Beeline Cloud (DataFort)

Beeline Cloud (Beeline Cloud) - Russian cloudy IT-provider and telecom operator. Prior to its takeover in 2021 by, VimpelCom IBS DataFort was a subsidiary of the group. IBS

Performance indicators

2023: Revenue growth by 60% to RUB 2.7 billion

Beeline cloud revenue in 2023 reached 2.7 billion rubles, which is 60% more than a year earlier. The growth was due to the expansion of the services provided and the expansion of the company's presence in the cloud product market. The press service of VimpelCom announced this on March 6, 2024.

Revenues from information security services at the beeline cloud in 2023 amounted to 417 million rubles, an increase of 40.4% compared to a year ago. Revenue from sales of the Cloud WAF product (cloud firewall for protecting web applications) increased 3.1 times, 1.9 times from Cloud NGFW (network protection service based on a new generation firewall), 3 times from Cloud MFA (information security service for multifactor user authentication).

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Sales of IaaS beeline cloud solutions in 2023 increased 1.5 times, and a 40-fold rise was recorded in the SaaS segment. During 2023, 189 server racks were commissioned, which is 16% more than a year earlier.

The company did not disclose revenues in the PaaS market and only noted that the main achievement of the beeline cloud here was the launch of Managed Kubernetes services (cluster management and serverless container management platform in the cluster), as well as a data platform and the first DBaaS service based on Greenplum. As part of the IaaS direction, a transition to a new architecture was made, which led to increased information security and a significant improvement in the availability of cloud computing, the beeline cloud noted.

Capital expenditures beeline cloud in 2023 increased by 29% compared to the indicator of one year ago and reached 900 million rubles. EBITDA increased by 25% to 0.9 billion. The number of customers of the company increased by 21%.^[1]

History

2023

Creation of the Competence Center for the purpose of technical and expert support of projects together with Mind

beeline cloud (beeline cloud) and MIND Software on June 21, 2023 announced the creation of the Competence Center for the purpose of technical and expert support for projects where virtualization solutions need to be replaced .

The consolidated expertise of the two companies will be of interest to both large customers and representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, for which the use of hybrid models during migration between various cloud services is relevant. The relevance of the creation of the Competence Center is dictated by the high demand from the market for solutions that could become an alternative to the departed Western vendors, and the "mass" migration to the cloud of local representative offices of companies that began to independently develop their business in the Russian Federation after their global companies ceased their activities in our country. Basically, these are retail representatives, consulting and production companies, car dealers who are experiencing a lack of IT expertise and are forced to create their own IT infrastructure in a short time.

Using MIND Software's core product, a cross-platform virtual infrastructure migration tool, customer companies can quickly migrate servers to different cloud environments, easily change solutions, and manage IT more efficiently. But the solutions of which vendors to choose from the point of view of security, specifics of IT systems and independence from Western developments will be suggested by beeline cloud experts. If necessary, the beeline will also provide its computing power.

{{quote 'author = said MIND Software CTO Anton Gruzdev. | In our country, a pronounced demand has been formed for the transition to the use of platform solutions from domestic manufacturers. Solving this problem requires combining the competencies of various participants in the domestic IT market: from independent software developers to cloud providers and integration and consulting practices. By partnering with beeline cloud colleagues, we will be able to provide comprehensive expert customer support for infrastructure platform change,}}

Шаблон:Quote 'author = noted beeline cloud product director Alexander Mikhalyuk.

Separate into a separate company

On June 5, 2023, VimpelCom announced the allocation of a cloud business to a new company that will develop independently. The telecommunications operator stressed that the task of allocating a cloud sub-brand has been implemented.

Now cloud technologies in VimpelCom will be dealt with by a single structure - beeline cloud. The service will become an independent provider of cloud solutions and will sell them not only to business, but also to private users.

VimpelCom announced the allocation of cloud business to a new company

As stated in VimpelCom, the transformation is due to a number of factors that showed the accumulation of strong expertise in the beeline cloud in cloud technologies, information security and big data. As part of the reorganization, there was a merger under the beeline cloud brand and another market player - cloud provider DataFort. The unified technical team of a single cloud provider provides an even higher level of service and technical support, the company said.

Presenting itself as a secure cloud provider, the company places a special emphasis on security, which is dictated by many years of experience in implementing projects in this direction. beeline cloud aims to form a perception as a secure and secure cloud provider, since information security is one of the main priorities for the development of the cloud platform, VimpelCom said in a statement.

