BASSCOM supported and participated in the Information and Communication Technologies Days 2009 organized by ICT Media.

In the period 28-31 October 2009, in Inter Expo Center Sofia for the first time are held the Information and Communication Technologies Days 2009. The event compiles a specialized exhibition – ICT Expo and a conference part.

The exhibition zone includes and the PC World Software Exhibition which was organized for the second year in IEC.  Parallel to the Information and Communication Technologies Days 2009 is held and EXPO PRINT & IMAGING – a specialized exhibition for design, photography, printing, advertisement and visual communications.

The conference part is organized with the support of ICT Media, BASSCOM, ASTEL, BAIT,  the Bulgarian ICT Cluster, SEK, BWA and Bulgarreklama.

During the forum on 28th October BASSCOM was presented by Mr. Roumen Banov- Member of the Association Board in the panel “Public policies and strategies in the ICT sphere”. Among the participants in the discussion were Mr. Parvan Rusinov, the  Prime Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communication and representatives from other state organizations, municipalities, NGOs and companies.

Mr. Banov shared the Association opinion that there has to be a unified center which to control all the auctions in the IT sphere in the State Administration by ensuring project coordination including preliminary assessment for investment necessity, analysis of the compatibility with already existing systems. “In Bulgaria there has to be a unified center for decision making in the area of ICT systems. Strict rules and criteria for submission of big IT project in the Administration have to be established starting from planning level- said Roumen Banov, Effective model for monitoring, audit, reengineering of the basic processes in the State Administration and introduction of module principle of the processes are needed.”

The program of the forum on 29th October included a panel which was a logical continuation of the discussion “IT in Crisis” form 29th March, 2009 with the goal to track the tendencies in the business development 6 months after  the first comments about the crisis in Bulgaria. BASSCOM was represented in this panel by Ms. Diana Stefanova, Member of the Association Board. Other participants in the session were A.T. Kearney, Mobiltel, CIO Club Bulgaria, ENEL Maritsa Iztok, BAIT.

Ms. Stefanova stated some recipes for surviving the crisis in the Software branch among which are- companies flexibility (positioning the idea “software as a service” among the customers), investment in new software solutions (IT companies themselves invest for developing new products and services as there is lack of financing from VC and the Government), consulting rather than outsourcing, the State role in terms of crisis ( the investment making in the IT branch will indirectly reflect on the rest sectors, because the process optimization by software solutions will lower the expenses and the production prime cost. Thus, the competitive power of the Bulgarian companies will be risen.

On 30rd October, 2009 is being conducted and National conference “ Information technologies for the new education”.