General characteristics of the Russian cloud market. TAdviser 2025 Review

In 2025, the cloud technology market in Russia is undergoing an important stage of transformation. Cloud technologies are becoming an integral part of the digital infrastructure of businesses of all sizes. The market demonstrates sustainable development, despite the ambiguous macroeconomic environment. The cloud services market is developing towards maturity, hybridity and customization. Barriers such as personnel shortages and dependence on foreign technologies and equipment stand in the way of further growth.

Volume estimates

According to Aleksei Dmitriyev, the head of the corporate development department of MyOffice, according to public reports of market leaders, data from associations (APKIT, RAEK), as well as extrapolation of TAdviser, J'son & Partners data, taking into account macroeconomics and industry trends, as well as services from Russian business providers (B2B), the total market volume in 2024 amounted to about ₽315 -330 billion. In 2025, this figure could grow by 20-25% or to ₽380 -410 billion. The largest segment may be SaaS with a 55-60% share. Drivers here are a massive transition to subscription, industry solutions, public procurement. The stable growth and base for PaaS/SaaSaaS is IaaS with a share of 30-35%. PaaS is the fastest growing segment with a share of 10-15%.

This assessment reflects one of the common market views. The RTK-DPC also believes that in 2025 the total market volume will reach about ₽410 billion. Alexander Obukhov, Product Director of RTK-DPC, gave a slightly different breakdown by segment: the share of IaaS will be about 35-40%, PaaS - 10-15%, and SaaS - will remain at the level of 40-45%. The expert expects that the market growth rate will remain high, 20-25% per year, due to accelerated digitalization and the transition of business to the cloud.

Based on information on the income of providers from lease of infrastructure, platforms and applications, VK Cloud predicts that by the end of 2025 the market volume will reach ₽385,9 billion. In this estimate, the PaaS segment occupies about 9% (₽28,9 billion), showing steady growth due to the active use of platforms for AI, ML and DevOps practices. IaaS occupies 25% or ₽74,6 billion, and growth is constrained by the difficulties of logistics and import substitution.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Lazarenko, Product Director of VK Cloud

To summarize, this layer of market estimates reports a range of ₽300 -330 billion in 2024 and ₽380 -410 billion in 2025. The share of IaaS here varies from 25% to 45%, PaaS - within 9-15%, SaaS - 40-66%.

The second conditional consensus was made up of comments by K2 Cloud, RUVDS, KORUS Consulting, ICL Services and EdgeCenter, whose experts are considering a ₽160 range of -170 billion for 2024. Some experts in this conditional block refer to the iKS Consulting score. In this approach, the share of IaaS is considered the largest, and SaaS is considered the most modest.

There are other assessments where IaaS plays a major role. For some analysts, SaaS can overtake PaaS in volume, in other cases, SaaS is completely ignored, concentrating on the other two classic segments.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Executive Director of DataRu Cloud Dmitry Borodachev

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Mikhail Khlebunov, Product Director of Servicepipe

In Timeweb Cloud, PaaS is assigned one of the key roles. Sergey Naumov, CEO of Timeweb Cloud, noted that those players who will concentrate not on scale, but on solving specific business problems will be successful.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Naumov, CEO of Timeweb Cloud

According to Marat Khadumagomedov, Commercial Director, Cloud4Y by model/(IDCGartner by service type), in 2025 the share of IaaS is predicted in the Russian market at the level of 45-50%, here the basis is the migration of corporate loads to the cloud. PaaS occupies 15-20%, and here we are talking about the development of platforms for developers. 30-35% relates to SaaS account:,, ERP CRM corporate services (,). "1C" "Bitriks24" Another 5-10% is cloud. outsourcing

According to Gartner, all cloud segments are expected to grow significantly in 2025 (we are talking about public cloud services around the world). Cloud applications are multiplying. The use of AI technologies in IT and business processes continues to strengthen the role of cloud computing. Distributed, hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments supported by cross-cloud platforms are gaining popularity, and this affects the dynamics. The market is expected to grow by 21.5% in 2025.^[1]

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Szhenov, Product Development Director EdgeÖåíòð

Penetration rate, regional differences as growth driver

According to a study by Kaspersky Lab and CNews Analytics, more than half of companies in Russia use cloud technologies to develop applications.^[2]