The last stage of rebranding was the launch of a new corporate site, which is made in a more technological style of ASCII graphics. The agency CreativePeople helped to implement the rebranding project.

We were faced with the task of increasing the recognition of the cloud provider beeline cloud with brand attributes characteristic of a large player. We decided to build an emotional connection with customers through meanings and visual presentation, which evoke a response, trust and location of the audience, "said Julia Gusarova, beeline cloud marketing director.

2022: Appointment of Oleg Motovilov as the new CEO of IBS DataFort

Company logo in 2022

On August 15, 2022, the IT company IBS DataFort, part of VimpelCom, announced the appointment of Oleg Motovilov as its new CEO. Read more here.

2021

Beeline absorbs IBS DataFort

December 16 VimpelCom (operates under the Beeline brand) announced the acquisition of IBS DataFort, part of the group. TAdviser IBS found out that VimpelCom was negotiating the acquisition of IBS DataFort back in March (see the block below), and now the parties have received all the necessary regulatory approvals. IBS clarified TAdviser that the deal was concluded and is at state the registration stage.

Beeline expects that the acquisition of the company will allow it to expand its portfolio of cloud B2B- and B2G services and become one of the leading players in this market thanks to the digital infrastructure and expertise of IBS DataFort. The plans also include the joint development of new products and integrated solutions at the intersection of cloud technologies, cybersecurity, BigData and IoT.

This acquisition helps Beeline gain a foothold in the strategic direction of business: in the cloud services market. This is another step in the implementation of our strategy for the development of fast-growing and complementary telecom products and services, - quotes the company as Renat Nasretdinov, vice president for corporate development, mergers and acquisitions of Beeline.

Regulators approve purchase of IBS DataFort by VimpelCom (btl64.ru/)

Beeline Business sees great prospects in the cloud services market both in B2B and in B2G, and thanks to the acquisition of IBS DataFort, the company will be able to expand its product line on the BeeCloud platform, says Maxim Zaykov, executive vice president for corporate business development at Beeline. BeeCloud is a generalized name for a complex of business services on the VimpelCom cloud platform.

IBS DataFort is one of the successful technology businesses created within the IBS group of companies. Here it has evolved from a small startup to a large cloud company with its own business model and competencies. Joining VimpelCom, one of the leaders in the telecom market, is the next logical step in the growth of IBS DataFort, "said Evgeny Peskin, IBS Deputy General Director for Strategy. - The regular transfer of successful specialized companies to a strategic investor allows IBS to maintain its own focus on IT services and provides resources to expand the business, including through acquisitions and the launch of new areas.

How to calculate the economics of cloud adoption?

How to determine the effectiveness of a cloud project, what assessment methodology to choose, whether there are clear criteria for the compatibility of business models and how to avoid unaccounted expenses in October 2021, TAdviser was told by Andrey Krasnov, Director of Client Solutions Development at DataFort. Read more here.

VimpelCom applies for the purchase of DataFort

On June 9, 2021, it became known about the purchase of DataFort by VimpelCom. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) received a corresponding petition, the press service of the department told RBC.

The deal also needs permission from the government commission to control the implementation of foreign investments, since DataFort works with cryptographic means, and VimpelCom belongs to the foreign holding Veon (registered in Bermuda, headquartered in Amsterdam), said one of the interlocutors of the publication.

VimpelCom agreed to buy IBS cloud division

According to RBC, as part of the deal, IBS estimates its cloud subsidiary at a multiple of 13 EBITDA, which corresponds to 2.5-3 billion rubles. One of the sources of the publication familiar with the terms of the deal called the purchase of DataFort "a very good strengthening of the b2b direction of cloud services" for VimpelCom and "a good exit for IBS.

According to another knowledgeable interlocutor, IBS is primarily engaged in IT consulting, and the business associated with data centers is not entirely specialized for the group. At the same time, serious capital investments are required for further development, he explained.

Oxygen CEO Pavel Kulakov says that VimpelCom has formed a significant part of its cloud service package with DataFort as an external partner. IBS's subsidiary sells its cloud infrastructure through the mobile operator's channel.

