Dmitry Drigo: COVID-19 and Software Development Challenges

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Dmitry Drigo: Thank you, my family and I are doing well. Fortunately, we have been able to avoid getting infected thus far. We are patiently waiting for our turn to be vaccinated, and in the meantime, we are diligently observing personal protection and social distance protocols.

Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded SDH Digital Solutions.

Dmitry Drigo: I am the CEO of SDH Digital Solutions, a full-service software development company based in Los Angeles. I have a Master's degree in mathematics and cybernetics from the Lomonosov Moscow State University. Before I was appointed CEO of SDH, I served as the head of Linux on System z & z Virtualization development department at the Science and Technologies Center of IBM. After that, I started my own company, Codigy Labs, which develops artificial-intelligence technologies and adapts them for business applications. I joined SDH Digital Solutions in October 2018. Since that time, I have been working on the most demanding projects that require deep knowledge of AI, including ISINA, TealHeal, CatchStamp, and others.

How does SDH Digital Solutions innovate?

Dmitry Drigo: Our top-notch developer team handles the most interesting and ambitious projects using cutting-edge technologies and AI. One of our recent projects was a revolutionary three-step talent evaluation system for ISINA Academy, which uses the facial expressions of a listener to analyze the potential success of an applicant's song. I personally improved the data transmission protocol within ISINA's platform to make it work smoothly and more efficiently to process a hundred times more applications at a time.

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Dmitry Drigo: The pandemic has affected the software development industry in different ways. In some areas, it resulted in unexpected challenges, while in others, it has proven to be an opportunity for growth.

SDH was able to leverage its agility and responsiveness to grow its market share and gain several new sizeable client relationships. As software engineers, we were accustomed to working remotely in distributed teams even prior to the pandemic, so the lockdown did not impact our ability to deliver high-quality work products. We have maintained our focus on growing our core business – High Load and Scalable Systems with Artificial Intelligence.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Dmitry Drigo: The past year certainly taught us many valuable lessons, including how to make decisions faster, prioritize tasks, and collaborate more effectively to meet shifting client needs. Our key competitive advantage is our close-knit team. This is what allowed us to overcome all the challenges posed by this pandemic environment.

What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?

Dmitry Drigo: The key strength that has helped us navigate the challenging pandemic environment is the wealth of experience we have of working in a decentralized manner. Our team rapidly adapted to remote work with no loss in quality. Moreover, we use AI, machine learning, and Data Science to help us and other businesses cope with the obstacles brought by the spread of COVID-19.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Dmitry Drigo: We are a unique Software Development Agency headquartered in Los Angeles, and we develop custom software based on cutting-edge technologies. We have several competitors around the world, each with its own approach and specialization. What sets us apart, in my opinion, is the originality and unprecedentedness of our projects, which go on to set the trend in the software development industry. For instance, the software initially developed for one of the largest US debt-consolidation companies became a trendsetter. Many other developers instantly borrowed the concept of an AI-powered CRM system. We also create original approaches to utilizing existing technologies to make them satisfy the requirements of the rapidly evolving IT landscape.

Your final thoughts?

Dmitry Drigo: The pandemic has impacted all of us in a significant way. It resulted in many deaths, interrupted our daily lives, and disrupted the normal course of business. Yet, there is also a silver lining among all the negatives – the accelerated adoption of technology-based solutions has positioned us to come out of this stronger and more resilient.