Andrey Tambovsky, FORS: Clouds every day will be more and more

Andrey Tambovsky: This market grows and develops, and if to compare to other segments, then the advancing rates. It is that call to which we are ready. And, answering it, we actively are engaged in development of the examination necessary for promotion of cloud services. In 27 years we accumulated wide experience in implementation of the most different, conceptually new trends in the market.

Yury Zyatkov: Yes, the Russian market of cloud services developed last year very intensively. In this or that form all leading IT companies actively use cloud computing. Activity of vendors also belongs to number of the factors stimulating use of clouds, in our case it is Oracle corporation with a complex of Oracle Cloud services. We as the partner, we can tell that cloud computing had a strong business impact to the company, having allowed to create a number of new activities, and at qualitatively other level.

Andrey Tambovsky: Our customers are people moderately conservative, and the information systems having the smallest quantity of the problems connected with confidentiality of data become candidates for transfer for clouds, as a rule. Therefore and, we by and large at clients do not observe fear of clouds. For years of activity of the company we saw emergence of the most different technologies and we do not consider that directly tomorrow there will be nothing, except clouds. Just clouds every day will be more and more. In fact, clouds are only one more method of receiving information services. Therefore we treat calmly a situation when the customer has a hybrid cloud. Some systems remain in perimeter, some go to external data center, some - the customer receives from a public cloud - it is a normal paradigm. The main issue discussed with the customer in case of reorganization of IT infrastructure is selection of the correct solutions for each task set by business. At the same time we use the combined approach: on the one hand, development of infrastructure should be the managed process, according to traditional understanding of the project – the plan, the diagram and so on, on the other hand, taking into account the modern nature of development of IT, we use the Agile elements in work. In fact a question, clouds are the versatile tool allowing and to develop actively and to reduce risks in case of use of new, modern technologies.

Andrey Tambovsky: Yes, clouds as it was first ceased to frighten people. Now there is a specific discussion of questions of use of cloud computing, for example - in the context of accumulation and processing of Big Data. Today customers want to use clouds, and look for the place for new technologies in the business processes and an IT landscape. Thus, the mutual movement towards each other - the customer and the IT company is observed, as yields positive result.

Yury Zyatkov: 2017 for FORS Group was successful. In comparison with the 2016th year, revenue increased by 20%, the total turnover made about 13 billion rubles. Last year total revenue from sale of the equipment was practically equal to total revenue from custom developments that happened for the first time in the history of life of the company. Thereby, we declared ourselves also as about the large system integrator – the supplier of the hardware.

Obtaining the status Oracle Cloud Managed Service Provider (MSP) became an event for us. For the company it is a big step forward as actually we passed to new technology which now and we develop in the projects.

Quite recently the company received an award of Oracle, having become in 2018 financial year the Partner of year in the Oracle Service Provider of the Year nomination - IaaS, PaaS and SaaS for progress in promotion of MSP services based on Oracle Cloud and development of the technology examination required at deployment and adaptation of cloud services.

One of the major directions for us is promotion of cloud services of Oracle Cloud at Customer. Today we have a unique advantage because among vendors only Oracle offers such cloud model which considers requirements of the Russian legislation. We suggest the customer to use resources of a public cloud of vendor while data remain in the territory of the customer, and access to services is provided on a subscription.

As for project activity, it is possible to note several large-scale projects on urban governance. In particular, in Moscow projects on automation of the housing and technical inspections, processes connected with the maintenance of city objects (roads, the yards, green plantings, etc.) are performed.

In a number of clinics the system of telemonitoring developed "Ah-by FORS" for remote communication of the doctor and the patient of RemsMed is successfully used. Our MIS on Tavrovsky V.M. methodology was implemented in several medical institutions of Moscow. During these projects complex automation which affected all structures — from a hospital to clinic was executed.

Yury Zyatkov: Really, the FORS Training center won competition and already provides training and certification of specialists of Sberbank.

In parallel in training center the direction of training Oracle Database Cloud develops. The FORS training center became the first in Russia and the CIS countries, received authorization on Oracle Database Cloud reading rates in the status of the official partner in the Oracle University line.

Throughout a subject of results of year it is possible to note the growing demand of custom developments and a number of implementations of an automated billing system of Fastcom in a telecom. By the way, this development became the infrastructure environment for deployment of the cloud services provided by us as MSP – provider. It provided the platform for interaction of all three parties of process: Oracle, FORS as service provider, and customer.

