Asseco Technical Order Management is an advanced solution that automates and accelerates the management of telecommunications services. Its application shortens the process of launching new services, enables changes in subscriptions of large groups of customers and significantly reduces operating costs. The venture is another example of partnership between some of Poland's largest companies – Grupa Polsat Plus and Asseco Poland.

Implemented in the Plus network, the Asseco Technical Order Management (ATOM) module streamlines the flow of information between systems and significantly reduces the time required to launch and manage telecommunications services, resulting in improved efficiency and better preparation of the organization for the implementation of new solutions.

We decided on a new system for managing telecommunications services because we wanted to use a modern solution that would increase the efficiency, flexibility of configuration and reliability of the software in use. Asseco proved to be the right partner in this case, meeting our expectations. The main objective of this project was to reduce operating costs, decrease failure rates and shorten the time needed to launch new telecommunications services, and enable the implementation of mass changes in customer subscriptions," said Radosław Semkło, IT Director, Grupa Polsat Plus. "It was important for us that the replacement of such a critical and extremely complex system should proceed without affecting the IT environment and current business operations, as well as the transformation of the environment for individual customers (B2C), which was being carried out simultaneously. The entire implementation was carried out without noticeable service interruptions. Migrations from the previous Oracle Communications solution to ATOM were carried out continuously, making the changes invisible to the end customer. As part of the project, we moved more than 20 million subscriptions, and the system allows us to handle several hundred thousand orders per hour. This not only significantly increased work efficiency, but also led to a several-fold decrease in IT maintenance costs.

When implementing Asseco Technical Order Management for Grupa Polsat Plus, we were tasked with replacing a very complex system, which, in terms of interfaces, is fully compatible with the previous solution. The compatibility of the systems was proven in tests, and the implementations and migration proceeded without affecting the IT environment and business operations. Maintaining the continuity of processes in such a critical project was a major challenge that ended successfully, said Szymon Marzec, Project Area Director, Asseco Poland.

Tools have been implemented in the Asseco system to help manage services. These include an engine (Atom Core), a catalog of technical products and services (Atom Inventory) and a module for communicating with other network systems (Atom Service Activator).

The implementation of Asseco Technical Order Management has also translated into the end customer experience. By accelerating the launch of services on the operator's network, service availability increased, and the time required to activate cards and enable new variants of the offer was significantly reduced. As a result, the Plus network easily met the challenge of the sudden, several-fold increase in demand for changes resulting from the start of the war in Ukraine and the associated mass registrations of new subscribers. The increase in system capacity also allowed for the smooth implementation of the annual "Roam Like At Home" regulation on EU data limits for the entire postpaid subscriber base, without affecting ongoing business operations.

Banks represent one of the most computerized industries in the market. At the same time, they face growing expectations from customers, requirements from regulators and the need for constant innovation. The pace of adaptation of technological innovations varies at each institution, making it difficult to clearly identify specific areas that will dominate their development. On the other hand, from the perspective of a key IT solutions provider, working with almost all representatives of the financial sector, it is possible to identify the factors that will influence technological changes in banks:

• 1) Cybersecurity - due to the increasing digitization of the banking market and the growing complexity of cyberattacks, the need for customer support in the area of security has been growing. We are not only talking about the technological sphere and the implementation of detection and anti-fraud solutions, but also in-depth customer education. More often than not, it is not the lack of security features, but the user's ignorance that makes a social engineering attack possible. Banks, regardless of what security features they have, will certainly invest in more solutions in the following areas:
• customer: behavioral biometrics, U2F dongles;
• bank’s IT: threat detection systems using artificial intelligence, tools for automating security procedures in the context of customer identification (e.g., in call centers);
• software building: additional elements of development processes focused on security, i.e. threat modeling, static and dynamic security testing (SAST and DAST tools).

• 2) Migration to the cloud and the use of various models that delegate responsibility for IT areas - after a temporary increase in bank profitability thanks to higher interest rates, we will most likely return to lower financial results in 2024, which will directly affect the need to reduce costs on the IT side. To this end, banks will continue to move some part or even whole of their IT to IaaS, PasS, SaaS (infrastructure, platform, software as a service) models, respectively. The vast majority of these services operate in the public cloud, hence we will see further investment in cloud solutions. It is also important to note the greater availability of public cloud regions within Poland, which gives impetus to increased interest in such services among banks. So far, the use of external data centers has been problematic, due to legal aspects. Nevertheless, now, having at least two big players in the public cloud market (Microsoft, Google), the transfer of their services will be much simpler.

• 3) Ecological banking - banks are increasingly focusing on sustainability and taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint, both operationally and in the products and services they offer. This will entail investments in both software that can reliably measure the carbon footprint, as well as in IT services that contribute to its reduction. An example of this is migrating from an in-house data center to the public cloud, where the negative environmental impact may be lower, thanks to the sharing of resources among the many institutions using such services.

