Cloud4business.com

The cloud4business project providing according to the SaaS model of the solution of the Russian developer "Ascon" for automated design and designing was closed at the beginning of 2012. In a demo mode it became available in September, 2010, and is brought into commercial operation in March, 2011. As reported Ascon, by that moment in "cloud" over 1.5 thousand visitors of the website used test access to a solutions CAD of the company. However for all the time of work of cloud4business the company "did not monetize this project at all", CNews the marketing director Askona Osnach Dmitry was recognized.

"Despite, apparently, active development of "clouds", this subject was too far from reality. As practice of our project showed, the interest of a large number of people does not mean yet that all of them are ready to use our service", said in the farewell message of cloud4business.

The CEO Askona Bogdanov Maxim considers that among the main potential consumers of a solutions CAD according to the SaaS model - the large state organizations which are generally working in the field of the defense order. "The cloud is necessary for them, but owing to specifics of activity of such organizations the public cloud will not be used by them, they need a private cloud at themselves at the enterprise", - he says, adding that the company considers options of such cooperation now.

The local user has other requirements, Bogdanov notes: "He has no large number of the companies, and therefore - there is no need to replicate distribution of jobs of a CAD on a set of platforms and to optimize expenses on a CAD". The company in this case ran a little forward the market, the CEO Askona adds.

As for distribution in "cloud" of management systems for engineering data, the most demanded in mechanical engineering and civil engineering, there can be other reasons here, Bogdanov says. For example, in terms of the legislation, drawings of objects of civil infrastructure with a certain scale are forbidden to be placed on any other carriers, except as located at the enterprise, he explains.

"So in the field of industrial and civil design it is impracticable to apply public "cloud" now, it is actually forbidden by the legislation", - the CEO Askona summarizes. According to him, legislative restrictions affect the market of a "cloud" CAD not only in Russia - it is a world trend.

At the same time, the solution CAD Askona Compass-3D Home "is perfectly monetized" "boxed", the marketing director of the company Dmitry Osnach tells, noting at the same time that the last is more expensive, than lease cost Compass-3D in "cloud" ("box" is on sale at the price about 1.5 thousand rubles). It is also possible to download free of charge this solution from the website of the company, however, only with basic functionality and validity period in one year.

The company says that the main consumers of house Compass-3D version are students of engineering faculties and also those for whom industrial modeling is a hobby.

Before start of the demoversion of cloud4business in Askona said that will become the CAD first-ever developer selling software according to the scheme SaaS. However, at the end of 2010 the "cloud" CAD - AutoCAD WS - was started by one of the largest world players of the CAD market - Autodesk company. Its SaaS service still works.

It should be noted that, despite a "cloud" failure, revenue Askona at the end of 2011 showed growth. According to the company, it made 707 million rubles that is about 7% more than a similar indicator for 2010. In 2010 growth rates of sales Askona were 22%. Their deceleration in the company is connected with the general deceleration of growth rates of the market.

In the market of a CAD in Russia itself Ascon estimates the share at 17-20%. At the same time in 2011 the company notes 50% growth of foreign sales. At the beginning of 2012 the company announced opening of the first international office in Munich which will focus, mainly, on sales in Germany and also in Austria and Switzerland. According to Bogdanov, this year the company expects the double growth of the European revenue.

Learn more: http://www.cnews.ru/news/top/index.shtml?2012/03/14/481457