The 365 pod

Imogen DeVille   0:07
Hey, hey, everyone. Welcome to the 365 Pod.
Today’s guest is Milan.
I’m very excited to have you on.
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.
Obviously, we’ve known each other for a couple of years now.
You are very well respected in the ecosystem as the dynamics developer and then over time you well, no, you’ve not just been accredited, but obviously you’re now an MVP, which is amazing to see.
So we wanted to have you on the podcast to speak to the audience about that specific journey and hopefully offer some inspiration of people who are not from the standard background or from different countries. You know, a lot of the Mvps tend to come from the states, so.
It’s great to see more Europeans on that band of Mvps.
So yeah, thank you so much for being on the podcast.
Milan, how are you doing?

Milan Milincevic   0:49
Yeah. Good.
Thanks. And how about the first of all?
Yeah, I would like to thank you so much for having me today.
I really appreciate the opportunity and the this is actually my first time on a podcast, so I’m both excited and.

Imogen DeVille   1:04
Really. That’s exciting.

Milan Milincevic   1:07
I have been excited in a bit of nervous as well so, but I definitely looking forward to the conversation.

Imogen DeVille   1:13
Yeah. Well, you’ll you’ll definitely smash it, but hopefully we don’t put you off do more podcast in the future.
Hopefully it’s an enjoyable experience, but yeah, I mean, obviously you’ve spoken at so many conferences, so I imagine speaking in a room full of people is a bit more terrifying than this.
But who knows?
We have to give you some feedback at the end.

Milan Milincevic   1:28
Yeah.
It is definitely it is.
I mean, at least when I started, it was quite horrifying to be fair with me.
I was so nervous. But now since you are doing it more and more and more it, it just gets more natural and now it is completely fine.
But yeah, I hope it will be better with podcast.

Imogen DeVille   1:44
Yeah, yeah.

Milan Milincevic   1:47
It will not be the same as starting with.

Imogen DeVille   1:51
Yeah, fingers crossed. We’ll have to give each other some feedback.
And then I mean, one of the reasons I wanted to take you on a podcast is because what I think is great is where you’ve, you know, where you’ve come from, what you’ve done with your career, obviously develop.
It isn’t typically kind of persona or personality that would be seen on stage, so I I just really think that’s amazing for you to kind of break that stereotype.
But tell tell the viewers and the listeners a little bit about yourself and how I guess we first met as well. If you want to start with that.

Milan Milincevic   2:22
Yeah, yeah, of course. I I I start with that.
So yeah.
If you already said my my name is Milan and I come from Croatia originally. So from a town called Osak it is a bit on countryside in Croatia so it is not unfortunately on the coast and I started.
My career there, I I went to a university there and I started my career as a web developer, actually asa.net engineer and then one thing led to another. We moved another city.
And then I started looking for a new job and then I started working with Navision, which was like processor of business central and then I just actually fall in love with it for the first time.
I don’t know why, but I started.
Liking it and I started working more and more with it.
And then one thing led to another.
And then the last, I think it was one year, 1 1/2 year ago, I actually met Team a general when I was looking for a new job.
The emergent was actually the one who helped me move to Norway, where I’m actually.

Imogen DeVille   3:28
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   3:35
Now so.
Yeah, I mean.
We we work my me and my wife.
We work in Croatia and we decided as a next step that we would like to move somewhere from Croatia and it was actually a perfect timing, perfect moment for that and all things like kind of get settled and we started looking where we can go and then I.
Saw this this ad for that emerging post it.
And then we met.
We stay in touch after that as well and we still we still meet at these conferences and these bumper cars, yeah.

Imogen DeVille   4:10
Yeah, we always.
We always do, don’t we?
The last conference obviously was directions. I was on the bumper cars.
I turned around and I smashed into you and I was like, it’s actually it’s a very small space, the BC space.

Milan Milincevic   4:20
Yeah.

Imogen DeVille   4:23
But I think that’s one of the great things about this community as well as obviously the wider Microsoft community is that you can get these amazing opportunities.
I know that you said that you don’t necessarily know why you loved NAV back then, but.
Do you know why you love BC?
Or you know why you love this community now you’re so heavily involved in it.

