growth potential: productivity is not very high, the population is small, and in the next 5–10 years, the workforce is expected to decrease. In such conditions, how can we maintain competitiveness? As the workforce shrinks, it is logical to automate everything that can be automated.
ChatGPT in Digital Marketing: Basic Advertising Course from Campaign Creation to Automation with Digital Tools
INSTRUCTOR:Roberta Grīga
TRAINING COURSE CONTENT:
LATVIAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION
Offers a training project:“Digital Skills Training Project for ICT and Related Sectors”Project No.: 2.3.1.2.i.0/2/23/A/CFLA/001Project implementation until 30 June 2026.
Registration for new training sessions within the project is open throughout the project duration.Please apply by sending an information request to the email: apmacibas@itnet.lv
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