ITSC: We offer customers the principle of predictable partnership

TAdviser: How did you come to entry into the "external" market?

Vladimir Kalinenko: Historical development of the ITSC is divided into several periods. Initially we rendered only services of support and only for the parent companies (Gazprom Neft, Gazpromneft Noyabrskneftegaz, "Gazpromneft - Omsk Refinery", the enterprises of the SIBUR Holding group and others). Let's remind that the ITSC was born in 2008 at once the big company, but focused on one type of activity on services in support of three main IT of domains of the parent companies - the systems of industrial automation, IT infrastructure and communication and also business applications

Since 2011 the company began to develop actively project practice in the same directions and is besides almost exclusive for the benefit of the parent companies. Since 2013 preparation for an entry into the "external" market began, and this year we signed the first contract for SAP implementation of HRM in Rusoutdoor company.

TAdviser: Tell, please, in more detail about development of SAP of practice.

Vladimir Kalinenko: The SAP expert in the ITSC, as well as other directions, developed in the same periods in the direction from services to projects, and very high rates: in two years the department of corporate systems of management where it is concentrated the SAP expert, grew to nearly 500 regular SAP solutions specialists. At the same time in a functional scope at us now practically all system modules. If more precisely, then we provide services of support for all implemented functionality, and are ready to implement projects independently for the majority of processes.

During creation of practice of Corporate systems of management we were guided, by requirements and requirements of internal customers (Gazprom Neft and SIBUR Holding). At the same time, strategically, we built the practice according to accepted in the market, including - international, rules and technologies. Therefore we not only attracted from the market of high quality IT specialists and "submerged" them in specifics of IT systems of the customer, but also invited the methodologists creating new business solutions.

Thus we managed to construct the command providing to the customer not only functional completeness of examination, but also a "role" scope of all stages of lifecycle of the created systems. It allows us to feel confident, for example, in the conditions of sanctions when our customer loses access to new products and technologies. In these forced circumstances we can suggest the customer to compensate the lost support of vendor and to pass to development of IT systems by own forces, based on the landscape which is already available for the customer, substituting with new solutions, the new products and technologies which became unavailable.

By our estimates without notable damage to business of our customers we can perform development of corporate information systems by own efforts within 3-5 years. During this period the direction of development of IT market in Russia will be defined – or the sanctions factor will cease to work, or the available alternative to the systems of a class of SAP will appear. Anyway, as practice shows, lifecycle of solutions based on SAP averages 6-7 years. Then, in connection with emergence of new technologies or architectural paradigms, implementation of a new solution is required.

TAdviser: Why to you in general the "external" market if the parent companies have enough work for the ITSC?

Vladimir Kalinenko: You see entering the "external" market, we pursue three main objectives: increase in revenues of the budget, improvement of financial performance due to increase in extent of utilization of personnel, and, above all - accumulation of the best or new to us the practician and providing these the practician to our parent companies. If the first two purposes are quite traditional for any IT company, then the last is very specific, inherent to us as subsidiary company of such "big" parents who are continuously needing development. Therefore, acquiring experience in solutions which are not demanded yet by our parent companies today, we can advance proactively these solutions, make thereby a contribution to improvement parent IT landashfta.

TAdviser: The benefit of the ITSC is clear: it both profit on "external" projects, and building of unique examination. What value for the market can you create in turn?

Vladimir Kalinenko: On behalf of the ITSC the market will receive new large service provider who will be apprehended kindly both customers, and partners. Such positive relation to the company is caused by presence at us of two "anchor clients" - our parent companies which provide both our stability, and the high level of qualification, we are obliged to conform to the highest requirements of parent companies. It allows us deliberately approaches building of long-term customer relations.