Milan Milincevic   4:42
Yeah. So.
You know, as we talk about this stereotypes of the developers, I mean I I also find myself that I don’t see myself a lot of in this territory because I also see developers to be like a bit introvert. And then I’m kind of to be more open more.

Imogen DeVille   4:57
Agreed.
Mm hmm.

Milan Milincevic   5:05
Social.
Guy and that help me actually enrolling in community, but we can talk about that a bit later.
How? I still why I started talking liking a business central. It was just because with.net and web application it it was just more pure technical and it was just. But when I’m working with ERP systems like business central, you also need to know a bit of.

Imogen DeVille   5:13
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   5:31
Business processes itself, and that was the thing that always that I always found interesting. So.

Imogen DeVille   5:34
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   5:40
Since my college days, I was or I like this part of the.
That area, that part of the business as well. And then this BCA actually gave me opportunity. And then when you work on these different projects, you will learn more and more different business processes and interview one project maybe you will work on retail, yeah.

Imogen DeVille   5:59
Yeah, every industry is different, which is half the battle, isn’t it, right?
Every industry is so different, it’s madness.

Milan Milincevic   6:06
Yeah, that is true.
That is true.
And then I I just felt that this is this is the thing that I want to.
Spend my time that I want to work on, but to be fair, you know.

Imogen DeVille   6:20
Mm hmm.

Milan Milincevic   6:23
I need to tell people what you are working on and when you tell them it is some earpiece system they they usually think it is boring and I I don’t know.
For me it is fun, but maybe ready for you. This is not the best of fun, but.
But yeah, I mean I, I mean, I’m working on working on it.
Feel me pressure and we have this great community which I always admire and I always hear this passion to just.
Keep learning new stuff and just keep growing and I think this is the best way.

Imogen DeVille   7:01
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   7:02
Then I just started learning from additional people who are active in community.
I thought after that maybe I could also offer something as a back to give something back to those who to that community. And then I also enroll actually myself there and I started being more and more active.

Imogen DeVille   7:08
Uh huh.
Yeah, yeah. Excellent.
Because I think obviously you were very well involved in the Croatian side of things. I remember when we were speaking, we first started working together.
You’re like, oh, I’m I, you know, I speak at conferences.
I really enjoy that and everything I now have followed our lead. So I’ve spoken a few conferences. I think we both spoke at dynamics minds last year as well.
I’ve got on this year as well, so I hopefully will see you there. Get to see you in person dynamics minds, but I think do you believe that the move from Croatia to Norway, you know, one, what motivated you to to move there as well do you think?
It was for the more opportunities, was it for the cold weather?
Was it for the skiing?
What? What for you was? Was it a career choice?

Milan Milincevic   8:04
Yeah.

Imogen DeVille   8:07
Do you think?

Milan Milincevic   8:09
To be fair, what I like most was the offer an opportunity that that I got here. But.

Imogen DeVille   8:16
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   8:19
To be fair, you know, five years ago, my wife started learning the return. We were still in in Croatia and I thought, I tell her why you’re only this.
We will never need this language, I thought.
I.
I mean, I don’t see any value in because I already started. If you move somewhere, this will be probably some other country in in Europe, maybe Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, I don’t know.
Netherlands I.
I didn’t thought as much about Norway, and then when we started looking for a job, we just.

Imogen DeVille   8:42
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   8:51
Explore our options. We didn’t we didn’t have one country in mind where we actually just want to go. But we were just looking more about opportunities also like.
That countries good to live in that work life balance.
Some safety and all that, and then all of a sudden you will come up with a job opportunity and I I don’t.

Imogen DeVille   9:06
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   9:13
This could be interesting.
And now you know we live here in Norway for a year.
My wife is fluent now in the region and she’s using it every day.

Imogen DeVille   9:23
Impressive.

Milan Milincevic   9:23
Yeah, but I still hear. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah, it is.

Imogen DeVille   9:25
That’s so impressive. That’s amazing.

Milan Milincevic   9:28
But you know, you know, I only know maybe 20 words.
You know I need to learn how.
To problem, but I mean it’s not a problem actually, but The thing is that we are working official language in the team is English and I don’t feel so obligated to still stress to learn it so fast. And then I’m just spending my time another another things.

Imogen DeVille   9:35
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   10:02
That.