Experts interviewed by TAdviser are unanimous that the bulk of supply and demand is concentrated in cities of federal significance and other millionaires. These cities have higher financial security of business and more affordable investments, a high concentration of large enterprises. Moscow, St. Petersburg - up to 65-70% of large and medium-sized companies use cloud solutions here (among IT companies, the percentage may be even higher). In the regions, this figure rarely exceeds 30%. The main reasons are a weak digital infrastructure and a lack of local data centers, as well as qualified personnel, a limited choice of providers.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Borodachev, executive director of DataRu Cloud

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Lazarenko, Product Director of VK Cloud

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Alexander Shlychkov, Director of Marketing at MANGO OFFICE

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Maria Bar-Biryukova, partner and deputy general director of KORUS Consulting Group, founder of the Sellty platform

In cities of federal significance, there is already not enough capacity, while in the regions the demand lags behind, says Semyon Nazarov, architect of MONS (part of the KORUS Consulting Group of Companies ). According to the expert, this skew can be viewed from a different point of view and found growth opportunities, for example, in large regional centers with a developed economy.

According to Marat Khadumagomedov, Commercial Director of Cloud4Y, in 2023-2024, the share of cloud services in the total IT market in Russia is estimated, according to various sources, at 10-15%. For comparison, in the USA and Europe this figure reaches 20-30%. The expert considers the main factors restraining growth to be the low digital maturity of SMB (small and medium-sized business segment), regulatory restrictions, lack of confidence in the clouds (especially in the public sector), a high share of On-Anticipate solutions in the corporate segment. He estimates the share of Moscow and St. Petersburg at 50-60% of the market, the high level of penetration here is provided by large corporations, IT companies, fintech, and the main drivers are hybrid clouds, SaaS. In large millionaire cities, the expert estimates growth as moderate (20-30% of the total cloud market), there is demand from logistics, retail, and regional banks. And less than ten 10% of the market is demand in small towns and regions.

Alexey Korulin, head of products and architectural solutions at Linx Cloud, noted that the main target audience of cloud services in Russia is large and medium-sized companies, for which flexibility in managing computing resources and the ability to minimize long and difficult coordination of equipment purchases are key.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Alexey Korulin, Head of Product and Architectural Solutions at Linx Cloud

Sergey Szhenov, Director of Product Development at EdgeÖåíòð, believes that in IT, e-commerce and EdTech, the penetration rate of a public cloud can be assessed as very high - up to 70%. Classic retailers and FMCG manufacturers have it lower - up to 30%. According to the IT integrator Telecom Exchange, cloud solutions cover 40-45% of the corporate sector.

Large companies can afford hybrid solutions by combining their own power with cloud, but even for organizations with a turnover of hundreds of millions of rubles, complete duplication of infrastructure can remain an unacceptable luxury. Where there is a stable Internet, modern data centers and qualified IT specialists, the introduction of cloud services is proceeding quickly. But there are territories where they are still afraid to transfer even accounting to the cloud.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Anatoly Trifonov, Head of Onlanta Cloud Services (part of LANIT Group)

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Aslan Shingarov, Deputy Commercial Director of ActiveCloud

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Anastasia Ugoleva, Marketing Director of ITKey

A series of data center construction projects are expected in, Kazan,, and Novosibirsk Vladivostok Krasnodar other cities that act as important infrastructure nodes, but where there was no data center before.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Aleksei Dmitriyev, Head of Corporate Development at MyOffice

In addition to the development of regional data centers, it is possible to accelerate development through state support (as in the case of subsidizing clouds for SMB). Educational programs for business in the regions are needed.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Marat Khadumagomedov, Commercial Director of Cloud4Y

Developmental vectors

Market consolidation

4-5 years ago, consolidation in the market was a powerful trend: acquisitions, mergers, enlargement of players. The market continues to consolidate, but this may now be less noticeable against the backdrop of a multi-cloud trend and overall growth, although M&A activity seems to be only growing.

Bigtech outbid smaller competitors - those who cannot replace equipment and create new products. Large companies implement strategies for creating ecosystems, launch partner programs - strengthen their positions. At the same time, captive providers are entering the open market, and some medium-sized players are closing businesses.

