TAdviser Interview: As the program of IT import substitution is implemented in the MFA of Russia
In Russia the import substitution program including in the direction of information technologies actively is implemented. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs carries out the specialized tasks in which use of IT begins to take more and more significant place. The director of the department of information support of the MFA Mikhail Afanasyev in an interview of TAdviser told how there is this process what difficulties the ministry faces and as it solves them.
Call, in your opinion, the main problems and obstacles of import substitution of IT in Russia?
Mikhail Afanasyev: In our opinion, there are two main problems of import substitution of IT in Russia:
1. Disbelief of the state customers in existence and efficiency of the Russian program developments.
2. Unwillingness, and often and financial impossibility to replace all foreign IT solutions with domestic. To write justification of impossibility of purchase of domestic software more simply and the cheapest way (a huge number of documents and databases on old import software is acquired what with it to do?).
Whether there are advantages which are got by the departments which refused import software and the equipment for benefit of domestic?
Mikhail Afanasyev: To us as to department for which solving of tasks security of information is important the main advantage ensuring the most complete information security implemented by means of the Russian software solutions with providing complete lifecycle of their support in the territory of the Russian Federation and in foreign institutions seems.
How do you think in what the main risks and difficulties for the departments which decided on import substitution?
Mikhail Afanasyev: Among the main risks it is just necessary to call complexity of selection of IT solutions necessary for the customer from the Register of the domestic software. To the customer to have to solve a compatibility issue of software products of different developers among themselves.
Unfortunately, so far in Russia there are a little companies offering a complete solution package necessary for the customer. And from the Register not to obtain such information yet. However a number of the organizations in Russia are engaged in complete solutions of import substitution in IT.
One more substantial risk is the lack of the budget on import substitution, especially at departments. To them to have to fulfill this national objective only within the planned budget on IT. At present, not the biggest. Thus, or the quality of transition will suffer, or transition term significantly increases.
How does import substitution of IT go to the MFA of Russia?
Mikhail Afanasyev: Process of import substitution in state bodies began after a release of the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of November 16, 2015 No. 1236 "About establishment of prohibition on the admission of the software coming from the foreign states for the purposes of implementation of purchases for ensuring the state and municipal needs". The MFA of Russia, understanding all risks of use of the "import" software, since 2004, implements own import substitution program.
Import substitution in this case goes in two directions: complete import substitution in departmental and state information systems and partial import substitution of separate elements of systems.
Complex import substitution is based on consolidation of software products of a line Zircon (the developer - the Russian company "Svemel") to the integration platform which became the main part of our information systems and is configured under their requirements. She interacts with software products of other domestic developers and allows to use old practices as she has rather universal main characteristics. In case of need of completion of elements of the platform under a joint with other software products, the technical service of developer company is capable to solve this problem as it has sufficient experience.
The feature of the integration Zircon platform consists that all its elements are the software of domestic production of one developer. Thus, the MFA solves one of import substitution problems - search of necessary solutions and their compatibility as among themselves, and with other solutions used in the IC.
Step-by-step import substitution is implemented or planned to implementation by replacement of import software products of different classes (the office software, basic by software, database management systems, etc.) for the corresponding software products from a line Zircon.
May you illustrate told on the example of already implementable in departments the MFA of Russia of the IT project?
Mikhail Afanasyev: Yes. Such project exists and step by step is implemented for May, 2019. It is the project of creation of the protected IT infrastructure of the ministry on the software of a line Zircon using domestic solutions of terminal access.
By preparation for implementation of this project we set the following objects:
- security of information circulating in the state information systems of department;
- ensuring independence of foreign vendors;
- preserving of legacy applications upon transition on domestic software;
- minimization of operating costs due to transfer of all automated workplaces to terminals;
- possibility of simultaneous operation with information of a different confidentiality level;
- optimization of a hardware-software part;
- owing to specifics of department need of use of the software which is not requiring essential costs for retraining of the employees working in information systems.
As a result the choice was stopped on technology of terminal access using the integration Zircon platform, including a product line Zircon. It should be noted that in a number of foreign institutions are already unrolled and successfully terminal networks including with access to raznokategoriyny information and with direct link with the central resources work.
What the product line is?
Mikhail Afanasyev: The product line includes general-system software - operating system "Zircon 36CT" and "Zircon 36KT", software of terminal access, and the application software - Zircon - DBMS Zircon reserve Zircon office WEB Zircon. The developer - the Russian company.
All products of the line Zircon are included in the Register of domestic software and fully legislations for use in public authorities conform to requirements.
When you speak about import substitution, you mean only program substitution or this concept for you is wider?
Mikhail Afanasyev: The Zircon platform is not only the software. It includes also hardware. In particular, it is the terminal devices of domestic production used at all users including in the conditions of a small controlled zone (that is very important for foreign institutions). The initial loader of these terminals is hardware protected from rewriting. The device supports loading on smart cards which provide access to strictly certain resources.
If I correctly understand, there is an opportunity for work in different circuits of information processing?
Mikhail Afanasyev: Existence of the different smart cards providing authorization in different information circuits allows to be connected from one terminal to different information resources depending on confidentiality level. For example, in the presence of two cards that image to which the current used card is linked is loaded into memory of the terminal. The user of the terminal initiates that session, that resource where access is provided to it.
From what you told follows what you implemented the unified information system constructed on solutions of the domestic developer?
Mikhail Afanasyev: The Zircon platform integrates business applications, applied complexes of tasks and services in the uniform protected information space. Though project implementation is not completed yet, already now it is possible to note that in the MFA of Russia the protected platform using terminal technologies is created.
The possibility of simultaneous operation with the closed internal resources and open network, including the Internet is provided.
One of the main problem tasks of all customers - preserving of legacy applications upon transition is solved on domestic software within the solution of a task of import substitution, and a possibility of immersion of not entrusted applications in the entrusted software environment.
How do you consider whether use of experience of the MFA of Russia by other state agencies in the import substitution programs is possible?
Mikhail Afanasyev: In my opinion, the import substitution program implemented by the MFA of Russia quite can be scaled on state agencies in which security requirements of confidential information are rather high. The solutions used by us have necessary certificates of regulators and provide to users functionality, nothing inferior to foreign analogs.
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