Imogen DeVille   10:02
And it means that someone like yourself can always be on your toes.
But it is almost as if that your wife manifested this career opportunity for you both, isn’t it?
She kind of.
She just was like, OK, This what I learned.
And then five years later, you’re living there, which is, I think that’s really exciting. Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   10:16
Yeah. You know it’s I was so naive.
You know, she probably had some plan for it, but I started learning German, you know, and I learned German for two years, and now I just need it.

Imogen DeVille   10:24
Yeah.
Well, maybe we heard we’re actually in cahoots.
Do you know what I mean?
She made me put the advert out there.

Milan Milincevic   10:34
You know, I I should.
I I should see it, but no, that that’s that’s fine.

Imogen DeVille   10:38
Yeah, it’s Bob, Phil.
And do you think the move has allowed you to get more involved in the community because at the time when we first started working together, you weren’t MVP title yet?
So do you think that Millington or amplified you or in any way or how did you get us initially get involved in the community?

Milan Milincevic   11:01
I mean, at the time before we moved there, I was still at at the moment I was already active a lot in Europe in like in different conferences, in the Community, like international community a lot, but as well in Croatia. But now when we moved here, I’m trying.

Imogen DeVille   11:15
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   11:20
To.
Start to be more active here as well.
So there are a few of these local regional conferences.
So there are also I try to meet.
As much as new people as I could just just to get familiar how they are working here and and maybe in future I I try to, I will try to enroll a bit more also maybe because in Croatia together with two friends of mine, we organise these month.

Imogen DeVille   11:47
Yeah. OK.

Milan Milincevic   11:47
Meet UPS actually, and we have.
This like user groups and then someone from community every month, every month have a session and then we have a join catering networking after the session and then we started it like last year on 1314 months ago and we we I think that Croatia is a small.
Country and that it is not a big community there, but still every month we gather around 40-50 people for this meet up so.

Imogen DeVille   12:21
That’s really. Yeah. That’s a good turn out, definitely.

Milan Milincevic   12:23
This is really nice.
And then I think that over the years, maybe I will try to, if times allows me an opportunity, I would like to start something similar here in in Norway as well because I think it is actually nice to network to share experience, to share knowledge and then you.
Always can learn.
I.
I knew things from other, so yeah.

Imogen DeVille   12:46
Yeah, yeah.
Are you involved with the imcp in Norway?
I know that they’ve got a chapter there.

Milan Milincevic   12:52
Sorry I didn’t serve it. What?

Imogen DeVille   12:53
It’s it’s called the imcp.
It’s the International Association of Microsoft Partners, and it’s it’s a it’s a partner network and know that there’s a chapter in Norway.
So definitely if you haven’t, I could.
I could make an introduction to the chapter head.

Milan Milincevic   13:10
Yeah, definitely.

Imogen DeVille   13:10
Because that could be a really good way for you to to speak to more.

Milan Milincevic   13:11
I mean.

Imogen DeVille   13:14
It’s not necessarily competition for video, but it’s it’s something to really, I think really you’d really enjoy that definitely from what you said.

Milan Milincevic   13:21
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah. Just I would like for you to to connect me with them. I didn’t.
I didn’t talk with them, so I I I don’t know anything about it.
So I I’m curious to see.

Imogen DeVille   13:33
The details.
Don’t worry, I’ve got you back.
Yeah, it’s really it’s really cool.
I MCP it’s it’s kind of like a partner to partner network and there’s it’s very successful.
There’s a global the global branch out there, and I’ve been to a couple of the UK ones.
It’s a big German chapter and I know they’re attempting to create one in Norway. Obviously that will be in Oslo as well because it’s the majority of where the tech companies are, so that’s good for you.
But yeah, I mean, I guess Speaking of the community, obviously you’re keen.
You’ve committed.
Hopefully there is something that we have to reflect the the success you had in Croatia, perhaps in Norway. What do you think motivates?
You’ve talked about how you learned from other people. You want to give back to those people.
Is there anything else that you think is why you speak at these conferences? Or do you just love it?

Milan Milincevic   14:21
Yeah, I mean, speaking conferences is one thing.
What I also try to do is write some blog posts also to be active in some of these online activities.

Imogen DeVille   14:32
Hmm.