The consolidation trend will strengthen the position of large players offering hybrid models (IaaS + PaaS). Acquisitions of regional providers are possible. The dominance of 3-4 key players can reduce competition and price flexibility.

Niche players are expected to survive. Niche cloud providers benefit not by scale, but by speed, customization and flexibility. Such companies do not try to close all needs, but focus on key scenarios that are especially important to the business.

This has become a new trend. The influence of big players continues to increase through the ecosystem approach, which forces small players to move into clear niche positioning or unite in partnerships.

Ecosystemacity

The market is actively developing a trend of transformation of products into entire ecosystems created to solve a certain range of problems. There are services for containerization, analytics, platforms for DevOps, tools for working with big data, protected by specialized information security tools. Providers offer not only infrastructure and services, but also a wide range of partner solutions and services.

Leaders go beyond the basic trinity of cloud segments, actively developing application marketplaces, AI/ML services, industry solutions (fintech, public sector, retail, industry). Integration with other services is relevant (for example, cloud + ERP + cybersecurity + AI tools).

The focus on the development of the ecosystem is inherent in every large cloud operator (MTS Web Services, Yandex Cloud, Cloud.ru, VK Cloud, Rostelecom). An increase in the number of ready-made solutions can be beneficial to large customers, but it is possible that there is a risk for them to become dependent on ecosystems?

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Lazarenko, Product Director of VK Cloud

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Igor Makovsky, Senior Business Development Manager, ICL Services

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Yulia Mickiewicz, COO of IT company KODE

The VK Cloud ecosystem includes an IaaS platform, containerization tools, cloud storage, monitoring systems, and information security solutions. Sber implements a similar approach: their platform includes PaaS services, SaaS products (including office suite and BI), cloud analytics and built-in compliance tools.

On the platforms of large cloud providers, there is an active development of cloud service marketplaces (the sale of their own and partner solutions on SaaS). The B2B-Marketplaces is largely based on the experience of the B2C segment, it acts as a driver in working with new technologies. In ordinary life, users are more open to innovation, and the barriers of entry for technological solutions are lower. In the corporate sector, the situation is different - customers require significant investments in integration and training of personnel, explaining the potential benefits of new tools. Therefore, the B2B sector is gradually adopting best practices.

"Diffusion" of IaaS and PaaS

The trend is long-term and has been relevant before. The clear integration of infrastructure and platform solutions is becoming the basic norm, the market is moving towards a complete merger of IaaS and PaaS. Interpenetration of segments is becoming an inevitable stage in the development of cloud solutions, experts say.

There is an opinion that PaaS continues to take a stake from IaaS. PaaS is growing rapidly and there remains a margin of growth in the segment.

According to Grigory Atrepyev, CEO of Yandex Cloud (part of Yandex B2B Tech), the infrastructure services market has reached saturation, and the trend towards import substitution in the IaaS segment is gradually weakening, which leads to a slowdown in its growth rate. At the same time, the PaaS segment is becoming a driver for the development of the combined IaaS + PaaS market thanks to the efforts of local players to create analogues of the departed solutions. According to Yandex Cloud's internal estimates, PaaS's share will gradually increase and reach 25% by 2028, up from 22% by 2025.

It is possible that there are some other factors pushing segments to merge due to the development of technology, and not just saturation of the IaaS segment? For example, experts say that DevOps requires closer integration between infrastructure and development processes. Also, the growing popularity of microservices requires a more flexible and scalable infrastructure that IaaS + PaaS can provide . Docker and Kubernetes have become the standard for application deployment, and these technologies are seamlessly embedded in both models, smoothing out differences. Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) is essentially a merger of IaaS and PaaS, allowing developers to run container applications without infrastructure management.

It is also believed that IaaS and PaaS are integrating more closely due to the need to improve manageability and infrastructure support. These processes are becoming more complicated, hence the growing demand for their automation. Customers are no longer looking for hardware, but services with "binding." Providers are increasingly offering hybrid packages where DevOps tools are already built in.

The market has a request to work with ready-made all-in-one solutions, hybrid approaches reduce the total cost of ownership, large companies are actively developing Infrastructure + Platform and are striving for market consolidation - the phenomena of platforming and ecosystem are flourishing. In Russia, SMB may even face rising prices due to a decrease in the number of players in the market.

