Pavel Shuba, Vladimir region: We began transition to free software well in advance of a current campaign for import substitution

Pavel Shuba: I do not undertake to estimate any intermediate results of development of the program for all Russia, but the subject of import substitution of the software, really, remains priority. And moreover, it is quite real. I consider one of indicators that the program took place, strengthening of a regulatory framework is.

Import substitution does not assume only support of domestic business and universal use of the Russian software at all, its main goal – to achieve complete sovereignty of the country in the field of IT. So far all of us are still vulnerable as in case of application of sanctions of the West access to western program can be limited and to the hardware, services of technical support, the so-called program tabs capable to block work can be used are crucial elements of IT infrastructure and (or) to provide to foreign intelligence services unauthorized access to information processed in information systems.

Pavel Shuba: We started process of transition from the foreign proprietary software to free software for a long time, well in advance a current campaign for import substitution, somewhere in the 2010th. And by the time of emergence in 2015 of the strategy of import substitution, a considerable part of server IT infrastructure of administration staff of area was already transferred to Open Source. It was caused by rather small financing, it became difficult to support foreign software – it was necessary to look for other solutions.

Of course, in some cases the level of service and quality of development of Open Source does not reach the level of proprietary products, but definitely Open Source makes the serious competition to paid software. And having adapted freely distributed versions of software, we can develop solutions under ourselves. Lately based on Open Source we implement a number of large projects on creation of regional information systems. For example, an electronic document management system with which more than two thousand public and municipal servants of area, a single technology platform of the official Internet portal of administration of the region, etc. work.

It is important to understand that in this case presence of the qualified specialists understanding the principles and the features of work of Open Source aware its strong is decisive factor and the weaknesses capable independent Open Source of products to create steadily working information system from several. Unfortunately, such specialists are not enough first of all for the reason that some solutions of the famous producers it is often uncontested "impose" since a school bench.

Considering the available practices our region supported the carrying out initiative together with ANO Institute of Development of the Internet of a pilot project of import substitution in the field of the software. But the project is not completed yet. If to sum up the intermediate results, then the carried-out stages of a pilot project allowed to define aspects of use of domestic operating systems in bodies of the state and municipal authority of the Vladimir region, to reveal standard problems at transfer of workflows of the public and municipal servants of the Vladimir region to domestic software and also features of interface of domestic software to federal state information systems.

Pavel Shuba: Today in the region rather big number of official Internet resources and different thematic projects which allow to increase the level of openness of authorities is implemented, to examine in more detail their activity. First of all, it is directly official Internet portal for ensuring access to information on activity of executive authorities of area and structural divisions of administration of the region; The Internet and reception for submission of addresses in electronic form to administration of the region; the portal for carrying out public consultations for the purpose of assessment of the regulating influence and also discussion of projects and the existing regulations; official site of the Governor of the region; the forum "Question-answer" where questions of social and economic development of the region are considered.

By the way, the majority of introduced drafts are constructed based on the free and domestic software.

Pavel Shuba: No. The project on creation of a communication framework at us passed using a domestic product of CommuniGate Pro. The solution is developed by the Russian company, registered in the unified register of the Russian programs for electronic computers and databases, it is qualitatively implemented, than, probably, and deserved popularity around the world.

Infrastructure based on the platform of the joint communications CommuniGate Pro develops in administrations for several years – independently and using third parties. In 2017 we actively worked with Digital Design company for development of opportunities of the platform, and implemented the project on improvement of interaction of the press service of administration with regional and federal media. As a result we managed to increase considerably efficiency of providing information for media at the expense of the new instrument of formation of lists of mailings and also to increase efficiency of information mailing. Besides, problems with periodic wrong turning on of mail servers of administration of the region in "black lists" of servers were solved. What was very important for us since the administration of the region is a reliable and operational source of information on important events in region life, and it is important to us to save and strengthen this position.

Pavel Shuba: If to talk not about the formalistic approach to import substitution in the field of ICT which is shown in point replacement of the foreign proprietary software by domestic, and about system work in this direction with accurate aiming at result, then it is necessary to pay attention to import substitution of the fundamental technologies providing functioning of modern IT infrastructure. First of all are the systems of virtualization. It is difficult to revaluate convenience and efficiency of such systems in work of modern IT infrastructure. Especially in cases when the hardware-software solutions ensuring functioning of information services at failure of a disk, the server, a cluster or all DPC are used. Failure from similar technologies is a conscious return for 15-20 years to the past.

It is no secret that now in authorities solutions of virtualization of VMware as, for example, at us in administration of the region, the Microsoft Hyper-V technology is also widespread are used. At the same time has no value as you importozameshchat the components of information systems functioning within virtualization platforms since in case of sanctions restrictions the risk that all virtual environment will cease to work suddenly is high.

Understanding these risks, in 2017 we implemented the large project on delivery and input to working operation of the hardware and software system working under the administration of the modern hyper convergent platform based on the domestic systems of virtualization and the distributed data storage from Rosplatforma. These technologies provide the level of service similar to the level of top hypervisors, and allow to solve all range of problems of work with virtual machines and containers, including to provide their failsafe functioning at machine failures. Considering novelty of technology we plan implementation of step-by-step transfer of information resources to the domestic environment of virtualization from Rosplatforma.

One more important technology requiring import substitution is the technology of centralized operation by users and resources. Many got used to such concepts as the domain controller based on Microsoft Active Directory, to the level of opportunities which are given by this technology, and are hardly ready to return to times when each automated workstation or the server functioned in itself without centralized operation.

There is a number of alternatives of this technology, and it is possible to discuss advantages and shortcomings of each of them long. We gave preference in our case to the FreeIPA technology which is a part of the majority of domestic operating systems. This technology allows to exercise centralized operation by users and resources, to define group politicians, to provide the mechanism of uniform point of entry (SSO), and that is important, to be integrated with the Active Directory by means of establishment of trusted relationships. Such domain was unrolled by us. Its testing is conducted.

Pavel Shuba: I consider blockchain technology quite viable and perspective. The distributed database allowing to store information at thousands of workstations and to guarantee that it will not be changed by malefactors I think, can make certain success and in state structures.

Pavel Shuba: Of course, there are examples of implementation federal agencies of large IT projects on deployment of information systems on servers with domestic processors. But considering the cost of such projects in comparison with the cost of similar projects in which Intel Xeon processors are used and also considering need of existence of bigger number of IT specialists with high qualification for service of such systems, implementation of similar projects in regions is still exigeant.

But if to talk about network infrastructure, then in this part there is notable progress. In Russia there are several independent producers of network equipment ready to compete with world leaders both in functional, and in the price plan already now. In 2017 we carried out the small project on upgrade of a LAN using switches of domestic manufacturer of Qtech. The switches delivered to us completely corresponded to the stated opportunities and replaced with themselves the Cisco switches used earlier. At the same time it should be noted that the cost of these switches it is notable lower than the cost of Cisco switches of a similar class.