Milan Milincevic   14:37
Social.
Networks as well and and then to try to help other people because, you know, when I when I started and there was not.
There was not much opportunities to learn all these things and then having all of these MEPs sharing knowledge and some other people who are not me PS but are very active in community, sharing their knowledge, it actually helped me a lot.
And then that was the actually the main thing that I wanted to achieve as well.

Imogen DeVille   15:02
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   15:06
So for example, I do enjoy I got from time to time. People reach out to me asking for some.
Question that they saw.
Maybe some blog post or YouTube video or something and they say OK, we have this in this issue.
Can you maybe advise us? For me this is?

Imogen DeVille   15:21
Help you nice.

Milan Milincevic   15:24
Sure. So yeah, that that was one of the things that I give back something I think that this is really nice. And I think as I said, I think that.

Imogen DeVille   15:26
Yeah. So I guess giving back.
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   15:35
The thing that drives me the most is actually this.
Continue continuous of learning because if you don’t learn new things every day, we will just be easily replaced over time I think and we will just talk somewhere in the past and I think that this way is also a good opportunity to not only to share things but.
To also new things, because there is still a lot of things that that I don’t know.

Imogen DeVille   15:59
OK.

Milan Milincevic   16:03
I mean, no, no.
I mean, no, no one knows everything.
So I I really enjoy.

Imogen DeVille   16:07
Huh. Yeah, yeah. Fantastic.
And I guess if somebody was to ask you for a bit of advice of how they could following your tracks or obviously you were doing the user groups, is there anything else that you would recommend for people who want to give back to the community for what they?
Can do.

Milan Milincevic   16:25
Yeah, you know, I I would say that they should just start enrolling.
So how either they they can.
Have someone like close to them who is already active in community or either just if they don’t know they should.
I mean try to reach maybe to someone if they need help with it, but.
Simplest thing is just to start with anything. Writing some post, writing some comments, some replying to other people posts, or trying to submit some sessions.
I’m trying to speak these user groups as well because we have it in Croatia, but also I think that in all our other countries you have the similar things and these are actually a good training before because there is a less people on those user groups and you.

Imogen DeVille   17:12
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   17:17
Have this friendly atmosphere all the time and it is quite it is a bit easier to speak there than maybe in conference in front of the 5000 or whatever.
People that you don’t know.
So definitely, I think that this is the way to go.

Imogen DeVille   17:30
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   17:34
And then I mean I I got to recognize with this MVP like last year in September.
But to be fair, that was never my motivation.
I didn’t do that to become MVP.
This was just recognition that I’m doing something OK.

Imogen DeVille   17:47
OK.

Milan Milincevic   17:51
I hope so.
So something good I hope but.
I didn’t go toward it that I put this as a goal.
I mean my my goal is just to have fun while doing that. And just as I said, I try to be to meet a lot of new people as well and to talk with new people to see how they are working, to, to to see in some other.
Not companies only, but other countries.
How there is what is their culture?
How they are taking some problems and stuff. So I think that.
This is actually the main goal because I think that if people, but if people have this goal, just became mvpi think that they are doing this from a from reasons I I would say, but this is just my opinion.

Imogen DeVille   18:34
Yeah.
Mm hmm.

Milan Milincevic   18:40
Maybe I’m not saying that I’m right or not, but at least how I look at the things.

Imogen DeVille   18:43
No, no, I I do understand definitely what you’re saying.
Then I’ve been kind of sessions at various conferences, whether it be like speak with an MVP and a lot of people just put their hand up and like, how do I become an MVP?
So I think that you doing it as in. This is a nice pat on the back.
It’s a nice, you know, recognition of what I’ve been achieving, but I’m here because I want to help the community.
I want to get involved.
You don’t just do it for the title.
So I really, really love that. I think that’s a really commendable thing.
Definitely you know the list should take away like you are doing it. If you want to be an MVP, stop.
Just do it and then because you want to put something better and make the community a better place ’cause, you are always learning. Would you say in terms of the tools to reach out? Is it predominantly LinkedIn or are there like websites? Are there blogs are there like?
On Reddit, is there anything there that you think that there’s an underground community?

Milan Milincevic   19:32
Yeah, it it was.
Vita and X, but not a lot of people moved to LinkedIn, so I would say that LinkedIn is the now the the the the main one also having.