• 4) Digitization of business processes - in order to reduce the cost of operations, while allowing the learning curve of processes operating in the bank to decrease, they will continue to invest in workflow class systems such as Asseco ABP. This solution enables automation of many activities and simplifies the way complex products such as loans are handled. This includes sales, as well as hundreds of different types of post-sales processes.

• 5) Artificial intelligence (AI) - it can be said that we are beginning to get used to the widespread presence of tools based on various types of artificial intelligence algorithms. Banks have long been the forerunner of the use of such tools in the area of sales support (cross-sell, up-sell), and in the coming time we will see the adaptation of more solutions. Banks are sure to find widespread use for generative artificial intelligence (LLM - large language models such as ChatGPT), for example, in supporting online banking users (making it easier to navigate banking systems) or in communicating with customers.

It is worth noting that there are also problematic aspects of using AI, such as the appropriate approach to privacy, respect for copyright or other legal issues. A major challenge will be to properly "explain" the decisions made by AI-based solutions. In such a heavily regulated industry, it will start to become important for banks to use not only "classic" AI methods, but, above all, to have solutions based on XAI, or Explainable Artificial Intelligence, which allow a clear representation of on what basis the bank made a particular decision.
‍Wojciech Nowak, Head of Commercial Banking Division, Asseco Poland.

The number of cyberattacks increased by an average of 25 percent year-on-year, according to data prepared by ComCERT from the Asseco Group. Despite the fact that criminal groups are increasingly better organized, with improved tools and larger budgets, individual cybercriminals were responsible for as much as 75 percent of security breaches. In 2023, the most common threats were phishing, ransomware and DDoS. There was also an increase in attacks on supply chains and critical infrastructure. Organizations in the public sector, healthcare, finance, as well as technology companies were frequent targets of cybercriminals. Configuration errors and software vulnerabilities were a significant vector of attacks.

ComCERT experts from the Asseco Group point out that the number of known vulnerabilities (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures - CVEs) has been growing year-on-year. According to data from the Statista platform, there were 22,514 CVEs in 2021 compared to 20,171 in the previous year. This translates into an increasing number of attacks, as cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities to break through security and gain access to users' resources. Not insignificant is also increasing digitization, which involves more and more people and processes. This includes a citizen, a market and a state administration. Given the magnitude of this phenomenon, it is reasonable to assume that there will always be an unwary user or a poorly secured device which will make a successful attack possible. Cybercriminals and bots they have created are relentless in their efforts to find "weak points" (backdoor) that can be exploited.

The most important trends in the area of cybersecurity according to experts from ComCERT, from the Asseco Group:

1. Professionalization of criminal groups - Although most attacks are carried out by individual cybercriminals, organized groups will grow in strength. According to Krzysztof Dyki, President of ComCERT from the Asseco Group, they will become even more professional, and the ways they operate will make them similar to special forces. This is evidenced, among other things, by the fact that in order to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies, criminal groups are creating their own proprietary communication systems and other specialized and advanced tools. Since they are not widely available, unlike applications such as Signal or Telegram, they are difficult to surveil. In addition, the ComCERT President points to the consolidation of cybercrime groups. This involves the absorption of weaker organizations by stronger and more elaborate ones, which tempt with their prestige and the vision of greater profits from illegal activities.
2. Supply chain attacks - Because large organizations have budgets, resources and knowledge to better defend themselves against attacks, cybercriminals are increasingly taking aim at smaller, less secure entities such as service providers. The goal of these attacks is infiltration, which allows them to take control of technological processes implemented for the benefit of the end customer, who is the actual victim. According to the President of ComCERT of the Asseco Group, this is a particularly dangerous type of threat, as organizations often don't even realize that, for example, the software they offer to their customers has been infected at some stage of production. This happens by inserting a virus, or a remote communication module, into any of the components provided by a previously trusted partner.
3. Cybercriminal R&D - In the past, cybercriminals, like technology companies, used to develop software using largely open source solutions. Today, they are increasingly more often writing their own transmission protocols, encryption and compression algorithms, which are more efficient than those available on the market and harder for antivirus software to analyze. As Krzysztof Dyki points out, decoding proprietary protocols developed by cybercrime groups is difficult and time-consuming. The largest of them allocate resources for research and development similar to those of professional IT companies.
4. Cryptocurrency exchanges a target for attacks - As the ComCERT expert from the Asseco Group notes, it is increasingly unprofitable for cybercriminals to take on classic financial institutions such as banks as it often takes a long time from the moment of the attack until the funds are obtained. This is due, among other things, to the fact that many processes in banks are still analog. It is much easier and faster to get rich by attacking cryptocurrency exchanges, which rely entirely on digital processes. An example is the attack on the Ronin Network platform in 2022, which resulted in USD 620 million being stolen.
5. Widening gap between salaries of cybersecurity specialists and cybercriminals - According to data published by The Register, a monthly salary of a hacker developer is USD 20,000 net. According to Krzysztof Dyki, this is an amount that a specialist cannot be guaranteed by a legitimate company. The ComCERT expert from the Asseco Group points out that the salaries of cybersecurity specialists have been increasing year-on-year, while the amounts that can be obtained through illegal activities are much higher. However, money is not the only motivator for cybercriminals. These individuals also have certain personality predispositions. Cybercriminals often reject the norms operating in society, are characterized by anti-systemic attitude, and resentment towards corporations and state institutions. Only the effective identification of these individuals at an early stage of their activities, the creation of appropriate conditions for their development and honest work will allow them to be properly guided, so that they contribute to increasing the security of the digital world, rather than destabilizing it.

