Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2019
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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2019 NORDIC TRADITIONS | UKRAINIAN SPIRIT | SUPERIOR SOFTWARE TABLE OF CONTENTS — Who We Are . 04 Key Facts . 06 Our Approach to CSR . 08 Premier Quality Delivery . 12 Responsible Employer . 20 Internal Education . 30 Education and Community Development . 56 Environment Protection . 64 03 WHO WE ARE — Sigma Software is a place where Nordic Traditions meet Ukrainian Spirit to create Superior Software. We combine the best practices and approaches from Swedish and Ukrainian cultures. Taking high demand for quality, minimal hierarchy, freedom of decision-making, and attention to every opinion from Swedes, as a Ukrainian company we demonstrate flexibility and dedication to every project and every customer. We deliver smartest solutions for over 17 years to our customers around the globe – from Australia to East Coast of the United States. We work with startups, software houses, and enterprises, providing the products and services that suit our clients the most. Company`s R&D centers are mastering the trending technologies and directions: Infotainment, AR/VR, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and others. 04 05 KEY FACTS — Sigma Software provides cutting-edge technology solutions within IT to our customers in the areas of government, telecommunications, advertising, automotive, gaming, and others. One of the largest Swedish companies in the field of software development working in Ukraine. Fortum, SAS, Volvo, Viaplay, Formpipe, Verizon are among our valuable customers all over the world. 06 17 IN TOP-3 YEARS BEST IT EMPLOYERS 2,000 + TOP-100 PROJECTS OUTSOURCING COMPANIES BY IAOP 1,100 + MEMBER OF PEOPLE SIGMA GROUP 14 OFFICES 07 OUR APPROACH TO CSR Valery Krasovsky, CEO A responsible company is a company realizing that its purpose is much bigger than just doing business. The big idea that stands behind our business is creating a strong and stable environment for IT development in Ukraine. Sigma Software has a well-established commitment to building trust and reliable operating principles for our customers, employees, and the industry in whole. As a company, providing IT consulting services, we see our main objectives in providing premier quality services to our customers, education and community development, and being a responsible employer for our specialists. PREMIER QUALITY DELIVERY We are striving to provide customers with premier quality services [page 14] and continuous improvement. To this end, we expand our offer and master new technologies in order to suffice the ever-changing environment and customers' needs [page 16]. This approach results in a number of successful projects and products with a huge potential. 08 09 Here are just a few recent examples. An AR shooter game, Black Snow, recently had its first release and is already gaining popularity. The game development team at Sigma Software has spent close to three years creating the game, overcoming numerous challenges of keeping a rich cinematic feel, while not overtaxing the phone, and always having the AR features seem natural, a feat few games have achieved. Another startup we are working on, Clean.io, prevents malicious advertising and uncovers new threats continuously. It reached 1M revenue after 5 months of commercial availability and in a year after its launch. The solution now cuts off over 400,000,000 malicious ads monthly. Clean.io signed over 50 customers across the USA including big enterprises and was recently named a startup of the year in Baltimore. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT In 2019, the company launched Sigma Software Labs [page 60] - a new ecosystem for Ukraine-based startups, small product houses, and service companies, where they can be sheltered by a leading technology consulting company Sigma Software and obtain support and surpassing benefits to grow at all stages. All Sigma Software Labs residents enjoy access to Sigma Software board network of business advisors – serial entrepreneurs around the globe, intros and connections to Venture Capitalist funds in the US, Sweden, Israel, and Australia. They also get business and technical consultancy on the startup ideas and their nurturing from serial entrepreneurs around the globe and can use the comfortable and stylish office spaces of Sigma Software coupled with administrative support and opportunity to visit company`s events. 10 Within the framework of our educational platform, Sigma Software University, we cooperate with 15 leading universities and colleagues in main Ukrainian IT hubs. Seven laboratories equipped by Sigma Software give students an opportunity to use modern equipment, thus mastering various directions and technologies, including the most trending ones. About 300 students are trained in company`s internships every year. RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER At Sigma Software, we consider our team and our bright people as one of the most important part of the business. Since its inception back in 2002, the company intended to become the best place for IT specialists to fulfill their ideas and potential, while working on the most interesting and complex solutions and engaging cutting-edge technologies. It was important for us back then, and it continues to be one of our priorities nowadays. In our daily work, we follow the principles that help us in reaching our global strategy – to support all employees in their endeavors, show development options, and celebrate employees’ success together. 11 PREMIER QUALITY DELIVERY 12 Being convinced that client's satisfaction is an ultimate source of our prosperity and primary driver towards leadership in software engineering services, we declare our mission and principles as follows. OUR MISSION — Provide premier value IT services, keeping the focus on helping our customers reach their business goals. OUR PRINCIPLES — No matter what kind of project we undertake, we always listen, question, and deliver what promised. 13 ENSURING QUALITY Evgeniy Bachinskiy, Quality Director To provide products of sufficient quality, we apply the best practices. The company has a quality management department (QMD), which main goal is setting up processes and making sure everyone is playing by the rules. All business processes are identified and established, and constantly checked for consistency with reality through teams and departments audits. The QMD regularly holds trainings for newcomers to get them acquainted with company`s processes. Every novelty is introduced to Sigma Software team on special workshops. The whole company constantly receives information on updates that were introduced in the quality management system. The QMS (the system is digitalized and completely paperless) contains all the documentation on procedures and updates regularly. The benefits of a certified QMS are felt not only by our customers, but also by employees. It provides company`s executives with an efficient management methodology, identifies more explicit and time-saving processes, and thereby ensures continuous self- improvement. At Sigma Software, we are very accurate in everything concerning the principles of non-disclosure of confidential information and protection of personal data. High attention to quality and security, as well as ensuring ethical behavior and transparent communication with customers are also spelled out in detail in company`s policies and politics. 14 15 MASTERING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND EXTENDING OUR OFFER — Sigma Software has years of experience mastering innovative approaches and technologies. In 2017, the company`s R&D center was divided into regional hubs, each having own niches to develop. WHY THE R&D HUBS WERE LAUNCHED? We usually think of innovation as something futuristic that never existed before. But innovation is also about doing usual things better and getting better results. What we do at Sigma Software is actually solving our clients` problems with the help of IT systems and technologies. For us, innovation means finding faster and cheaper solutions, giving our customers greater advantage in their businesses. Sigma Software performed R&D activities for many years. Due to our R&D activities, we became one of the first companies in Ukraine to master AR/VR competence and get field experience. This helped us starting several very challenging commercial projects in the area. Among the directions we take a close look at are Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Embedded Development and IoT, cybersecurity, infotainment and connected cars. 16 17 WHOW IT WORKS Our company has a deep experience working with various verticals and knows specifics and peculiarities of different businesses. Diving deep into customer`s domain gives us an understanding of what is needed. We build strong relations with our clients; we communicate a lot, we ask, and we listen. When we are sure that certain technology works, we usually start with creating a proof of concept and a prototype before an idea goes into big investments, analyze market reaction, and then decide whether the idea is ready or needs refinements. In Sigma Software, we believe that innovation and creativity is not a limited resource, we are sure it is present in each and every of our colleagues. Our R&D activities are organized in such a way that everyone can participate. The algorithm for mastering new directions is simple: we gather and analyze information and make decisions based on analysis results. On a practical level, it requires various actions: from monitoring internet sources, cultivating a culture of information and knowledge