For DataFort, such cooperation was beneficial, because it made it possible to keep fewer sales specialists on staff, for VimpelCom - because it did not need to invest in infrastructure, engage in product formation, ensure its integration, cloud protection, etc. Therefore, the deal looks very logical, - said Kulakov.

VimpelCom is developing a cloud service for corporate clients. BeeCloud The telecom operator hoped to bring its share in the Russian cloud services market to 10%, but, according to an expert interviewed by RBC, the company occupies an "invisible share in this market."^[2]

TAdviser source: VimpelCom in talks to buy IBS DataFort

VimpelCom (operating under the Beeline brand) is negotiating the acquisition of cloud provider IBS DataFort, which is part of the IBS group, an informed source in the IT market told TAdviser on March 30, 2021. According to the interlocutor of TAdviser, negotiations on the deal as of the end of March are in the final stage. The details of the potential transaction - whether VimpelCom wants to acquire control in IBS DataFort or the entire company - the source did not say.

VimpelCom and IBS DataFort officially declined to comment on this information, but did not deny that they were negotiating a deal. One of the members of the board of directors of VimpelCom, which was approached by TAdviser, also did not deny this information, declining to comment.

According to the database of legal entities Kontur.Focus, "over the past few years, IBS DataFort's revenue has shown growth. In 2019, its turnover increased by about 53% and amounted to about 547 million rubles. The company received a net profit of 30.6 million rubles in 2019. For 2020, IBS DataFort's financial performance is yet to be published.

VimpelCom, like other major operators, has been developing its cloud business over the past few years "(photo - RIA Novosti/Kirill Kallinikov)"

According to the IBS DataFort website, the company has more than 400 organizations in its clients, including federal retail chains, the largest Internet projects, production, insurance and financial organizations, transport and logistics, medical and educational institutions.

VimpelCom, like many other large companies whose business was not originally related to the provision of IT services, is developing the direction of cloud services for business - the BeeCloud project. In December 2020, Evgeny Korobov, director of new business development at VimpelCom, said that 2020 was a year of active growth for BeeCloud. The list of clients at that time included more than 300 large companies^[3] of^[4].

The main demand for cloud infrastructure, according to Korobov, was observed from international organizations, pharmaceutical businesses, retailers and e-commerce, large logistics operators and contact centers.

VimpelCom's interest in acquiring a cloud provider is not unique among the largest operators. So, for example, in 2019, MTS, through its subsidiary Vostok Mobile B.V., bought 100% of the cloud provider "IT-grad 1 cloud" for 2.5 billion rubles. MTS explained the purchase of IT-city by the desire to strengthen in the Russian cloud services market^[5]. And in 2018, MTS acquired the owner of the Avantage data center for 8.9 billion rubles.

VimpelCom's competitors in the cloud services market at the end of 2020 also reported on the dynamic growth of this direction and new turnover targets taken. Thus, SberCloud, a cloud provider of Sberbank, in 2020 sold cloud services for 3.3 billion rubles with an increase of 22 times. The revenue of the Mail.ru Cloud Solutions platform approached 1 billion rubles. Yandex also reported on reaching 1 billion rubles from its cloud business.

Renaissance Capital analyst Alexander Vengranovich believes that, as before in the case of MTS, VimpelCom is interested in a cloud provider in order to increase its cloud business.

Vengranovich also recalled the recent deal between Rostelecom and VTB in the cloud business: at the end of December, the companies entered into an agreement according to which the bank acquires 44.8% of Rostelecom's RTK-DPC, investing 35 billion rubles in the company's capital. The terms of the transaction also provide for the possibility of an IPO of the data center business and cloud services based on RTK-DPC over the next three years.

In this case, the multiplier to the annual revenue with which the transaction was carried out was about 3.1 (the value of the company was estimated at three of its annual revenues). To assess the fair value of the entire IBS DataFort, it is quite possible to focus on the multiplier that was used in the transaction between Rostelecom and VTB, according to Alexander Vengranovich.

Also, the analyst suggested, VimpelCom would probably be more profitable to acquire a cloud provider not entirely, but some share higher than the control, because in this case it looks like the operator acquires the company in order to integrate its products and services into its portfolio, and not earn on its subsequent resale.

2020

More than 200 customers who trusted IBS DataFort IT infrastructure

Since 2001, IT market at, supports and develops innovative cloud platforms VMware and. Hyper-V DataFort has hosted and maintained the information infrastructure of hundreds of large commercial companies.

