Ales Bortunek, president of IBM in Poland, gave an interview to the Polish Press Agency on the occasion of twenty-five years of business activity in our country. At the same time, he pointed out many symbolic and important moments for the brand. As he noted, the appearance of the company in Poland and its development always coincided with the most important moments of the general development of information technology on the Vistula River.

Its very entry into the market took place in the same year, when the first Internet connection was launched in our country. Changes in Poland over the last 25 years The 90s of the last century are a unique period in Poland. We were only beginning to appreciate the huge opportunities that came from using the new technology at that time. The demand for such devices prevailed mainly among entrepreneurs who needed both computers and efficient servers to operate them. Under these conditions, IBM had a great opportunity to grow.

One of the many breakthroughs was 1993, when the first mainframe server was installed in the Card and Cheque Centre owned by PeKaO bank. This allowed us to serve previously unknown in our country electronic payment cards - their market was growing rapidly and IBM was actively involved in this. In an interview given to PAP, Ales Bartunek recalls those times with some sentiment - they were indeed exceptional. On the one hand, more and more companies have equipped their employees with personal computers. On the other hand, the market for laptops began to grow, but they were very different from modern laptops. First of all, they were characterized by much larger dimensions, so that their transfer was not as easy as now.

Compared to the technology available today, all these devices may seem primitive. At that time, however, they were the pinnacle of technology, and delighted with their functionality. IBM and its contribution to the development of Polish computer science IBM has been operating on the Polish market for 25 years. In addition to providing services at the highest level, the company has also opened several own research centres in our country, providing employment for numerous specialists in the field of IT. One of the most important achievements is the creation of the Client Innovation Center in Wrocław and Katowice - it is the largest place of this type in the whole Europe. It specializes in optimizing IT services and adapting them to the needs of specific customers. It cooperates both with Polish entrepreneurs and with many other countries in the world. The Centre also actively cooperates with clients in the field of security. It implements innovative solutions for increasing online security in various companies and conducts active consultations on the most important threats resulting from the use of the Internet. The role of IBM on the Polish market has changed significantly along with its development.

Today it is a company dealing mainly with consulting, employing many experts in this field. They help to find and implement the best possible solutions, which, of course, is not a simple task. At the same time, it is necessary not only to have a significant knowledge of IT, but also a thorough analysis of the needs and requirements of a specific customer. It is precisely the preparation and implementation of the best software that is the key service on the IT market today. The times are gone when it was all about producing computers and the greatest power. Today, data is one of the most important resources affecting the functioning of the entire contemporary world.The involvement of a person in their work is largely determined by social media and mobile internet access opportunities. The efficiency of almost every company depends to a large extent on the skillful use of appropriately selected IT solutions.

IBM today mainly deals with consulting in this field. Its experts carefully analyze the situation and requirements of a specific company, trying to find the best solutions for it. Thanks to that they streamline numerous processes, such as e.g. servicing online shops or delivery of goods. One of the best solutions today is cognitive systems. They can work with different types of data; as they grow, they "learn" themselves, doing their job even better and more efficiently. Today, they are widely used by banks and airlines, among others. However, they are so universal that it is possible to adapt them to the individual needs of virtually every customer. IBM also collaborates on a large scale with the scientific community. Back in the 90s, the company created numerous IT systems for the largest universities in Poland, which - as is well known - produce huge amounts of data. IBM company took a very active part in the development of the Polish IT industry. While at the beginning of the 90's it employed only a dozen or so people, today it is a large corporation employing several thousand employees. Undoubtedly, this brand has had a great impact on the development of IT in our country.