We have the ambition to become a global player

In the future, automation will encompass entire industries, as well as decision-making, says Stanimir Kostov, CEO of FTS Group

– Mr. Kostov, what is the balance sheet for FTS after 25 years on the market? What are the most valuable achievements of the company?

– Over these years, as a result of a clear strategy, a lot of work and perseverance, FTS has established itself as a secure, reliable and correct partner for the implementation of business management systems. Thanks to this, our leading position in Bulgaria and the region is also thanks to this. We have built a team of extremely qualified, creative and dedicated professionals who can bring even the most complex and challenging projects to success. We have created a network of offices and partnerships, achieved a wide client base and successfully completed numerous projects not only in Europe, but also in North and South America and Asia.

– How do you see the role of FTS as a consultant in the selection and implementation of IT solutions for businesses?

– The solutions we create are based on the most modern and innovative platforms for ERP, CRM, DMS and BI, which allows us to help choose the most suitable systems, as well as to advise on the scope and sequence of implementation. The experience and solutions for various industries that we have developed allow us to provide our clients with world-class know-how and technologies.

Over the past few years, we have achieved over 30% annual growth, which we expect to maintain. We also have the ambition in some of the industries where we have leading positions, such as transport, logistics and retail, to develop our operations regionally, and at a later stage on a global scale.

We see it as part of our mission to support education in our field. That is why we participate in initiatives with various universities and in the master’s program “Business Software and ERP Solutions” of the Higher School of Insurance and Finance.

– What are the key trends related to the digital transformation of business?

– Key trends are Cloud (cloud services) and AI (artificial intelligence) and in this regard, within the company we are starting the development of a new direction called FTS Data Sense in order to focus resources in these areas. The first project we are working on is the construction of AI-based platforms, with which we will give companies easy access to the analysis of huge volumes of data, both their own and the industry’s. In this way, we will help them achieve a new level of optimization and transformation of their business.

New technologies are changing business at a remarkable pace. As a result, there is a trend towards providing quick-to-implement solutions that cover individual processes, at the expense of comprehensive solutions that are implemented over years.

– How do you imagine the next 25 years for the IT business and specifically for FTS?

– The question about the next 25 years of the IT business may have an easy answer – almost everything will be IT. In a 5-10 year horizon, I expect the level of automation to grow exponentially, moving from automation of transactions and processes to automation of decision-making and entire industries.

For FTS, I expect us to continue to achieve sustainable results, develop innovative products, maintain our leading position in the region, enter new markets and become a global player in two of the areas we are developing.

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FTS Group is one of the leading companies for implementing business management systems in Eastern Europe with over 25 years of experience in the market. Currently, FTS is implementing key projects in retail and distribution, in some of the largest banks in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe, as well as in leading IT and telecom companies.

Author: Nacho Strigulev. The interview is from the new issue of Manager magazine.

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