Branko Milikic, Business Development Manager at Halcom – Halcom One, a cloud based qualified digital certificate saves time and money

Halcom One is the first cloud based qualified digital certificate registered in Serbia as the official digital signature in the legal system of the Republic of Serbia. Digital signing in the “cloud” is the safest way to sign documents that is technologically available at the moment, Branko Milikic, Business Development Manager at Halcom reveals in an interview for eKapija.

He explains what are the benefits of Halcom One for users, who it is intended for and how it is used.

– Halcom One is the first cloud based qualified digital certificate registered in Serbia as the official digital signature in the legal system of Republic of Serbia. As such, it is intended for identification (authorization) and signing documents for digital business operations. Halcom One certificate has a widest range of application possible, for legal and natural persons too, though I have to say that when it comes to digital business operations and government services, economy is in the first place, for sure. Over 90% of legal entities in Serbia makes payments digitally whereas all legal persons are obliged to register for VAT and to submit their annual financial reports digitally signed with qualified digital certificate, Halcom One being that. There is also a broad range of digital services for citizens and the number of services available to individuals increases on the daily.

In what way does Halcom One save our time and money? What are its advantages for users?

– As a digital service, Halcom One allows users to do their business remotely and online, from their office – when it comes to economy, and to use digital services from their homes when individuals are concerned. There are countless advantages for users when it comes to digital business operations compared to traditional, “on paper”, business operations. The application of digital signature saves time because digital services are available online 24/7. Halcom One traditionally focuses on legal entities and I must mention that many successful companies are now using Halcom One for their operations, such as signing documents digitally, digital invoices, for their digital banking solutions, for internal approval procedures, for digital delivery notes and even for doctor`s reports and digital medical prescriptions. Whenever you want to present yourself to a system or a business partner in the digital world or to sing something, Halcom One has a direct application.

Is this solution simple to use and adapted to the average internet user or does it require advanced knowledge?

– Unlike qualified certificates and digital signatures generated with smart cards and USB tokens which were so far prevalent in business, Halcom One cloud based certificate is even simpler to use for average users. Smart card certificates required additional devices, card readers, knowing how to install card and reader drivers and digital certificate software. There we cases when certain services required additional and specific installations of software even if those programs are mutually exclusive. All of this created a lot of trouble to average users and perhaps that is why digital business hasn`t yet reached its full potential in Serbia. By introducing cloud bases certificates to the market, the situation changes drastically. Now users only need mobile applications to sign documents and sign up for various digital services. Today, an average user uses at least several apps on their mobile devices meaning that using digital signatures will be simple for anyone that needs it. There is no need to have specific knowledge or to perform additional installations, which benefits users the most

Data misuse is a serious risk for digital business. How can users be guaranteed safety and security in this case?

– Halcom gives priority to security of its products and services and always follows the highest global standards when it comes to IT security. Concerning Halcom One cloud based certificate, the private user key isn`t kept on an external device (smart card) anymore but is safely stored in the Halcom CA service center and the user only accesses it when they need to sign something or sign up somewhere. Digital signing is conducted in a safe environment of a qualified service provider Halcom and it is safe to say that digital signing in the “cloud” is the safest way to digitally sign documents that is currently technologically available.

How much is Serbia behind the rest of the world when it comes to cloud bases qualified digital certificates?

–Since I`ve been working in digital business for over a decade, I try to follow development trends of digital aids and services and with it, the development of digital certificates in neighboring countries, in Europe and in the whole world. Maybe it would surprise some, but Serbia is in that sense more advanced that some EU countries. On average, we could say that we fall in the “golden mean” which is a great fact. We keep up with the development of digital services in Europe when it comes to legal framework and the availability of service to citizens and the economy as well. Of course, there is much that needs to be done to provide faster and better quality services to citizens and more efficient and secure operations to businesses. I firmly believe that the introduction and the start of use of digital cloud based certificate will usher in the development of digital services because,as I`ve previously explained, the challenges concerning simplicity of use have been sorted out and I also believe that the biggest skeptics will see the benefits of digitalization and will begin using digital services. Halcom has reached a strategic decision to support the development of digitalization in Serbia by making Halcom One certificate free of charge. All interested parties can easily submit their online requests at one.halcom.rs.

What are your company`s plans for the future?

– Halcom continues to develop digital products with the focus on digital banking solutions and digital certificates as before. We are preparing multibank application for legal persons which provide assistance in managing bank accounts in multiple banks with a mobile application. Also, we have adopted the improvement and development strategy for Halcom products until 2028. Therefore, banking sector as well as businesses and individuals can expect many innovations in digital services from the “Halcom kitchen” in the future.