“Technical excellence without business relevance is meaningless”
At Solvy, we don’t just build software; we build the digital backbone of companies. But how do you translate complex operational challenges into simple, scalable solutions? And how do you ensure security is more than just a checkbox? We sat down with our Chief Technical Officer Yauhen to discuss systems thinking, ISO 27001, and why technical excellence is meaningless without business relevance.
1. What do you enjoy most about your role as CTO at Solvy?
"What I enjoy most is being at the intersection of technology and real business impact. At Solvy, we don’t build 'just software.' We build systems that connect companies to their core operations; ERPs, CRMs, HR-systems, and logistics platforms. When it works well, it fundamentally changes how a company operates day-to-day. Orders flow automatically, errors disappear, and teams are freed from repetitive manual work.
I also love translating complexity into clarity. A client might describe a messy operational challenge, and my role is to step back, understand the process behind it, and design a solution that feels simple, even if the architecture behind it is quite sophisticated. Finally, mentoring our engineers is incredibly rewarding. Seeing someone grow from 'just writing code' to thinking in systems and long-term impact is one of the best parts of the job."
2. Where do you see your strongest qualities as a CTO?
"I’d say they fall into three main areas:
- Systems thinking: I naturally think in architectures and dependencies. I don’t look at features in isolation; I look at how a decision today will affect performance, security, and scalability in five years.
- Bridging business and engineering: Many technical leaders are disconnected from business realities. I’ve always been focused on business value. Every technical decision should support a commercial goal, whether that’s efficiency, growth, or competitive advantage.
- A security-first mindset: I led our ISO 27001 implementation from the ground up. For us, security is embedded in everything we do, from secure coding practices to structured risk assessments. When you build ERP-connected systems, mistakes are expensive, so security is never an afterthought."
3. How do you deal with technical risks or uncertainties in complex client projects?
"First, I always assume complexity is there, even if it’s not visible yet. Most risks in integration-heavy projects come from unclear business rules or hidden legacy constraints. My approach is threefold:
- Make risks explicit early: We document assumptions and challenge unclear requirements immediately. Risk becomes manageable once it is visible.
- Early validation: We build 'technical spikes' or proof-of-concepts to test real API behavior early, rather than just relying on documentation.
- Design for failure: In integration projects, it’s not a matter of if something fails, but when. We build in fallback scenarios and robust monitoring to ensure resilience."
4. How do you incorporate business goals into technical decision-making?
"For me, technical excellence without business relevance is meaningless. Every project starts with a simple question: What is the company trying to achieve? Is it growth, automation, or cost reduction?
If a client’s strategy is aggressive growth, we prioritize scalability and automation, even if it requires a higher initial investment. If the focus is operational efficiency, we optimize integration flows first. I often ask: 'If this system works perfectly, what actually changes in your business?' If we can't answer that, we’re building technology without direction."
5. How do you ensure solutions are not only functional, but also scalable and future-proof?
"Functionality is the baseline. That’s the easy part. To ensure long-term quality, we focus on several core principles:
- Clean architecture: We separate business logic from integrations. We avoid tight coupling to third-party systems wherever possible. This gives a client maximum flexibility if they decide to switch their ERP or CRM provider later on.
- Scalability by design: We consider expected load, data growth, and integration frequency from the very start. Especially in B2B portals connected to ERPs, unexpected traffic spikes can have a massive operational impact if you haven't prepared for them.
- Security embedded in the process: Security is not a feature; it’s a discipline. We use secure coding standards, peer reviews, automated static analysis, and documented SDLC processes to ensure it's part of our daily workflow.
- Simplicity over trendiness: We don’t chase frameworks just because they are fashionable. We choose technologies that are mature, well-supported, and appropriate for the client’s specific ecosystem.
To me, 'future-proof' doesn't mean using the latest tech; it means building a system that is well-structured, adaptable, and easily understood by any future engineer who needs to work with it."
6. When is a project both technically and strategically successful for you?
"Technically, it’s a success when the system is stable under load, well-documented, and doesn't create hidden risks. Strategically, however, it’s successful when the client’s team uses the system with confidence, manual processes disappear, and data becomes reliable.
The best compliment I can receive is when a client says: 'We can now build on top of this.' That means we didn’t just deliver a project; we created the infrastructure for their future."