Bulgaria’s Association for Innovation, Business Excellence, Services and Technology (AIBEST) said that it has entered into an alliance of twelve regional technology and business services organisations in a bid to effectively respond to the challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
International associations representing the technology sector across Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, India, Latin America, Latvia, Malaysia, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, U.K., U.S. and Ukraine have launched the Global Technology and Business Services Council (GT&BSC) to represent the industry globally, AIBEST said in a statement last week.
These organisations which represent members across their respective regions who are both buyers and providers of services, have united to deliver a global response to the challenges and changes brought about by COVID-19, and present a clear vision for the future of the sector, AIBEST said.
Some of the main objectives of the GT&BSC include promoting growth in the sector, providing a global network to develop and share the best practices, professionalize the industry, globally, and attract the best talent, AIBEST also said.
The interantional assiciations which are part of the newly-established GT&BSC collectively represent the interests of over 10,000 multi-nationals, indigenous tech companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.
The technology and business services sector was integral to supporting businesses across the world as they adapted to the challenges caused by COVID-19. The industry was also central to the rapid deployment of work from home models and digital transformations, providing critical support and “essential services” to various sectors including governments through highly skilled professionals around the world, AIBEST noted.
The twelve regions represented by the alliance are estimated to be home to over 750,000 technology and business services companies, the GT&BSC said in a separate statement last week.
“In the Southeast European countries work from home (WFH) has influenced productivity positively, with 81 % of companies finding productivity to be even higher than during BAU (business as usual),” the GT&BSC noted.
According to the alliance, Serbia has reported 60% shift to work from home. In Croatia this share is 69%, in North Macedonia it is 80% and in Bulgaria it is close to 90%.