In its 15 years, Microsoft Development Center Serbia (MDCS) has gone from a small office with several employees to a company with 300 IT engineers and one of the most important IT centers in the region. They plan further growth for this year, and in accordance with that, the employment of a large number of experts. MDCS director Dragan Tomic attaches special importance to the fact that more and more people are returning to Serbia due to work in that company.
Since your arrival until today, how much has Microsoft changed? Apart from the significant increase in the number of employees, what is the most reflected in the development of MDCS in Serbia?
I would say that MDCS has turned from an idea into a reality in these 15 years. What was the idea of our small team when we started the whole story with Microsoft today is the reality of many. From 30 enthusiasts, we have reached 300 employees who, with their ideas, knowledge and work, contribute to the development of things that change today, but will also change tomorrow. The success is reflected in the fact that Redmond recognized the importance of its investment and the potential of our people in the development of the IT industry.
How much has Microsoft had an impact on the currently good position of the Serbian IT industry in the world?
I can freely say that Microsoft is the main culprit for the world noticing that Serbia has a lot to offer when it comes to the development of the IT industry. Until Microsoft opened, our young and smart people went out into the world, where they did their best to prove themselves and show off. And most of them succeeded, but it was all individual development. Now some of them are returning to Serbia, bringing knowledge and experience gained around the world.
A large number of people from the IT world have left the country in the last few decades because they had nowhere to apply their knowledge in Serbia. This is not the case today because of companies like Microsoft. Do you share the opinion that the best ones are staying here now and not going to the West in search of new challenges and fulfillment of dreams?
There are still many people in Serbia who want to move to the West. But those whose priorities are the challenges and working conditions offered to them by the IT industry in the West today remain here because that is exactly what they can get at Microsoft, with the possibility of staying in their homeland, where their friends and family are and where they will be “at home”.
MDCS marked 15 years of existence. What do you consider the greatest success so far and what are the plans for the next 15 years?
The biggest success is reflected in the fact that today working in the Microsoft Development Center in Serbia is better than working in any international IT company in Europe when we talk about challenging projects, quality of people and opportunities for learning and growth. Since its founding in 2005, our team has created and exported the most modern technologies and solutions to the whole world. In addition to projects for Azure, we also participated in the development of Windows v.7 and v.10 components, on all editions of SQL Server from 2008 to 2020, on Office package components from 2010 until today, as well as Office 365 and on the Office Sway project. As for the future and plans, we believe that in proportion to the growth of companies in Serbia, our participation in the development of a project that will change the world of information technology will grow.
What is the future of the IT industry in Serbia and in which direction will it develop?
Serbia has one great advantage that the rest of the world does not have, and that is that, to some extent, we are still a nascent market and we have yet to show how much we know and can. I believe that our young people have the potential for great things and that is why we place great hopes in our employees, but also in all new people who plan to join our team.
Do we have the capacity to develop something new that would put us on the map of the IT world?
I firmly believe that we have the capacity for everything that is in front of us, and for much more than that. Every day spent with my colleagues at Microsoft gives me hope, but also confirmation that it is only a matter of days when Serbia will be one of the leading centers of the IT industry.
Given the rapid growth of this industry in Serbia, we assume that the number of new jobs will grow proportionally?
Yes, we are already planning a big expansion of the team for this year, and if the current growth continues, we will continue to invest in new staff every next year, because we believe that we cannot move forward without fresh ideas and innovations.
Microsoft was also named the most desirable employer in the IT sector last year. What is it that attracts young people to get a job and stay to work at Microsoft in Serbia?
We offer young people the opportunity to work, travel, meet new people and new ideas, work on projects that are important for the whole world, together with world and domestic experts from the IT industry. In addition, we offer them stability, both in financial terms and in development.
New people have the opportunity to fit into a system that has been working very well for a long time and have the opportunity to learn from the best experts in the industry, and that is something that not many companies in this area can offer.
You will also promote greater participation of women in Serbia in IT. How do you do that, and how should society and policy makers encourage women to become more involved not only in IT, but in STEM science in general?
It seems that a large number of IT companies in Serbia recognize the need for women in teams, because research shows that the share of women has increased to 14.7%, while that share in the United States is only 11.7%. Girls should be supported at the beginning of their education to try their hand at IT, while on the other hand, gender diversity can significantly contribute to the strengthening of the entire IT industry, Nova Ekonomija reports.
