The IT industry has good prospects for rapid growth. According to analysts at Gartner, global spending on IT services will reach $1.5 trillion in 2024, with a growth rate of 8.7%. However, many companies face technological and operational challenges in the development process. Rapid growth can lead to an increased risk of cyber threats, performance problems, a shortage of qualified specialists, and difficulties in integrating new technologies. We talked to Gleb Shkriabin, who works at BrainRocket, one of the fastest-growing IT companies in Cyprus, about how team leaders solve these problems. A few years ago, Gleb joined the team as a Software and System Engineer, and today he holds the position of Staff Engineer. His technological tools and management initiatives help the company successfully develop and enter new markets.
<a></a>Solving Technological Problems
The rapid development of an IT company, as practice shows, can lead to an increase in technological risks, and a sharp increase in the load on the infrastructure causes failures and slowdowns. In addition, the danger of cyber threats and the likelihood of data leaks become more real. Gleb Shkriabin's technical leadership helped BrainRocket protect itself from these risks and strengthen its presence in the global market.
Gleb Shkriabin received an offer to take the position of Software and System Engineer in a Cypriot company, being a specialist in the field of high-load systems architecture with a number of successful developments in his portfolio. While working at the Russian IT company CodeGeek, Gleb created and implemented such a critical project for growing businesses as an online platform for trading clothes. Later, after moving to Involta, a company known in the domestic market for its innovative and original IT tools for solving a wide range of business problems, Gleb strengthened his expertise by creating a platform for managing and optimizing advertising campaigns in online auction mode, a service for promoting and analyzing mobile applications, as well as a messenger combined with a task manager.
In his new job, Gleb continued to create High-Load Systems at a qualitatively new level – in a serious international company with offices in several countries around the world, global projects, and a strong international team. At BrainRocket, he had the opportunity to design complex backend systems that ensure high performance and stability under heavy loads, implement solutions to protect platforms from fraudulent activities, and optimize infrastructure. Gleb's most important project was a one-of-a-kind system for analyzing and monitoring the performance of high-load databases, the creation of which became a necessity in the context of the company's rapid growth. "My task was to create a system that not only collects and visualizes data, but also makes it possible to quickly find the causes of problems and predict their probability", – explains the leading engineer of BrainRocket. Gleb developed and implemented key options for the monitoring system, which allow predicting and preventing critical incidents, ensuring uninterrupted operation of the platform during peak loads. The response time was reduced by more than 70%, to less than 300 milliseconds. The platform stably withstands maximum traffic, allowing the company to increase profits. The success of the project allowed Gleb to take the position of Technical Lead, which, in addition to writing code, involves managing the team and making key technical decisions. The next career step was the role of Staff Engineer, and today Gleb Shkriabin calls his main task the design of an architecture that should not only meet the current business requirements, but exceed them, be able to withstand even higher loads and changes.
For businesses focused on development, solving performance, stability and security problems is of paramount importance. The tools that Gleb Shkriabin develops help his company adapt to the growing number of users and data without reducing the quality of service.
<a></a>Educating Specialists
The problem of human resources is another serious challenge for companies that are strengthening their influence: development can be hampered by a shortage of qualified personnel and a lack of management experience. A deep understanding of technology, the ability to explain complex things in an accessible language, and motivate colleagues allow Gleb Shkriabin to successfully solve this problem, combining the roles of a leading technical specialist and a team leader. Having joined the company as a Software and System Engineer, Gleb became one of those who formed the development department from scratch. Subsequently, having taken the position of Technical Lead, he got the opportunity to assemble his own team and build effective interaction not only within the department, but also with other departments, which had a positive impact on the overall productivity of work.
"We practice respect for time and each other. Everyone understands that for successful interaction it is important to maintain clear organization and coordination of actions", says Gleb. For a joint search for optimal solutions, the employees of the development department, on the initiative of their leader, organize meetings where they share experience and analyze complex cases. A clear distribution of areas of responsibility greatly simplifies interaction, explains Gleb. Everyone has their own tasks and powers, so everyone is interested in effective communication. The company also regularly holds status sessions with the participation of various departments and departments, where the results of key stages of work are summed up. This allows everyone to be aware of current processes and quickly respond to emerging issues. Years of work, including in Russian IT companies, have taught Gleb Shkriabin to balance between management tasks and technical challenges. So, when he took the place of Staff Engineer, focusing on the development of technological strategies, he retained the role of leader and mentor of the team. Today, Gleb remains a source of expertise for colleagues, acting as a consultant on complex technical issues, and also helps young employees grow professionally, teaching them new technologies and the right thinking.
<a></a>Developing Leadership Skills
As the company grows, continuous development is required not only from ordinary employees, but also from managers. Large-scale IT projects are impossible without an expert understanding of the latest trends and the ability to apply complex management strategies. Gleb Shkriabin deepens his leadership competencies through networking, for example, participation in specialized communities and competitions, as well as education and certification.
To improve his team management skills, Gleb completed a year-long Leadership Development Program. This program explores various leadership styles, psychological aspects of management, and conflict resolution techniques. According to Gleb, the knowledge gained in the course became another tool in the process of forming a cohesive and productive team. Another useful solution that Gleb Shkriabin recommends to those who plan to develop in managerial positions in large IT companies is ITSM (IT Service Management) certification, which he himself passed in 2023. "This is an approach to managing and organizing IT services aimed at meeting business needs by using the optimal combination of people, processes and information technologies", explains the leading engineer of BrainRocket. Training and obtaining the ITSM certificate, according to Gleb, had a positive impact on his own practice. Thanks to the knowledge gained, the team under his leadership was able to create a service catalog that provides a complete picture of all the services provided by the company. In addition, a new KPI system was designed to help management make more effective decisions based on objective indicators. The ability to offer innovative solutions in response to business requests and effectively manage the team was appreciated not only in the company where Gleb works. He is a member of IEEE, a global organization that brings together leading specialists in high-tech fields and closely influences the development of international standards. For IT experts, membership of a colleague in IEEE is an indicator of the high level of his competence. As a professional in his field, Gleb also publishes articles in scientific journals such as "Bulletin of Science" and "Current Research". This year, Gleb Shkriabin was invited to the jury of the international Digital Leaders Awads competition, where, along with other authoritative representatives of the industry, he evaluated applicants for awards in several nominations. Despite the favorable climate for the development of IT business, any company faces technological and organizational difficulties in the process of growth. Whether they can be overcome largely depends on the leaders, their mastery of advanced technologies, their willingness to share knowledge and build strong working relationships, and their desire for self-development.