The growth of the request for automation, digitalization, the growth of AI - all this also affects the "diffusion" of the IaaS and PaaS segments: complex solutions (AI/ML, Big Data) are deployed faster without deep expertise, the entry threshold for business is reduced, the digitalization of SMB is accelerated.

PaaS automation tools built into IaaS help speed up releases and improve quality. Rapid deployment of platforms with the necessary CI/CD components, databases, containerization - all this reduces time-to-market.

In the second half of 2025, experts expected significant progress in merging segment functionality. As predicted in Gartner, in 2025, organizations in the world were increasingly interested in the effectiveness of cloud infrastructure and platform services (CIPS).

Gartner defines the CIPS market as a fully functional platform where IaaS and PaaS capabilities are delivered as integrated cloud services. According to the forecast, the cross-cloud integration platform (CCIF) will be a key factor in the implementation of the CIPS model. And end-user spending on CIPS will grow by 24.2% in 2025 and reach $301 billion.

Multiovercast

The trend for multi-cloud is not new, this approach is already becoming the norm. More than half of midsize and large companies have made multi-cloud architecture a standard strategy. According to Gartner, 90% of organizations in the world will switch to hybrid clouds by 2027.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Alexander Obukhov, Product Director of RTK-DPC

Large businesses prefer to use several clouds from different suppliers to minimize risks (for example, Russian plus foreign clouds through partners). Companies share the main systems, test environments, and improve fault tolerance with the "Each cloud has its own area of ​ ​ responsibility" approach. Different clouds are used to meet requirements specific to different regions or industries (152-FZ or CII requirements).

Access to different services from different providers gives variability and flexibility to companies that do not want to depend on one supplier. For example, they can select the appropriate quote for a specific workload. Or they can store sensitive data on their own servers while maintaining control, while using scalable computing resources in the cloud.

Multicloud is an option for advanced companies. The successful implementation of such a model requires a deep understanding of the features of each cloud platform, careful planning and the involvement of experienced specialists. On the other hand, the growing complexity of management entails demand for Cloud Management Platforms and cross-cloud orchestrators (OpenStack, Kubernetes).

Multi-cloud strategies have great potential, but the dynamics of growth will also depend on the provision of new competencies, the general situation in the economy. In the meantime, more complex specialized solutions are beginning to be in demand, niche players are strengthening, offering, for example, clouds for the public sector or telecom.

Increasing competition and fighting two approaches

The multi-cloud approach directly changes the dynamics of competition in the cloud services market in Russia. Requirements for providers are increasing. Customers expect not only reliability, but also compatibility with other cloud platforms, as well as the availability of tools for orchestration and centralized control. The price is not only ready-made cloud services, but also expertise in building a complex distributed architecture.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Anatoly Trifonov, Head of Onlanta Cloud Services (part of LANIT Group)

As Aleksei Dmitriyev, head of the corporate development department at MyOffice, said, competition under the influence of multi-cloud is growing and shifting towards the uniqueness of services (specialized PaaS, industry SaaS, AI/ML tools), integration and management (convenience of work in a multi-cloud: single billing, monitoring, security), MSP development (Managed Service Providers), ecosystems and partnerships (providers are fighting for a place in the "main set" of clients) play an important role. Polarization is growing: ecosystem leaders are strengthening, specialized niche players are finding their audience, and it is difficult for weak players without a unique offer. There is a price pressure on the base IaaS.

To summarize, there is a struggle between two main approaches: universal and specialized.

So, Sergey Naumov, CEO of Timeweb Cloud, believes that the development of the multi-cloud trend may lead to the fact that universal cloud giants will gradually lose their advantages.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Naumov, CEO of Timeweb Cloud

According to Sergei Zinkevich, the CEO of K2 Cloud, the key, in the face of increased competition, is not the presence of basic services, but the ability to offer the optimal solution for specific client tasks ("1C," Big Data, AI). The importance of supporting Kubernetes, Terraform and other tools on Open Source is growing, taking into account the requirements of cybersecurity. Companies have a competitive advantage for flexible integration, fast implementation, and easy management of distributed environments.