Healthcare in Poland has been undergoing a real revolution for several years. The Sars-CoV-2 pandemic has forced accelerated digitization, which has changed the availability and quality of medical services. There is still much to be done, and the answer to the challenges is to be found in the increasing use of new technologies, i.e. artificial intelligence (AI), IoT or medical robotics. Innocenta Dźwierzyńska, Business Development Executive at the Healthcare Division, Asseco Poland, talks about what lies ahead in the healthcare sector.

According to the expert from Asseco, this year will see the further development of key trends that emerged several years ago. What is changing, however, is the availability and ways of using technology.

We are facing an opportunity for a great acceleration, and it is up to us - the people involved in healthcare - to determine how this will translate into improvements in the quality of treatment for patients, she said.

The most important IT trends in the medical field according to Innocenta Dźwierzyńska:

AI - unstoppable development

Artificial intelligence (AI) gives us the promise of changing everything in healthcare, from the methods of treating patients, to the creation of drugs, to yet-to-be-determined elements, as its potential seems limitless.

AI can already interpret test results and give recommendations to choose the best treatment. In genetics, it is used to analyze patients' DNA to diagnose and treat diseases and create personalized medicines. In preventive healthcare, it enables early warning and rapid intervention. In disease prognosis, AI can analyze medical data and risk factors to predict the development of diseases. Based on this information, preventive measures can be taken and patients can be monitored to prevent complications.

A very interesting aspect of the revolution that is taking place with the support of AI is elderly care. Our society is aging, we are living longer and longer, and we want to remain fit and active at work, in the family or in society. From this perspective, the ability to monitor the vital signs of the elderly will become increasingly important. Of course, we already have smartwatches today that check heart rate or perform a basic ECG, but the game is about much broader diagnostics and analysis of the acquired data by AI. The results of these measurements could alert the patient and the attending physician to possible health problems.

Moreover, AI can help optimize healthcare processes, i.e. hospital management, scheduling of medical staff and resource management. With the help of algorithms, schedules can be optimized and the efficiency of the entire system can be improved.

It's safe to say that artificial intelligence is a driving force behind the direction in which healthcare will develop and has a bearing on all aspects of healthcare. However, focusing solely on technology can lead to neglecting other aspects of medicine. Despite progress, patients still need emotional support and understanding. AI can be an enabler, but it is human knowledge, understanding and empathy that are crucial to the healing process.

Data stored in emotions

Generative artificial intelligence that creates texts and images from data was a hit in 2023. However, what catches my attention this year and whose development I will be watching is EAI - artificial emotional intelligence. EAI is able to recognize emotions, i.e. happiness, anger, confusion, sadness or sentimentality, even from subtle changes in facial expressions and convert them into data. This is very important for healthcare. Recognizing even subtle differences in mood or behavior and having artificial intelligence respond accordingly will help people struggling with mental illnesses, as well as chronic diseases, to live in better comfort. In particular, it will contribute to the effectiveness of online therapy, adapting to the individual needs of the patient, and can also monitor the behavior of the subject and help diagnose mental disorders. However, remember that this is only a support of the therapeutic process, technological solutions will not replace contact with a specialist.

Training at a higher level

We are seeing a steady development of virtual reality and its application in medicine especially in the training of personnel. This technology allows us to simulate the course of a surgical procedure or the symptoms of a particular patient, which can be helpful in improving the process of diagnosis and the art of surgery.

Tissues straight from the printer

3D printing is already being used to create dental prostheses and implants, rehabilitation and medical equipment, as well as pre-operative planning. However, the future of this technology and its huge potential is bioprinting, that is, printing human tissues that will be able to replace natural organs. With the ever-increasing demand for organ transplants, the technology to produce them is becoming one of the most desirable innovations. We will be able to provide patients with new opportunities for health and life, eliminating long waiting times for transplants and the risk of rejection. Without a doubt, bioprinting is a promising direction for 3D printing and will bring a revolution in the medical field.

