Advantages of substitution of foreign IT solutions domestic

To learn what advantages the Russian customers can get, having refused import software for benefit of domestic, TAdviser polled representatives of the IT companies working in Russia.

Most often the following advantages of domestic solutions were mentioned in answers of respondents:

1. Smaller acquisition value and ownerships;

2. The best adaptedness to the Russian specifics (laws, the interface)

3. Local technical support

4. Security, including connected with political processes (sanction).

For Lev Matveev, the chairman of the board of directors of SearchInform, such advantages of domestic solutions as proximity of the developer, subordination to the uniform legislation and technical support in Russian are obvious.

The Russian companies could buy our software, instead of western earlier. But at us in the country the steady feeling was for many years created: everything that western – more abruptly, better and in general, "pontovy". I will not say that domestic manufacturers did not influence formation of this opinion. But there are industries in which we it is better, than the West and there is a lot of them. And so I think, the law on import substitution is designed to draw the attention of the domestic companies to what is made within the country. On qualitative, competitive products, - Matveev says.

According to the CEO of Ascon Group Maxim Bogdanov, advantage which many customers put above an economic benefit from use of the Russian solutions is an opportunity to influence directly development and development of software which is the instrument of creation of products and, in fact, business.

The Russian developer for the customer — the full-fledged partner because can consider the interests of the enterprise, implements its wishes in the products and at the same time guarantees high-quality and first-line support of operability of software. For foreign vendor, especially world players, the priority of tasks of the Russian customers will be low, reaction to user requirements — slow. The share of the Russian market in their business is too small, - he says.

Vladimir Kotov, the deputy CEO of SoftBalance company, calls four key advantages of transition on domestic software: acquisition value and ownerships; more effective and simple communications between direct software developers and companies/departments; localization of methodology of software and interfaces; identical mentality of creators of software and users.

Vladimir Vertogradov, the managing director of NORBIT company (LANIT group), among first-priority advantages notes reduction in cost of runtime royalty fees as the absolute majority of domestic goods are cheaper than import analogs. Also he considers advantage the accessibility to the source code of solutions for completions, including for the purpose of security.

Alexander Belov, the director of the department of system engineers of Compulink Group, notes that in case of the next sanctions against Russia customers will have no difficulties with development of the products having the Russian origin whereas users of the western solutions appear in a risk zone, being cut off from support of the producer or the developer.

In addition, it is possible to refer reduction of costs of the company by use of the Russian product for the cost reduction account of implementation and also economy of funds for further support and development by the developer to the got advantages, - the expert says Compulink.

Ilya Viger, the CEO and the co-founder of VR Concept also agrees with it.

Using domestic software, the companies receive, as a rule, lower cost of ownership, 100% adaptedness to the Russian specifics, better support, faster adaptation under change of business processes and also lack of any sanctions problems that is especially important for the state customers, - he notes.

For Tagir Yapparov, the chairman of the board of directors of IT Group, advantage of transition to domestic solutions consists, first of all, in overcoming critical dependence on the foreign supplier who is obliged to execute decisions of the government.

Many large Russian companies, after imposition of sanctions faced also restrictions of support of already installed foreign products, and with prohibition to buy this or that software. The Russian software removes such problems. But it not only advantage of work with domestic vendor. The Russian producer is much more flexible in relation to the Russian customer, it is ready to work more densely with it regarding introduction of necessary changes in software, to update versions, for example, at changes in the legislation, etc. quicker. At last, the Russian software is cheaper both regarding licenses, and regarding support, - Tagir Yapparov adds.

The deputy CEO of BARS GROUP for commerce and business development Galina Akhmerova notes that the companies use the price preference which is legislatively enshrined in the order of the Government of the Russian Federation in September, 2016 which works when purchasing for domestic goods. Also the companies obtain a guarantee of security of the information system from any geopolitical shocks.

As you know, a number of the enterprises faced that licenses of foreign software ceased to work, and they had to look for quickly an alternative without any state stimulation of import substitution. Domestic software will also reduce threats of information security – an important factor for government institutions, - she considers.

Igor Litvinov, the head of department of system architecture of LANIT-Integration company (enters into group of LANIT), also among the main advantages calls decrease in sanctions risks as it is impossible to foresee as political opposition will turn.

Nobody wants to appear without support and updates of systems which were purchased earlier on which the main business processes of the company depend. Therefore it is sometimes better to be reinsured, but having weighed risks of influence of the sanction and use "not rolled" solutions of little-known producers, - Litvinov considers.

At the same time he notices that domestic development has important advantage. According to him, the large buyer can create the solution "under himself", having agreed about accounting in the developed product of features and accepted corporate the practician. In case of the western vendors it, as a rule, is impossible. Besides, the Russian suppliers adapt to changes of the Russian legislation are better adapted for domestic specifics quicker.

The marketing director of Electronic Office Systems (EOS) company Elena Ivanova considers that many domestic solutions are cheaper than foreign analogs though do not concede in anything to them on functionality, and often – especially where compliance to specific Russian processes is required – even win against them. Also plus is a vendoronezavisimost.

The Russian developers were initially delivered in such conditions that they needed to leave ability to integrate the solutions with others whereas large foreign vendors initially did so that it was difficult to pass to other solution and to carry out integration – too. Therefore domestic software more friendly in every respect. Besides the client gains independence of political cataclysms: whatever it happened, whatever new sanctions entered – the fair domestic developer will continue to support the solutions, - Elena Ivanova tells.

Vladimir Rubanov, the managing director of Rosplatforma company, selects four main advantages. This reducing costs for purchase and their predictability in rubles, finding of resistance to sanctions against the used software, more sympathetic problem solving by the local developer who is "near by" up to release of operational corrections under specific requests of the specific customer and also an opportunity to influence development of a product.

