Talking Energy with Tomáš Vondráček and Tomáš Koldcsiter

How do people in IT perceive their relationship with management these days? Do they feel heard, and is their role valued now that they’re considered essential?

Tomáš Vondráček: Today, information technologies are an integral part of the customer experience, product and service sales, and customer care. Without high‑quality technologies, companies simply would not be able to achieve business growth.

Tomáš Koldcsiter: And if you look at the energy sector, the approach to information technologies has truly shifted. Production planning, pricing, product selection – these were once mainly in the hands of specialists. Today, however, the complexity of tasks is increasing and data volumes are growing, so we cannot do without information systems. IT solutions thus play a significant role in business strategies and overall commercial success.

How does this show up in the relationship between client and vendor? Is it changing?

TK: In the past, customers perceived vendors primarily as technical implementers, where the key ability was to install a system. A deeper understanding of business was rather a welcome bonus. But today the situation is different. Customers expect a partner who not only understands technology, but also knows their industry, helps design key functionalities, and actively participates in shaping business processes.

TV: I think the market is increasingly emphasizing client independence, which means no lock‑in with a single technology or vendor that makes switching impossible. I consider that the only correct path, because it creates healthy motivation for IT service providers to constantly be attractive and to maintain long‑term partnerships.

TK: That trust is key, and must be earned. After it is built, problems are rare. Sometimes, however, specific solutions became so proprietary that customers could only develop them further with the existing vendor, leading to vendor lock‑in. That is why today customers want solutions based on open technologies – and we happily provide them.

TV: Our ambition is to be present for clients as a long‑term technology partner and advisor, not just a software supplier. It’s not only about delivering software. That requires a perfect overview not only of the technology landscape, but also of the client’s business world. We want to bring an understanding of what is happening in tech and how these innovations help clients’ businesses, both abroad and here. Misunderstandings usually happen when one side operates mainly as a software house, and the other is focused purely on business.

What trend are you working on right now?

TV: Definitely AI adoption. For a client it is valuable to have an engaged partner in innovation who brings experience from similar projects and can thus reduce risks and increase success.

TK: The ability to predict future developments in energy – generation, consumption, or grid load – is essential for system stability and efficiency. It enables better planning of production from renewable and conventional sources, prevents outages, optimizes costs, and supports sustainable infrastructure growth. In a time of growing decentralization and variable demand, accurate predictions are the cornerstone of modern, smart energy systems.

How do you view AI and its rising popularity?

TV: I believe there will come a recalibration when we learn to use it in areas where it makes sense. We do discover interesting possibilities, but for AI and agentic AI that is proactive - planning or programming – to become part of technologies long‑term, a lot of work lies ahead.

And in relation to energy?

TK: In energy we are now moving away from large monolithic systems toward something more modular and flexible. AI plays a central role in that. We see that it must become an integral part of all energy applications, and that it must go hand in hand with process changes and work‑division changes.

Where do you see its greatest potential?

TK: In those mentioned predictions including pricing. Until now predictive modeling with historical data worked well. But as the energy mix changes year to year, that can no longer be relied upon. Everyone thought that once AI came, annual recalibration would happen automatically. Yet we don't fully understand how AI arrives at its results. So we're moving toward hybrid approaches that combine modeling.

TV: We also need to elevate decision quality to a level humans can't achieve in real time. But we cannot blindly trust AI, that would be dangerous. So not only in energy do we bring the mentioned hybrid approach, which allows us to harness AI's potential while also eliminating risks.

Transformation of the energy sector is happening incredibly quickly, and that surely increases demand for new applications and IT solution implementation. Can this be kept up in terms of development and especially implementation?

TV: Many things are replicable anywhere – in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or Slovakia. Thanks to the strategic role of Czech energy, we serve as something of a European crossroad, which means we have rich experience in operation and planning. Partly, that’s due to liberalization, which clearly defined the roles of actors. It was also carried out more strictly and formally than elsewhere. And precisely thanks to these skills and experiences we are able, besides modern technologies, to offer expert services – which is our competitive advantage. In the Czech Republic, and thus also at Actum Digital, competencies have been created that few others have.

TK: The main goal is to extend the ability to deliver industry‑specific solutions with high added value using modern tech tools. And also focus on the development of long‑term collaborations with clients and on strategic projects supporting business processes in the energy market. Particularly in areas such as prediction, trading and risk management, identification and management of flexibility, or customer portals.

TV: Even as Central Europe, we've experienced swings in both supply and demand. For instance, in Spain it’s sunny regularly and consumption is stable. Here, it’s sometimes windy, sometimes sunny. If Monday's production jumps in Bavaria, northern Italy, and Czechia, demand skyrockets. The energy system handles it both technologically and commercially. Even though nothing else in Europe compares to this complexity. On top of that we Czechs are great at math, programming, and AI. The Czech IT scene is strong and I believe we are better prepared for changes in energy than others.

What is needed to turn that readiness into success?

TK: It will depend on how well we can connect these experiences with new technologies and use their full potential. That is exactly what we aim to offer because we believe we can do it.

(The original interview was published in Czech for the E15 magazine.)