TAdviser Interview: As Schwab gets rid of foreign IT products within "the weighed import substitution"

Wêadysêaw Barenboim: We adhere as I call it, to the strategy of "the weighed import substitution". It means that we do not try to reach any indicators, and over us there is no regulating influence yet, and makes a start we in import substitution from minimization of those risks which we bear. Here we consider any risks: sanctions, currency, risks of isolation on one IT vendor.

In import substitution we give a priority of a server component before user. If, for example, in case of sanctions Microsoft ceases to support OS Windows in a certain organization, then it is simpler to fight against it in workplaces. And if it mentions Windows Server and some business system will cease to work, then work of all its users will be paralyzed at once.

Our tough criterion at implementation of the new systems – use of cross-platform software. From those systems which are already implemented what is possible we in principle transfer to rails of the free software, and that it is impossible, we are going to replace in the foreseeable future.

Wêadysêaw Barenboim: Unfortunately, this project at us slowed down. Very large number of changes on the system, its configuration went. Therefore we had to impose "freezing" on an infrastructure part and to change nothing. And in principle, infrastructure had no time for the end is ready to all changes which we planned.

At the same time, at us it is already now used as a back-end DBMS PostgreSQL, the only thing – we would like to complete fully this process and to construct it on a stack OPEN SOURCE. We in principle understand that it promises us falling of performance about 20-30%, but even not rather current configuration, but rather ideal, we will call it so which the linking of Windows Server is now and MS SQL Server. In our realities, with our amounts of data Microsoft we can direct economy which we will receive on licenses to improvement of "iron" and, thus, level this difference.

Also there is a hope that 1C, seeing the growing popularity of the systems on Linux stack, will pay more attention to optimization of the systems under this stack.

Wêadysêaw Barenboim: Yes, we really last year replaced Cisco Telepresence with the domestic solution Mind. This system includes all enterprises "Schwabe". Mainly, our top managers use it that imposes on us big obligations for stability of such system. And here I should tell that we are very happy with both a product, and the course of its development, and support from vendor. At an implementation stage when we with some equipment had problems, we received almost instant response. In my opinion, now domestic suppliers in general are very focused on work with the client, and it cannot but please.

We are going to expand the implemented system, we will hold testing of the new equipment, including with technology 4K (video conference of high resolution) which already some time maintains by Mind.

Wêadysêaw Barenboim: We received direct economy in several million rubles already on support of a system and on new licenses which we should buy in addition. Besides, as far as I know, Cisco stopped product development of Telepresence Server and now they have a new product – Cisco Meeting Server that, perhaps would entail need of partial or complete relicensing of all our infrastructure of a video conferencing under this new product.

In turn, in other systems where we pass to Linux, there is an economy on licenses. Also one more aspect about which sometimes speak is important is a saving of time and nerves on studying of license models: domestic suppliers have them, as a rule, the most transparent and linear, and on licensing of suppliers from discharge of Cisco sometimes it is possible to break the head.

Wêadysêaw Barenboim: For example, project of transition to the solution CommuniGate. It is implemented in scales of all holding, extending to all enterprises "Schwabe". Now we are on a closing stage of a pilot project. This solution well covers our needs for e-mail and an instant messaging service. We pass to it from products Microsoft Outlook and Exchange.

From what at us just about will pass in produktiv is a solution of the class UTM (unified traffic management) which will come to replacement to solutions of Cisco with similar functionality. Last year we began to test several new solutions, having begun with Traffic Inspector, development of the Russian company "Smart-Soft". But as a result stopped on the solution of other vendor.

One of good examples regarding transition to open source, in particular, this system implementation with the open code for the organization of work of internal Service Desk based on the solution iTop. We selected it is software after comparison with other open source the solution – GLPI as it seemed to us that on iTop we "fly up" much quicker. We already even entered our own practices into this system and we are going to transfer to their community developers that all could use them. In the long term, of course, we would like to pass to some domestic solution, more mature therefore now it was simpler to us to use something lightweight.

Wêadysêaw Barenboim: One of systems which we developed, besides, based on Open Source – it was the system of cataloguing of products of holding. For this purpose we took an open CMS system which was delivered on Linux and finished business logic under compliance to our requirements. But now, perhaps, we have no resources on development of some serious system, such requirement, but in general morally we are ready to such fulfillments.