Alexey Smirnov, the technical director of the company of Netrik, key advantage calls local support of the purchased solutions.

In practice it means that all examination on technologies is concentrated in Russia and is absolutely independent of a political component. In other words, it is impossible to imagine a situation in which support comes to an end owing to, for example, adoption of new sanctions or leaving of the company vendor from the Russian market, - the representative of Netrika says.

Other important advantage he calls simplification of contractual relations: the companies which are not engaged in foreign economic activity can sign delivery contracts and software implementation directly with his producer. It, in turn, in certain cases leads to reduction in cost of solutions. Besides, independence of ruble exchange rate is so provided: in case of its sharp falling the cost of the Russian solutions will not change while foreign vendors will bring the cost of the products into accord with the prices in the USA and Europe sooner or later, Alexey Smirnov adds.

Sergey Galeyev, the CEO of Addreality company, considers that main advantages are a speed of solving of tasks, lack of a language barrier and the budget.

The customer has free access to department R&D which communicates in Russian, needs of the client for completions, for adaptation of a product under specific business challenges are solved in the shortest possible time and on available budgets, - he says.

To Elena Golovanova, the advisor to director general "MVP "Svemel" as to the representative of developer company of the safe software providing the complete solution of IT problems of the customer, the main advantage ensuring the most complete security of the proposed Russian software solutions seems providing complete lifecycle of their support in the territory of the Russian Federation.

Vasily Babintsev, the marketing director of DIRECTUM company, believes that if under import-independent to see Open Source, then the starting cost of its use will be lower, it is one of obvious "raspiarenny" advantages. The product will be free, it is necessary to pay only for its setup to the supplier or integrator. In corporate scales millions are saved at once.

On the other hand, in future Open Source it is necessary to support, and for this purpose it is necessary to create the special and expensive IT commands or to pay contractors whose number, in a type of demand which is not created in the market, will be less and cost besides with high probability is higher. Whether it will be economically justified on the horizon of 5 years? The answer is ambiguous, - Vasily Babintsev notes.

Vladimir Andreyev, the president of DocsVision company, considers that so far, and it is rather and forever, the only advantage is execution of requirements of the state.

Earlier many bought the Russian antiviruses or CAD systems as they are much cheaper import at comparable quality. But import substitution is a basic failure from import for benefit of domestic, even when domestic worse and more expensively, but is not better and cheaper. I.e. policy issue, well and advantage respectively political. The state can stimulate differently these processes, not only a whip, but also gingerbread, giving privileges when purchasing domestic. But these privileges are useful to our IT manufacturing more likely; they do not compensate to consumers all costs for import substitution policy. The movement towards import substitution – a long-term trend, this reflection of policy of information sovereignty and information security. Those who began earlier and set before himself the serious purposes, will spend more, but will get competitive advantages earlier, - Andreyev is sure.

The sales director EDMS THESIS Alexander Nazarov the main advantage of the domestic systems calls their focus on specifics of the Russian companies in respect of creation of business processes, providing ready-made industry solutions and also integration modules with software, most widespread in Russia. Also, according to him, when choosing a domestic system the proximity and openness of vendor can play an important role.

You should not forget also that it is much simpler to certify the domestic workflow system according to requirements of FSTEC and FSB, than foreign. For many organizations it is important even if formal certification, - he notices.

Ivan Taranenko, the head of department of complete solutions of Gendalf Group, is convinced that the organizations which refused foreign software for benefit of a domestic anti-virus and accounting software definitely get advantages.

Antivirus software provided by our successful developers Kaspersky Lab and Dr.Web is adapted for realities of the Russian IT space that allows its owners to be more protected and to get more available support. Programs for maintaining managerial and accounting, provided by 1C Company, also have a set of advantages. Among them there is cost of ownership and maintenance, fast adaptation under the legislation and business processes of the different enterprises. The main advantage of the majority of other categories of programs is compliance to a trend of the state, no more than that, - the representative of Gendalf considers.

Evgenia Naumova, the chief of the department of corporate sales in Russia, Kaspersky Lab, tells that because of crisis the customer is become more interesting by those solutions which allow to save in the first case, and in - the second not only to save, but also whenever possible on these solutions also to earn. It is possible to refer transfer to such solutions infrastructure on Wednesday virtualizations, implementation of VDI (virtualization of jobs), MDM and EMM (mobile device management), mobile services, cloud services which business begins to implement actively (in particular telecom operators, banks, insurance companies, etc.).

And, considering a course towards import substitution, many companies consider the existing domestic analogs which they did not take into account earlier (because of currency jump such solutions became also are economically more attractive). Customers begin to select more attentively producers and suppliers, and the competition among them amplifies. In the market there is a redistribution towards more professional services and services now. At the same time if to speak about the sphere of protective software, then and long before formation of requirements for import substitution, our public authorities actively implemented and used the Russian products for security. Advantage in economic expression is reached by centralization and consolidation of purchases here more likely, and makes up to 20% for small divisions which bought independently earlier, - Naumova notes.

Pavel Frolov, the producer of robotic educational company "ROBBO", believes that the main window of opportunities is a transition not from import to domestic, and from commercial on free.

In the existing realities complete transition to domestic of software will promote isolation from the international community and to further technology lag – negative experience of China is indicative here. If to speak about operating systems and databases, the majority of domestic software solutions in the basis all the same have Open Source - it is the whole trend. I assume that interest in the free hardware in the future will increase: there is practically no production of the hardware in Russia now – in the majority it is the designed domestic design sent for production abroad, - he considers.

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