Having such authoritative founders as our parent companies, we show the increased care of our goodwill. It is also comfortable to our partners to cooperate with us. On "internal" projects we repeatedly conducted joint work with large integrators and vendors. Our financial stability saves our partners from risks of unpredictable behavior when forming common offerings. Our price policy is stable, deprived of any "dashing aside" from dumping to exorbitant prices. We will offer this our principle of predictable partnership also in the "external" market.

TAdviser: Advantages of the ITSC as reliable partner and implementer are clear and what technology products you are ready to implement outside?

Vladimir Kalinenko: The market will receive our "best practices". We bring to foreign market only such services in which we have the highest competence purchased on projects and service contracts for the parent companies. Those solutions where we do not have enough experience or resources, we do not offer. This year we propose SAP TOPO, HR, solutions for tax accounting and TTsO, SAP HANA.

TAdviser: You mentioned SAP HANA, it is very interesting. And what else from new developments of SAP and other vendors you are ready to offer?

Vladimir Kalinenko: SAP HANA is a disposal of the suffered much users of performance concerns of the loaded SAP solutions. But also users of other systems deserve the best performance therefore we consider the possibility to include in our line of offers similar to destination, but more universal solution on application - Oracle Exadata. One more perspective direction which promptly progresses in our plans in the first rows is mobile solutions on the SAP Mobile platform platform.

And separately it is necessary to mention technology of transformation of the systems of SAP using the solution SNP T-Bone. We create Competence Center on this technology, we established partnership with SNP company and are ready to provide services in implementation of the corresponding projects.

TAdviser: How do you divide resources between parent tasks and external projects? These are the same specialists or these are different commands?

Vladimir Kalinenko: At this stage of development of external activities only sales specialists are selected. In target resource model also project management specialists, methodologists, architects will be added to them. For maintenance of "equal" skill level of these specialists, for transfer of best practices from the "external" market on "internal" and vice versa, we provide periodic rotation between "internal" and "external" commands. The main production personnel will be separated.

TAdviser: And if once the parent company needs additional resources, and they at you are involved on the "external" project. Will you remove from the "external" customer?

Vladimir Kalinenko: No, we will not remove. We are engaged in "external" activities in coordination with founders therefore the conflict of interest does not arise here, our dear parents will not require from us to risk "external" obligations. We will satisfy fluctuations in resource requirements at the expense of partners if there are not enough the.

TAdviser: What plans for business development of your company?

Vladimir Kalinenko: During an initial stage of formation of our company a ratio of services of support and project works made approximately classical 80% to 20%. During this period our model of use of resources assumed planning "from service to the project", i.e. the resources which are standing idle in service for one reason or another went to projects. Now the volume of project activity in relation to service such is that we are going to redistribute resources in the opposite direction "from the project to service". Performing project works, we already prepare future service.

In other words, our model of business is a long-term cooperation with the customer during lifecycle of the created information system today. And it allows to pass from execution of works "on demand" to pro-active cooperation with the customer. We know new products of vendors, we create necessary competences of the company, the customer's problems so we can propose to the customer address innovative solutions which we can independently implement or in alliance with partners are known to us.

TAdviser: For example?

Vladimir Kalinenko: We keep the project, more precisely the program of projects on process automation of repair of the equipment. Implementation of basic processes of TORO on Omsk Refinery is so far finished, we replicated the solution on the Moscow plant. We offered the customer development of this direction, in particular, management of reliability of RCM/RBI. Certainly, there are and still examples.

TAdviser: Let's sum up the result: so, the Russian market is entered by the new player. What will change in the market?

Vladimir Kalinenko: The Russian market is entered by the IT company owning one of the biggest SAP the practician in the country, showing financial stability capable to provide with the qualified resources all stages of lifecycle of IT systems from methodology before service support.

Long-term cooperation with clients, mutually advantageous stable partnership with colleagues – a basis of our relations with market participants.

We believe that our emergence in the Russian market will increase a share of the offers of the highest professional grade bearing the best world practices to the Russian consumers will increase trust of the Russian companies to domestic IT of the industry.