As of September 2020, more than 200 companies have already entrusted their IT infrastructure to cloudy to provider IBS DataFort. Among the customers: federal retail chains, - Internet projects, production, insurance financial and organizations, and, transport and logistic medical educational institutions.

For September 2020, IBS DataFort offers private, public and hybrid cloud services for a full range of business challenges. The provider provides the resources of the IT platform the very next day after the request and charges services only for the time used. The flexibility of the service allows you to quickly adapt to customer tasks.

Participation in the conference "IT Priorities 2020"

IBS DataFort, a Russian cloud provider and telecom operator, will present the company's booth at the TAdviserIT Priorities 2020 conference, which will be held on February 26, 2020 at the Moscow Marriott Novy Arbat Hotel.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a GOLD Partner Ready Service Provider partner of IBS DataFort, will give a presentation at the conference. Ivan Shchetinin, a product sales and promotion specialist, will talk about the IT market in general, the potential for using artificial intelligence in manufacturing and retail, as well as HPE solutions.

The TAdviser conference will bring together experts from a variety of industries to discuss progressive technologies, showcase projects and real-world outcomes. They will share information on the specifics of the use of advanced solutions that allow you to bring to a new level certain processes of a modern organization.

You can read more about the event program and fill out the registration form at the link.

2018: IBS DataFort Services

IBS DataFort services as of 2018

2017

CEO change

On December 1, 2017, IBS announced the appointment of Alina Kurakina as CEO of IBS Datafort, a private cloud professional IT services provider. In this post, she replaced Vladislav Lantukh.

The priority task for Alina Kurakina will be the formation of strategic approaches to business development, taking into account the dynamics of the cloud IT services market and technological trends. Read more here.

We are delighted to welcome Alina Kurakina to the IBS team. The growing need of business for cloud-based services, as well as government initiatives related to digitalization, have become powerful drivers of the cloud industry in Russia. We offer customers an extensive line of standardized cloud services, as well as customized solutions for deploying corporate infrastructures of any complexity, and we plan to increase this business direction in accordance with market dynamics, - commented on the appointment of Svetlana Balanova, IBS CEO.

IBS DataFort Services

IBS DataFort services as of 2017

2010

Aktivs

As of July 2010, the company operates three Tier 3 class distributed data centers in Moscow.

Dubna Office

IBS DataFort, a specialized provider of functional IT outsourcing services in the Russian market, continues to build infrastructure and equip the territory for one of the largest data centers in Russia. On July 1, 2010, IBS DataFort opened an office in Dubna, whose employees immediately began work.

The IBS DataFort data center under construction, the total area of ​ ​ which will exceed 5000 sq.m., will focus on providing promising and latest IT services. Together with global vendors, IBS DataFort intends to develop services such as the provision of mail services, CRM systems and others software in a model; SaaS providing computing platforms for developers (); PaaS provision of virtual infrastructure for deployment of own customer services () - IaaS virtual workstations of users, server equipment and applications; - hosting ERP systems; remote administration.

The office of IBS DataFort in Dubna is connected to the company's local network, united by a single telephone numbering plan and equipped with all the necessary equipment, including a video conferencing system. By 2011, it will employ over 200 of the planned 400 IBS DataFort employees in the Dubna SEZ. The office is located in a new, modern complex, which includes a congress center, a business incubator, laboratories, a hotel and a sports palace.

As of November 2010, the company is a resident of the Dubna special economic zone (SEZ).

2009

IBS DataFort Services

For November 2019, IBS DataFort offers services in the following areas:

Outsourcing IT Resources

• Provision of dedicated computing resources;
• Provision of virtual capacity;
• Provision of data center infrastructure for equipment placement.

Outsourcing IT functions

• Desktop Support;
• Management of mail systems (provision of e-mail services);
• Network and server infrastructure management;
• Service Desk.

Service

• Warranty and post-warranty repair of computer equipment

According to the report of the international research company IDC "Russia IT Services Competitive Analysis, 2009" IBS DataFort is included in the TOP-3 of suppliers in the direction of "Hosting Infrastructure Services."

Establishment of joint venture with Severstal-Infok

In 2009 IBS , DataFort and OJSC "" Severstal-Infokom created a joint venture "IBS DataFort Cherepovets." The new company provides IT services outsourcing and provides service to OJSC Severstal"."

Notes