Imogen DeVille   19:40
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   19:45
A own blog post.
This is also really great, but for example if for a technical people for developers Microsoft like kind of open source.

Imogen DeVille   20:05
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   20:06
Too much detail, do you?
But but and then people easily can make a changes there as well.
So if that you see some bug, you can you can easily come in contribute by yourself and you don’t need to open a ticket for Microsoft and to wait.
I don’t know.
A month, 2-3 months doesn’t matter because they have some better ways to spend their time.

Imogen DeVille   20:21
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   20:26
You can just come easily and fix those things by yourself.

Imogen DeVille   20:27
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   20:29
So I think this is also really great and really.
Really nice project because a lot of this started like year ago or year and a half or something like that. And a lot of people from community get started being active there.
So I think this is a really, really nice.

Imogen DeVille   20:48
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
And I think that’s really nice.
Obviously there is that sense of community. Sometimes the tickets with Microsoft can take a little bit longer than I expected.
He only probably just because of the demand with that saying as well. I mean one of the things I think it’s really important to address is as a developer, what are you see by how by nature.
What are you believing at the minute in terms of the impacts of AI?
On coding, what’s your initial thoughts on this?
Again, this isn’t a right or wrong answer.

Milan Milincevic   21:17
Up.

Imogen DeVille   21:19
It’s just really gauge your perspective.

Milan Milincevic   21:22
To be fair, I’m I think that this.
Is a really I mean so that see that this is a really next big thing coming around and it is already there and I think that.

Imogen DeVille   21:35
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   21:40
I talk with a friend of mine and he he.
She said something very good that we shouldn’t wait for this to be perfect because if you just wait for this to be perfect, we will be.
We will fall behind.
We will be far, far behind others.
So I think that we just started immediately if we already did, using it as much as possible.

Imogen DeVille   21:58
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   22:02
I mean, we need to remain positive about it and of course there are some.
It is not perfect, but over time it will be better and better and there is no doubt that this is future and this will change a lot in coming period so.

Imogen DeVille   22:15
Mm hmm.
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   22:18
If if I can advice so, I would say that just try to start using it and try to see how, how, how we can use it the best you can.
I mean I there is already I think a lot of not only blog posts, but people already talk a lot about.

Imogen DeVille   22:29
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   22:36
So I I think that.
I.
I.
I don’t know.
I think that people had some issues, some companies maybe had some issues to see the real value currently and maybe they are missing some use cases currently. But I think that this should change by now and I I hope that a lot of companies is already using it.

Imogen DeVille   22:57
Yeah, yeah, I think that what we see when we are conducting say copilot training with end users and partners alike is that there’s a, there’s a, there’s half the group who are like keen, but are absolutely terrified because they have no idea what aiai is. So half.
Of ours training course is about mindset and it’s what it is and what it isn’t.
And we really express the limitations because I think that’s the most important thing and then half the rooms like well.
This guy the other day was like, well, the graduates are using it and they’re using this and it’s all rubbish.
And then we’re trying to educate them like what you put in is what you get out and how you speak to AI and everything. And obviously security is like a big, big thing.

Milan Milincevic   23:38
Yeah.

Imogen DeVille   23:38
I’ve been with all these companies using ChatGPT and I’m like God like please stop. Stop using because they’re putting like vital company IP into that database.
I’m like, no, no, please stop.
So we are pushing people to, you know, trying to focus on copilot for the tenant. But yeah, I think it’s the boats laugh the part I guess could be the metaphor to use.
So you need to be on it.
Otherwise, ’cause it’s gonna be happening and the I think it was the founder of Google said that the impact of AI will have a couple of weeks ago. He said that the impact of AI will have as much as an implication as the discovery of electricity of a.
Human race, which can’t.
Well, maybe that’s a bit extreme, but who knows where it’s going to go because obviously we’re only on machine and learning and LLM at the minute, so who knows what the next step is.

Milan Milincevic   24:25
Yeah, yeah.

Imogen DeVille   24:25
And everybody’s terrified.
But.

Milan Milincevic   24:29
Definitely. I think that we are not. We are.
I think that a lot most of the people are not even aware how big, how much things will change in in future.
I mean we we are done yet.