Aslan Shingarov, deputy commercial director of ActiveCloud, believes that the trend towards multi-cloud strategies leads to increased competition, but also allows smaller providers to specialize in specific niche services, for example, GPU clusters, specialized SaaS platforms.

On the other hand, large companies are betting on ecosystems, UX/UI advantages of all-needed-in-one platforms and profitable price offers.

According to Dmitry Lazarenko, Product Director of VK Cloud, market players are actively investing in local ecosystems: they integrate with ERP systems, launch partner programs and develop additional services. According to the expert, all this reduces the barriers of entry for business, but requires significant costs from providers for marketing and product development. And in order to attract and retain customers, providers are increasingly offering flexible tariffs and individual terms for long-term contracts. Interoperability is also developing - for example, many Russian clouds have begun to support APIs from international platforms like AWS.

According to Natalia Efimtseva, system architect of ICL Services, multi-cloud shifts the focus from the scale of the infrastructure to the level of integration, solution compatibility and ecosystem depth. The expert believes that the multi-cloud, conceived as a defense against "vendor lock-in," may become its new variation - but already at the level of management, not infrastructure.

Giants can win the competition, suggested Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS. The expert noted that the largest market players have more resources that they will definitely direct to achieve dominant positions in each segment.

It seems that niche players will have to respond to attractive price packages by maximizing quality.

As Semyon Nazarov, architect of MONS (part of the KORUS Consulting Group of Companies), said, multi-cloud has influenced loyalty, which from now on has to be earned not through discounts, but by maintaining the necessary level of service, and customers (especially large ones) have new requirements - in priority quality, level of technical support, stability and security of cloud services.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Szhenov, Product Development Director EdgeÖåíòð

Competition between providers is beneficial to customers. Providers are forced to increase expertise, offer more related services, develop specialized and unique (for a specific customer) services (for example, cybersecurity), offer flexible tariffs, cross-platform integration. Customers are making new demands by driving solutions that can be easily integrated with a variety of cloud environments. The speed of development of cloud services and the quality of service are growing.

In addition to high competition and the creation of multi-cloud environments, said Alexander Obukhov, Director of Products at RTK-DPC, the key characteristics of the Russian cloud market in 2024-2025 are fragmentation, the technological race, and price competition. The cloud services market in Russia is saturated with both large players and niche providers offering specialized solutions. This creates the conditions for healthy competition, stimulating innovation and improving the quality of services. Therefore, despite the growing demand, companies are forced to keep prices at an acceptable level, offer more favorable conditions for customers and invest in new technologies, increasing the efficiency of solutions.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Borodachev, executive director of DataRu Cloud

Barriers to growth

Factors that slow down the market include personnel shortages and logistical difficulties, price increases due to increased equipment costs and salaries. It is worth noting the impact on the IT market of the Central Bank's high rate, which significantly complicates the implementation of large IT projects, especially for medium and large businesses, due to the rise in the cost of credit resources. A kind of barrier is overestimated expectations from measures for reactive import substitution. Despite the presence of separate Russian solutions, for example, in the field of virtualization and private clouds, there is still a lack of integrated, integrated products that can painlessly replace foreign counterparts on a large company scale.

Key success factors for IT companies can be personnel policy (training specialists, automation), diversification of supplies, strengthening information security. Import-dependent and specialist-strapped players could lose market share. The business should be prepared for significant investments related not only to licensing, but also to the adaptation of new systems, personnel training and, possibly, restructuring the IT infrastructure, which makes it critical to pre-plan the budget and assess potential costs to minimize risks and ensure a smooth transition to domestic software and equipment.

Dependence on foreign equipment

Dependence on foreign equipment is one of the most serious challenges for market participants, according to interviewed experts.

After the departure of Western vendors (Dell, HPE, Cisco, etc.), Russian cloud providers almost completely switched to server and network equipment from China and Taiwan (Huawei, Inspur, etc.). The trend to increase dependence may continue. Trade between Russia and China is expected to continue to grow in 2025, possibly reaching $250 billion .

Most of the key components for IT infrastructure, including servers and storage, are purchased abroad. This creates risks related to logistics, prices and affordability. Any delays in deliveries could force companies to look for alternative suppliers and review strategies. The search for alternative sources can affect the timing and cost of deploying new capacity.