Security is crucial

Ensuring the security of patient data is an extremely important topic. We have been observing a number of cyberattacks on healthcare facilities and attempts, unfortunately also successful, to steal this particularly sensitive medical information. Here, a significant role will hopefully be played by the possibility of blockchain technology, which would ensure patient privacy and facilitate the exchange of information between healthcare entities. However, at this point, it does not yet have widespread application in medicine.

Technology revolutionizing medicine is the “Holy Grail” of our time, but the changes taking place should take into account the society in which we live. It is necessary to ensure equal access to AI-based medical care to avoid exacerbating health inequalities. Self-awareness and taking care of one's health is also important. Technology can provide information and support in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but the ultimate responsibility lies with each of us. We need to be aware of our habits and take appropriate action to stay as fit as possible.

Cloud computing is now an integral part of the digital world. As Asseco Cloud experts point out, the degree of use of this technology often depends on the size of an organization and its technology stack. Smaller companies, including startups, are already creating cloud native applications. In turn, larger ones are migrating to the cloud, but the process can be lengthy, especially for complex systems that have been in place for a very long time. In the coming year, it will also be important to continue working on regulations so that they support the development of cloud computing, without forgetting data security.

According to Asseco Cloud experts, no one needs to be convinced about the advantages of the cloud anymore. In recent years, there has been a big change in the mentality of decision-makers and the perception of the cloud computing technology, which is much more resilient to disruption than traditional on-premise infrastructure. Outsourcing IT services to the public cloud makes it possible to accelerate their implementation and respond more efficiently to new market needs. In the case of public administration, change is being driven by law, which requires, among other things, the implementation of a cloud backup storage strategy. The corporate sector, on the other hand, appreciates scalability, flexible billing models and business continuity security.

The most important trends in the cloud area according to Asseco Cloud experts:

1. The location of backup matters - The war in Ukraine has shown how important it is to locate backup copies of data essential to the functioning of the state and companies in key industries. As Lech Szczuka, President of Asseco Cloud, points out, backup is only useful if it can be used. If the data center where it was stored is destroyed, this is impossible. Therefore, according to the Asseco Cloud’s President, it is worth considering placing backups in a center in another country, which will allow access to data, for example, in the event of the outbreak of war.

2. Law supporting the cloud - According to Lech Szczuka, in the coming year we can expect an intensification of work on further legislation aimed at ensuring the security of public administration data and critical infrastructure information. To a large extent, this will be based on the cloud, which, as the Asseco Cloud’s President points out, is already evident at the stage of project specifications and in tender bids. The Asseco expert predicts that in the case of regulated industries, such as finance, law will also open up to the cloud computing technology, especially in the area of backup data centers.

3. New applications will be created in the cloud - The cloud is a natural and fundamental environment for application development. It allows to use ready-made components, libraries and solutions that greatly facilitate the work on software. Many processes have been automated. As the President of Asseco Cloud explains, applications can now be "clickable", there is no need to create them completely from scratch. The cloud also means less work at the infrastructure level, e.g. no need for server configuration and virtualization. Companies can use the resources saved in this way for business development.

4. Further migration of legacy systems to the cloud - In the coming year, we will continue to observe the migration of large, long-standing systems to the cloud, both in public administration and in business such as banking. As the President of Asseco Cloud points out, this is a very complex process that often takes many years, requiring the decomposition of these solutions and the migration of individual components.

5. The cloud develops AI - Lech Szczuka points to the inextricable link between the cloud and artificial intelligence (AI). Initially, machine learning was used to administer databases. Over time, the technology has evolved and is finding wider and wider applications. Today, the cloud is a natural environment for the development of AI. It makes it easy to create AI-based applications and manage them at a later stage. According to the Asseco expert, this trend will further fuel the already huge demand for cloud computing services and computing power in the coming years.

The President of Asseco Poland and Founder of the Asseco Group has been recognized in the sub-ranking of managerial competence, published as part of the "Valuation of Presidents of #Top30 of the Polish Stock Exchange" compilation. The study presents the most valuable heads of companies, which are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) and are part of the WIG20 and mWIG40 indices. The ranking was prepared by the SEC Newgate consulting firm, and its results were published by Gazeta Giełdy i Inwestorów „Parkiet”, among others.

The final result of the managerial competence sub-ranking was affected by awards and prizes, as well as assessments by experts working with SEC Newgate CEE (the agency’s consultants, stock market analysts and capital market journalists).

Asseco is a leader in digitization in Poland and the largest IT company in the Central and Eastern European region. For more than 30 years it has been developing technologically advanced software for companies in key sectors of the economy. The company is present in more than 60 countries around the world and employs more than 33,000 people. It has been growing organically as well as through acquisitions, of which it has made more than 130 since 2004. Asseco companies are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), NASDAQ and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.