Imogen DeVille   24:40
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   24:43
I I also.
For me, it’s also sometimes hard to imagine what will happen in next 5 years.
610 years.
I mean, this is who knows.
Maybe we will all.
Yeah, I don’t know.
We will all start coding and there there will be.
AI doing all the things that maybe we will test, I mean I think that all of most of the roles will just change and they will evolve into into something different.

Imogen DeVille   25:09
Evolved definitely, yeah.

Milan Milincevic   25:12
So that would be fantastic.

Imogen DeVille   25:15
Yeah. Because what we do now, our jobs didn’t really exist.

Milan Milincevic   25:16
Yeah.

Imogen DeVille   25:18
Like 1020.

Milan Milincevic   25:19
Yeah.

Imogen DeVille   25:20
Like the role of a recruiter. Obviously that was my. That’s my background.
That wasn’t a thing when my family were growing up like that’s that role didn’t exist.
So I think as with anything as the times change, the opportunities are going to change, so people shouldn’t be scared of it either. Should definitely embrace it.
I mean because obviously your area of expertise is more BC.
So what you your what?
Your current thoughts on what Microsoft is releasing with with copilot and business Central or air tools with NBC?

Milan Milincevic   25:47
Yeah, so Microsoft started.
Releasing.
Some.
Smaller features in BC before, but now we are getting a few bigger ones with the agents and there is this sales order agents and there are some new coming up soon and I was part because one of the good things having Bing, AMV, PS then you you you.

Imogen DeVille   26:01
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   26:15
Are often can see this in private previews.
So before they are in public and then you know, you see what product team is working on and for sure, I think in the next couple of months, next couple of year or how soon then there will be a lot of great.

Imogen DeVille   26:20
Yeah.
Yes, I am.

Milan Milincevic   26:30
Improvements there and we are also cool new features and I’m looking to see how the customers will adopt this.
I think it offers a lot, but currently what what I can see from my perspective for example, and I’m also leading a small team of developers here and what we do is all of us are using like GitHub copilot. Trying to there’s this new new models. Yeah, and.

Imogen DeVille   26:41
Mm hmm.
OK.

Milan Milincevic   26:58
Then chatting.
I mean just in the code it is getting better as well also of course then for e-mail quoting, summarizing translations I know.

Imogen DeVille   27:08
None.

Milan Milincevic   27:10
Compilers for teams need some customer meetings.
We are also using it and.

Imogen DeVille   27:15
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   27:17
Yeah, I mean creating some custom of some of our team members who created some custom copilot agents where they used this some kind of documents, it can help them on.
Answering there as well.
But I think that one of the biggest thing because we also hear a video have this AI center of Excellence team which is helping additional another companies of.

Imogen DeVille   27:46
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   27:46
Enrollment with AI and there are a few things.
First, I think that.
The big the biggest thing and one huge part of this AI creation is compliance and legal stuff. As you already said.
And people are not also aware of it and they are non compliant.

Imogen DeVille   28:00
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   28:03
A huge part is just make.
I mean, this is not a fun part, but you need to set things to be right. But another thing is also, at least in Norway, customers currently have a lot of issues.
Not issues I would say, but their data is not properly structured or not thought correctly and then it is not so easily.

Imogen DeVille   28:25
That’s not just a Norwegian thing. I think that’s every company across the globe we’re finding as well.
It’s actually meant. This shows you the data is crucial, isn’t it?
If people don’t have that CRM system or anything in their place, then it is.
Yeah, emails is just a whole storage system for so many companies. It’s mental.
Mental.

Milan Milincevic   28:46
Yeah. Yeah, you do. You do.
So I think there will be some definitely some rising I think in data analytics and repairing this data to to to use it properly and to hear it better.

Imogen DeVille   28:53
I agree.
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   29:00
Yeah, I.

Imogen DeVille   29:00
And on.

Milan Milincevic   29:02
I think that.
What we also trying to do with this AI mean here in video and in companies that they are offering these courses to.
Managers and to decision makers in other companies.
So basically, just important people. In addition, another companies can be familiar with the AI and then they will be easily they can make easier make some decisions actually because if they don’t know anything and there is a lot of I think I would say that there is a.
Lot of companies who couldn’t started yet and they are not so familiar with it and I think it is.
Important for them to us to know the how the things are and the fact so they can maybe better make some decisions I would say.

