Uzum: Building an Ecosystem for Millions and Digital Transformation in Action
The Uzum digital ecosystem became the first technology "unicorn" in Uzbekistan in 2024 and continues to grow. The GlobalCIO editorial team spoke with Roman Lavrentiev, COO of Uzum. An IT leader with a product background, he has built companies whose solutions operated from North America to Africa. Today, his experience in scaling global IT products is helping to build a key digital ecosystem in Uzbekistan.
Data backup is often perceived as something abstract or simply as another task pushed by an overzealous IT department. Managers frequently dismiss it with a wave of the hand: “What are those tech guys up to now?” In the hustle of daily operations, the pursuit of profit and solving immediate issues, this critically important topic often gets pushed to the sidelines. But take it from years of hard-earned experience: backup is not a whim. It is a fundamental matter of business survival. No exaggeration.
According to WTO forecasts, artificial intelligence could increase global trade by 34-37% by 2040, spurring massive investment in AI infrastructure. In the US, OpenAI and its partners are planning to build five new data centers with a capacity of up to 10 GW, and tech giants have unveiled revolutionary AI products, from Meta smart glasses to the integration of Gemini into Chrome. Albania has become the first country to officially appoint an AI system to a ministerial position to manage public procurement.
Alexander Kuliev, an expert in data-driven transformation, talks about the successful implementation of a digital management system in the Burger King chain with more than 800 restaurants. In three years, the company moved from expert solutions to a full-fledged data-driven model, achieving efficiency growth of up to 9% in certain segments. The author shares the key stages of transformation and the main lesson.
In a context of rising costs and stringent regulatory requirements, effective management of IT economics is becoming a key success factor for any modern organization. But how can this be achieved if even mature companies struggle to achieve cost effectiveness in their IT spending? Is IT truly a "black box" from which predictable and manageable results are difficult to extract? The answer to this question can transform a business's approach to IT management and increase profitability.
Traiano Leme presents the strategy "centralize the core, localize the periphery" for 160 international markets. The expert with 30 years of experience proposes a product-oriented IT model with global standards and local adaptations, including shadow IT management and IT department transformation.
Low-code is not news or a trend, today every second (if not the first) platform provides opportunities for low-code customization. Why this is not always for the good, we understand in the article.
The Global CIO editorial team continues its series of articles on the conditions in which the IT business operates in different countries. We spoke with our partners about the development of the IT sector in their countries, specific challenges and opportunities they face, as well as the key success factors in each market. Today, we present one of the fastest-growing economies in Central Asia – The Republic of Uzbekistan.
In recent years, digital twins have become an integral part of the development strategy of leading industrial enterprises. This technology is transforming the approach to production management, asset maintenance and security.
Key insights from a panel of HR and engineering leaders working across Sub-Saharan markets. With 700,000 developers and growing startup ecosystems in countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco, Africa is becoming a strategic region for global IT hiring. Tech giants such as AWS, Google, and Microsoft are opening development centers, while remote opportunities continue to drive cross-border employment.
In a fast-changing tech landscape, creativity is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s what keeps IT teams functional across borders, time zones, and pressure. At a recent session hosted by Global CIO and moderated by executive coach Ekaterina Belyatinskaya, tech leaders from different industries came together to explore what creative leadership really looks like in action — and why it matters now more than ever.
Now many companies have reached the stage of implementing AI assistants, but not everyone has an understanding of where exactly to start and how to build a useful corporate service based on the new fashionable technology.
VIVEST's CIO Mr. Alex Galho led a 12-month AI transformation deploying Microsoft Copilot across 28 initiatives with documented ROI of 30% in health processing. The case study reveals that successful enterprise AI adoption requires structured people enablement and cultural change, not just technology implementation. Key lessons include moving from mass training to 1-on-1 mentoring and treating AI as continuous transformation rather than a finite project.
The CIO role is transforming from technical specialist to strategic business leader, requiring strong communication, negotiation, and change management skills alongside technical expertise. At a Global CIO networking session on June 10, IT leaders from multiple countries discussed how to develop these essential "soft skills" for driving digital transformation and revenue generation.
How often do you find that some processes in your life do not go according to plan? And the thought constantly pops into your head: why didn’t I predict this, it could have been avoided.
June 2025 saw AI transition from experiments to real business. Tesla cuts transportation costs by 26%, India launches AI consulting for 25 million farmers, new research demonstrates zero-carbon learning. Practical implementation cases, new releases from OpenAI and Anthropic, regulatory changes in the US, EU and Asia.
The Global CIO editorial team is continuing its series of articles focusing on the IT industry across various countries. In this edition, we explore Kazakhstan, one of the promising economies of Central Asia. We interviewed local partners to discuss the sector's growth, challenges, opportunities, and key factors for success.