In addition, the rise in prices makes itself felt. Imported servers and network equipment have risen in price, overpayments affect the increase in the cost of infrastructure and the capital costs of providers.

Logistics issues are not as acute as in 2022, but they cannot be completely discounted. Experts give conflicting signals about the stability of supply chains, a lot goes through parallel imports, and there is an opinion that logistics have even become more complicated. There are concerns in the market that sanctions could lead to a shortage of servers and network equipment.

The risks of changes in export control, delays, the emergence of new restrictions, and further price increases remain. There are also technical risks: the complexity of certification and compliance with FSB requirements, especially for components built into the communication and computing infrastructure.

For example, Yulia Mickiewicz, Operations Director of IT company KODE, said that under the conditions of sanctions restrictions and the departure of Western vendors, delivery times increased, risks arose with compatibility and service. Many data centers are struggling to upgrade because it takes months to replace critical components.

Part of the problem is trying to solve at the expense of local production. Interest in local vendors is growing - problems stimulate the development of domestic solutions (Elbrus, Yadro, Baikal Electronics) and recycling. Although local manufacturers are increasing the production of servers and other equipment, their share in cloud infrastructures is not yet large. The capacity and performance of Russian analogues are still limited.

According to the commercial director of the Cloud4Y, Marat Khadumagomedov, the development of its own production is possible with state support. Suppliers (China, India, Vietnam) should be diversified, and the available capacity should be optimized.

Shortage of specialists

According to estimates, the Ministry of Digital Development Russia deficit of IT personnel at the end of 2024 amounted to 700 thousand positions, and by 2025 it could grow to 1 million. Competing for specialists, companies increase remuneration, salaries, give additional benefits, organize training programs, motivational events. Rising costs affect the price of goods and services. The market is oversaturated with Junior specialists, and Middle and Senior with the necessary experience are difficult to find. Because of this, many projects can be postponed or canceled. A large amount of work falls on employees, which often leads them to burnout. All this cannot but affect the accuracy of planning and implementing strategies. In addition, the lack of expertise can negatively affect the reliability of solutions. A decrease in the quality of service leads to an outflow of customers. In addition, the possibility of new players appearing on the market is reduced.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Alexander Shlychkov, Director of Marketing Department MANGO OFFICE

What specialists are missing from the cloud services market today? It seems that the issue in narrow-profile specializations is especially acute. Most experts named the following positions: DevOps, system administrators, information security experts, cloud architects, experts in Linux stacks, specialists in multi-cloud systems. At the same time, among IT specialists, there is a bias in the preferences of career guidance more towards cybersecurity than DevOps or administration.

The shortage slows down the development and implementation of new services and is most acute in complex projects. Personnel shortages affect 20-30% of projects: companies simply cannot quickly implement the necessary solutions due to a lack of professionals.

According to Alexei Dmitriev, head of the corporate development department at MyOffice, the personnel shortage factor is critical and restrains migration and the introduction of complex services (PaaS, AIaaS).

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Anatoly Trifonov, Head of Onlanta Cloud Services (part of LANIT Group)

Accelerated development of educational programs is proposed as possible measures. Providers and customers need to actively invest in training and retention of valuable personnel.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Natalia Efimtseva, system architect of ICL Services

However, the deficit has a downside: it strengthens the demand for professional services of cloud providers, which have strong expertise in Linux solution stacks. The position of providers with extensive integration experience is strengthened, as they can offer flexible scenarios for individual needs.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Semyon Nazarov, architect of MONS (part of KORUS Consulting Group of Companies)

Anastasia Ugoleva, Marketing Director of ITKey, for example, believes that there is no total personnel hunger in the market:

This is confirmed by colleagues from Elementum Technologies: at the beginning of 2025, 144 thousand engineering vacancies were posted (-16% by 2024), while active resumes 452 thousand (+ 11%). "

Formally, supply exceeds demand, but another problem manifests itself in the practice of cloud projects - the lack of specialists who already know how to keep production-SLAs and work with specific stacks. Anastasia Ugoleva noted that the skills of specialists need to be developed from the first day of work in the company, and for some positions (DevOps-, DevSecOps), induction can be increased to six months instead of the standard three months. This adaptation scheme reduces the average time-to-fill position by a third with the same payment fund, and moreover, it better prepares employees for work in production.