Imogen DeVille   29:50
Yeah, definitely.
I agree with that.
So the way that we proposition it for our because our focus within is just within copilot M365 now because we’re seeing that’s like AI101, once you’ve got your head around using that on a daily basis and incorporating with Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word.
Microsoft Web teams obviously outlook on all the other apps. Once you’ve got that thought process, it kind of gets you thinking all right.
So what can I do with a copilot Asian?
What can I do with that?
So when we’ve been working with our customers predominantly end users at the minute we’ve been going out and training their senior leadership teams because also they’re the ones who understand the legality of the data, the data like compliance piece.
So when we’re tackling, when we’re teaching that we’re tackling issues and they’re like, do you have an AI policy in place and so many of them are like, no, no, no.
And I’m like, OK.
We need to get this implemented as soon as possible.
Be 100% agree.
Kind of focusing on that mid tier to senior management.
So then they can actually say when, who and my team would use this. Is it worth them investing in the license? But for me, I don’t know if your team are finding this, but it’s genuinely saving me about six or seven hours a week. So I’m actually fin.
At like 6-7 O clock rather than 90 clock like I used to.
But yeah.

Milan Milincevic   31:05
No, I mean I I I I agree with that completely. But I I you know video is big accounting and auditing company.

Imogen DeVille   31:11
Mm hmm.

Milan Milincevic   31:16
It’s worth and then we started this digital part here.

Imogen DeVille   31:17
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   31:20
So, but even our auditors started using there is this pilot project where they started using AI in auditing.
So they’re trying to also enroll there, so I think.
That is actually a lot of possibilities, but I think that people are just not aware, especially maybe in some not so technical companies or companies that are doing some other areas.
So I think the there is a lot of potential and now it is just on us to make a really good use cases and people can start actually using it and be getting more familiar.

Imogen DeVille   31:44
Yeah.
Yeah, yes, fantastic.
Well, it’s great to meet your team are using it because I’ve spoken to a lot of companies out there in the BCS first.
Who actually have you sync up on a daily basis even though they are selling it? So that’s kind of mental with my opinion.
But hey ho, each of their own.
Do you think I mean from your perspective and coming from your background, is there anything else that you would want the listeners to kind of take away from today’s conversation or anything else that you’d like to add really?

Milan Milincevic   32:27
Just to mention one additional thing with with AI and copilot and things, what we did is now is because you mentioned that it is found that there is a lot of teams not using.

Imogen DeVille   32:42
Mm hmm yeah.

Milan Milincevic   32:43
Copilot, even if they are selling it and AI.
So we tried.
We have this weekly meetings in our in our team like just to see what’s going on and and then we tried it every week. One of our team members just find a new use case that we can actually use of copilot, even using BC or in general and.

Imogen DeVille   33:03
Nice.

Milan Milincevic   33:05
Just to see to learn some of other colleagues also and to see full potential and I think this is actually nice and we actually really believe that.
I mean, this is a future and we just need to talk to this.
Series as we can, and I think this is one of also ideas that we are doing, but for broadcasters to answer your initial question, I I don’t know.

Imogen DeVille   33:23
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   33:32
I would say that just.
Step out of your comfort zone and I think this is the for me the the thing that I always try to do.

Imogen DeVille   33:38
Of that.

Milan Milincevic   33:41
I I don’t like being in my comfort zone, so I always at least I think this is a good, good advice to to go to go forward. Because I mean, if we are in comfort zone then we are not not learning, not growing. And I think this is.

Imogen DeVille   33:52
Mm hmm.

Milan Milincevic   33:57
This is actually very, very important.

Imogen DeVille   34:00
Mm hmm, definitely.

Milan Milincevic   34:01
So.
Yeah, I mean.
That that was that was it.
Actually I I don’t.
I’m not so much of a big words, at least at the end of the day I’m still developer, so this is.
This is.

Imogen DeVille   34:18
No, no, I get that.
I mean, yeah, one of the questions that we always ask everyone who comes into the podcast is what this will be your final question.

Milan Milincevic   34:21
A.