Yury Zyatkov: More than a half of revenue at us is the share of IT services, their share increased in comparison with last year a little. Especially it is necessary to select services in system integration, technology consulting and audit which volume, most likely, will grow further in process of development of the cloud direction. A considerable part of revenue from IT services is the share of technical support and maintenance. Difficult, complex services are in what we are traditionally very strong also by the number of the certified specialists, both in experience, and on the scale of works.

Andrey Tambovsky: First, I would like to note that in EMEA region at Oracle it is only several MSP partner, they are selected very carefully by a number of criteria and to enter this program not easy. Therefore for us honor to become one of them. Obtaining the status MSP is and new opportunities, and a call at the same time. Much needs to study and to master a lot of things. Specialists of the company of the most different spheres – the equipment, basic software, the application software and others – were forced to plunge into cloud subject to be competent of this area. Today this main condition for successful work and, as a result, development of the new directions of business.

Yury Zyatkov: Yes, we had to use different groups of specialists for building of all infrastructure and technology chain. It is difficult, but now process is already built, and we have an opportunity to provide to customers access to cloud services of Oracle PaaS and IaaS at their choice - quickly, accurately, is automated, with the complete information about that how many and when it is consumed resources – and to offer our additional services. And, all this with understanding of the Russian specifics and knowledge of the Russian legislative arrangements.

Andrey Tambovsky: In rubles, if in a word. And if it is serious, then there are two schemes of settlement. The first works when at the client understanding was not created yet that and in what volume he is going to consume. Calculations are performed by Pay As You Go option i.e. as the client connects new services or increases use already connected, on a monthly basis he pays the consumed resources. The second scheme - a monthly rate - works when the client already had an understanding of the list of services and volumes. I will note that the customer can pass from one scheme to another at any time. Having signed the agreement, the client can begin to use any of services at once - both IaaS, and PaaS provided by a cloud of Oracle. He can receive Database as a Service, Big Data as a Service, Java as a Service and a number of other services of new generation.

Andrey Tambovsky: Interest is to many directions, their several tens. First of all is the Oracle Cloud at Customer model as it allows to place a public cloud in DPC of the client. Then one of the most demanded sets of services – that which allows to manage IT infrastructure all stack of hardware, Web servers is Oracle Management Cloud. This set includes seven services, it is constructed based on technologies of Big Data, the special analytical device for their processing and the analysis. Includes also the machine learning allowing to calculate aberrant behavior in complex information systems, to reveal correlations, interactions in very difficult conditions when it is difficult for the specialist or it is even impossible to understand. Here it would be desirable to emphasize that for us, as for the system integrator, a cloud – just next delivery mode of services. In this case – for creation of IT infrastructure. Migration in clouds is the project on implementation too, though small, we came to this understanding in a work progress according to the MSP program.

The Russian customers show great interest also to Internet of Things (IoT). All understand that to develop own landscape in a standard, not cloud paradigm for tasks of this sort long and it is unprofitable, and the solution is necessary here and now.

Yury Zyatkov: Yes, it is unconditional, project experience already is, work is conducted with several Russian customers. Among them – the large logistic company which we cannot call yet. But the project very large-scale, the company requested about 100 PaaS and IaaS services.

Andrey Tambovsky: It is so far very radical scenario. It is clear, that the providers providing cloud services would like one-time and complete transition of customers to clouds. But in practice occurs differently. All understand that behind clouds the future that it is inevitable and that it should study, but so far troubles everything. Therefore our examination and our services are so important for the market, and their demand, we are sure, will grow.

Yury Zyatkov: I will note importance of a legal component which legislatively would regulate relationship of provider and the consumer of services. Yet in our country there is no acquired practice. Our lawyers carried out serious work to create a template of such agreement taking into account all possible nuances and risks.

Andrey Tambovsky: In group more than ten years the site where all latest platforms of Oracle – both equipment rooms, and hardware and software systems are submitted is deployed. On this platform specialists work with experience more than 20 years. And exactly here we make assessment of readiness of the applied systems to work at these platforms and also we assist in creation of the advanced DPCs. And as the cloud of Oracle is constructed on the same technologies, we can offer services in preparation of systems for transfer in a cloud. On the other hand, many developments of the Russian companies which cornerstone technologies of Oracle are already in this or that type at us were tested.

Andrey Tambovsky: The good program - that which is easy for using. And the it is easier the program to use, the more for the user the software developer worked. A qualitative company performance as software developer - at the expense of what the FORS company keeps in the market today, and at the expense of what the company kept in the market always. Examination and professionalism are our main competitive advantages which do not depend on specific technologies, solutions or circumstances.