Behind the scenes of import substitution of software: an interview with the director of development of the Group of Companies "I-Teco"

Victor Burlakov: In my opinion, the main trend of 2023 was a targeted movement towards abandoning proprietary software. I am confident that the government's goals for 2025-2026 will be met, and critical systems will switch from Oracle, IBM and Windows platforms to other solutions. The second important point that attracts attention is that against the background of import substitution, companies that previously occupied a narrow niche are beginning to enlarge, occupy confident positions in the direction of import substitution, and quickly. In addition, we see a tendency to consolidate systems and combine functions for greater efficiency and usability. This is a positive market dynamics.

However, as a fly in the ointment, despite the success of niche companies, in some areas such as business analytics, we are still lagging behind world standards.

Unfortunately, so far the difference between such mature foreign products and Russian solutions is so great that they can be compared rather as different types. sport These are simply different levels of quality and functionality.

As for the situation as a whole, in my opinion, we have serious drawdowns. Despite all the talk about BPMN engines, Low-code and No-Code platforms, there are no cool Russian platforms yet. I could not find any really productive Low-Code platform in Russia where you could just turn on and start working without resorting to programming or using complex DevTools. Words about the presence of such platforms sound, but in practice this turns out to be wrong.

Victor Burlakov: Not quickly and with reasonable discretion. Conditional example, you have implemented SAP HRM. This is actually an accounting system, thanks to which there are commercial activities, sales, accrual, for example, salaries. That is, all the money is stored in this system. And there is, say, a business intelligence (BI) system where the manager works - he evaluates what is happening by sales, forms samples, etc. And if this system stops working for some reason, it will be unpleasant, but not critical - even if it is restored for a month. Another thing is that if SAP falls off and the month does not work, only one example is that they will not be invoiced, they will not be issued by accounting in SAPe. Agree, colossal commercial, tax, reputational risks. Therefore, the level of responsibility is incommensurable.

And here the question arises, which simply needs to be resolved. Despite the fact that there are decisions of this class in Russia, in my opinion, it is difficult to call them analogues. Because foreign platforms are much wider, built according to certain methodologies - and this is their coolest trick. And these are products, to a greater extent, not software, but software, ITconsulting due to which added value is formed in the form of deep analytics to increase the level of management and industrial automation.

This indicates that it is necessary to develop methodological consulting tools that will solve the problem through integration with the next level system. And in developing our solutions, we are guided by this approach. In the case of our DR Platform solution, when integrating, for example, with 1C, which can be a data source, we can enrich and visualize this data. We have functionality for working with data, for their reconciliation, normalization, harmonization, deduplication and everything related to data cleaning, bringing them to the desired structure and format. This opens up opportunities for the transition to new sections and methodologies.

Victor Burlakov: Our project began as a solution to the CMS (Content Management System) class, but now it has an accounting component, MDM, and ETL tools. We are actively developing it for users and plan to implement BPMN engine designers for business processes. It is convenient for customers to have everything set up and can be released in the system with minimal edits.

In terms of functionality today, this is a somewhat simplified analogue of Microsoft SharePoint. When developing our logic was as follows: this competence, which is not in Russia, must be formed. And everything you can do on the screen without using code. Therefore, DR Platform, including a tool for visualizing the representation of the front on the portal. It can be an external huge portal for tens of thousands of users, for example, a service state site, or an internal corporate portal for employees. In the vast majority of cases, customers from the public sector have processes organized from two main elements: a public portal, such as a public services portal, and an internal enterprise system. The first challenge we are addressing is integrating these two parts of our platform. On the one hand, this is the public part for accepting applications and processing them, and on the other, the internal process for processing applications. This includes interaction with other services, departments or departments.

The second class of tasks to be solved is related to data accounting and management. For example, in the field of housing and communal services, this can be accounting for boiler houses and communal facilities. This requires an understanding of the characteristics of objects, their size and state for efficient request processing and resource management.

The main interest in DR Platform is shown by organizations engaged in the provision of public services, the housing and communal services sector and enterprises related to mining. These industries see the prospects for using the existing functionality of the solution, and highly appreciate the possibility of simple refinement for their own needs.

Victor Burlakov: In our product, we strive to use simple and intuitive functionality, for example, such as drag & drop. These are the functions that the user can easily master, since most are already familiar with their principles from everyday life. Therefore, we actively reuse such familiar elements in our interface.

Given that the vast majority of users (about 90% of 100) work with the frontend, and only a small part with development competencies deals with backend, including configuration and configuration, our main goal is to ensure maximum simplicity in working with the interface. However, for those who deal with more technical tasks on the backend, it is also necessary to provide appropriate resources and tools. And we are committed to continuously improving our methods of supporting users and administrators.

Victor Burlakov: Using tools that meet specific needs, without excesses, helps us create effective and easily supported products. It is important to understand: do not complicate where it is not necessary.

Our approach is adapted to the reality of the Russian market, but does not lose in quality and functionality. We prefer to use open source and avoid the use of heavy programming languages. When I talk about "ponderous" languages, I mean, for example, the Elixir language. If you need to hire 30 developers on Elixir, you will have to make a significant effort to form a high-quality team. I can't say exactly how long it will take to find them. Python, Java and Netcore - they have a large number of developers, wide salary plugs, there is an opportunity for industry profile specialists. Thus, the product does not become heavy in refinements, support, burdened with additional unnecessary difficulties. That is, omnivore in a sense so that the product is not somehow difficult to refine, and, importantly, expensive.

And the second approach is maximum simplification, not primitivization, namely simplification. That is, if we don't have IoT to collect sensor data and we don't plan to process millions or tens of millions of operations, we won't complicate and use the Postgres solution.

Victor Burlakov: It is important to understand that many tasks that were previously performed manually are now automated thanks to machine learning methods. For example, administrators and developers use ML models to identify relationships between different data, as well as to analyze trends and trends. Even though this is not a high art of AI, these are effective tools that make life easier for specialists. In the field of analytics and decision-making, there are also interesting examples of using AI. For example, data analysis can detect previously unnoticed errors or violations. Even small system clues can significantly affect decision-making, helping to identify non-obvious aspects. Thus, the use of artificial intelligence technologies in various areas of business and analytics can lead to significant improvements and optimization of processes.

Victor Burlakov: I think that the answer to this question about basic principles in one form or another has long been voiced by the market.

One of the key points in the implementation of import substitution is to clearly identify the tasks and functionality that you want to solve. It is important not only to change the system to a new one, but also to strive to improve processes and results.

Sometimes it happens that customers claim that everything is already automated with them and nothing needs to be changed. But here it is important to ask the right questions. Can something else be improved? Can processes be made even more efficient and user-friendly? When it comes to meeting the requirements of regulators or customers, you can see this not only as a commitment, but also as an opportunity to improve your processes and products. This is a chance not only to meet the requirements, but also to bring innovation to your business.

Import substitution should not occur simply for the sake of the process of replacing imported products with domestic ones. It should be carried out with an emphasis on significant improvements in quality and efficiency. For example, if you see that replacing an imported product opens up new opportunities for users or solves some complex problems that were previously unavailable or expensive, then this is a good argument in favor of import substitution. It's not just a replacement, it's a step forward.