Imogen DeVille   34:29
What would you say is an area or an opportunity where you’ve experienced what could be considered as failure, and you’ve turned it on its head and you’ve used it as a huge learning and it’s kind of made you in who you are today?
Is there anything in particular that you can think of spanning your whole career?
Yeah. Or even, you know, personally anything.
So we really want to challenge how people think. Failure is a negative thing into a positive thing.

Milan Milincevic   34:54
Yeah, that is actually a hard question to say, but.
But I have AII think that I have one experience. It was actually.
Three years ago, I think.

Imogen DeVille   35:10
OK.

Milan Milincevic   35:10
So I I started.
So how I started?
Being a speaker conferences I I started in some local conferences in Croatia. I I took them together with my colleague and then I applied for this BC Tech Days Conference.
This is the biggest conference for developers and I know you had a really good content and a really great session like like idea and Things, but this was actually the first time that I was doing the session by myself and it was also an English, not my natural.

Imogen DeVille   35:30
Yeah.
OK.

Milan Milincevic   35:47
Language so.
I I had.
I had to put a high expectation for myself and I was actually really excited to share that knowledge there and but things didn’t go as planned at all.
So I faced a lot of technical issues.
I wasn’t able to express myself as I wanted.
I wasn’t actually able to deliver the session and then in the middle of the session a lot of people started, you know, going out from the room and then.

Imogen DeVille   36:16
Oh, that’s awful.

Milan Milincevic   36:18
That was really, you know, embarrassing.
So after the session I felt really disappointed in frustrated a bit because I prepared a lot and I unfortunately I wasn’t able to deliver the content that I wanted. But I mean I I realize quickly that this is just a part of learning process and then instead of.

Imogen DeVille   36:26
Hmm.
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   36:37
Focusing on that failure, I just.
Take a one step back and took one step back and then evaluated what was wrong.
And then I tried to to learn from the experience.
So then to prepare better for the next times and then for, I don’t know, half a year, I didn’t want to to present anymore.

Imogen DeVille   36:49
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   36:56
I just needed to to to, to.
Yeah, to go back. But I’m in the in the after that.

Imogen DeVille   37:02
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   37:04
I mean, I proved a bit.
My preparation and also not only preparation, but now after that, every next time when you go on the stage, I mean you talk to people is easier and easier.
And now I often come and this is not the perfect thing. But sometimes I improvise.
There. I mean now I’m getting to be natural there. So I’m not worried anymore.
So I think that.
This experience did not really made me strong in the way, but also I think that we should just.

Imogen DeVille   37:35
Definitely.

Milan Milincevic   37:38
Remind ourselves that we are just use these failures, I would say is a opportunity to learn and to to to grow in future.

Imogen DeVille   37:46
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   37:48
This is one of the most.
That’s a good news for me, but.

Imogen DeVille   37:52
It’s pretty savage.
No, but thank you so much for sharing that, because I know that I can only imagine how awful that would have been at the time.
But as you said, it made you a stronger person.
It’s made you really good on stage now.
Also you can look like I’ve experienced.
The worst that can happen in this situation.
So nothing else.
Everything else is just, you know, sort of my shoulder sort of thing.
So yeah, fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing that.
And yeah, thank you so much for being on the podcast. And you know, if anybody wants to reach out to Milan or, you know, even do a session with infield free.
We’re to reach out to him. That could be great. But yeah. Yeah. Thank you very much.

Milan Milincevic   38:29
Course I’m glad to help.

Imogen DeVille   38:31
And we’ll catch up later on.

Milan Milincevic   38:32
Yeah. Yeah, we’ll catch up later.
Thank you Imogen for giving me I I really enjoyed this conversation.

Imogen DeVille   38:35
Yeah.
Yeah.

Milan Milincevic   38:38
I think that.
It was fun, fun opportunity and fun experience, and I think that you can invite me the next time. I will definitely come and talk with you.

Imogen DeVille   38:48
Yay, fantastic.
Glad to see your first podcast hasn’t been a disappointment.
And so yeah, thank you very much and hopefully I’ll see you at dynamics minds on directions, if not a user group or two. Fabi.

Milan Milincevic   38:57
Yeah, yeah, we’ll see how we’ll see there. Yeah, I am there.

Imogen DeVille   39:03
Yeah. Perfect.