Cyber threats

Russia is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of cybersecurity spending, which means it is rapidly gaining the necessary competencies to fight for leading positions in the world. The impact of the cyber threat factor will continue to grow, said Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS:

Nearly 200 million DNS attack attempts were prevented in the first four months of 2025 alone and the figure will continue to increase. "

In response to these challenges, the use of SOC, centers for monitoring and responding to cyber threats, is gaining popularity in Russia. Today, more than 80% of domestic corporations consider SOC to be the answer to growing risks.

Regulators require government agencies and CT facilities to use exclusively local solutions. The requirements of the FSTEC of Russia and the FSB of the Russian Federation for data localization and certification are tightening, the demand for "sovereign" clouds and Managed Security services is growing.

Large companies are betting on their own cloud infrastructure. In turn, the SMB segment is interested in ready-made specialized Solutions SaaS, including CRM, analytical platforms and tools for their development, as well as ready-made services that do not require modifications.

Despite the risks associated with availability and security, cloud services remain a cost-effective alternative for businesses, especially in the face of staffing shortages and shrinking IT budgets.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Zinkevich, CEO of K2 Cloud

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Anatoly Trifonov, Head of Onlanta Cloud Services (part of LANIT Group)

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Alexander Obukhov, Product Director of RTK-DPC

Increasing attention to information security stimulates the development of suppliers' competencies and investments, for example, in SECaaS (Security as a Service). The information security factor has become one of the key when choosing a provider, it affects the timing of project implementation and decision-making. Along with the increase in provider costs for technology, processes and certification, prices for customers are also growing. Security costs cannot but be reflected in investments in the development of the industry. Cloud security costs have risen 40% in the last two years alone, according to Positive Technologies.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Yulia Mickiewicz, COO of IT company KODE

Experts call IB-2025, Zero Trust, audit and certification the main trends in the 152-FZ cloud services market.

The number of organizations that seriously assess the reliability of cloud infrastructure has significantly increased. Companies assess existing threats and risk factors, pay attention to the availability of appropriate standards and certificates for cloud operators (ISO 27001, PCI DSS 4.0, GOST R 57580.1-2017, etc.). Tightening regulatory requirements for information security increases the importance of compliance. In addition, the market does not exclude the possibility of the emergence of new laws on data storage, certification of cloud providers (analogues of FZ-152, FZ-187).

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Naumov, CEO of Timeweb Cloud

According to Aleksei Khmelnytsky, CEO of RooX, which specializes in access management and the development of web platforms for the corporate sector, distrust of external cloud infrastructures remains in the corporate sector, especially among large Russian companies. Many prefer hybrid or private clouds to maintain complete control over their systems.

According to the expert, the introduction of cloud services requires a balanced approach, especially in the context of growing competition and the emergence of new technological challenges, such as the integration of AI. Security issues here are taking on a new dimension, as AI agents can act autonomously by interacting with corporate systems. Regulatory requirements are already emerging, for example, the recent FSTEC order No. 117, which explicitly prescribes protection against unauthorized access and AI actions.

Aleksei Khmelnytsky noted that the market for cloud solutions for access control in Russia is only being formed, but the demand for them is still low due to the insufficient prevalence of cloud services with which they could integrate.

Comparison with other markets

The digital transformation of the business is driving a steady growth in demand for cloud services worldwide. Global technological trends are AI/ML integration (clouds for model training, for example, AWS SageMaker, Azure AI; integration of ChatGPT-like LLMs into cloud platforms as a service, AI-optimized chips in data centers; dramatically increases GPU demand; in the world of AI/ML already brings measurable business benefits), hybrid and multi-cloud solutions (Kubernetes, OpenShift), Edge computing (cloud closer to the user, 5G + cloud), "green" data centers (sustainable solutions, for example, Google Carbon Neutral Cloud; reduction of carbon footprint).

From the point of view of regulators in the world, GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California) are relevant - strict data requirements. In cybersecurity - Zero Trust, data encryption. FinOps maturity (automation of cloud cost optimization) and Serverless (dominating the new development) are relevant. A rather bright trend is the construction of industry cloud solutions, the active development of hypotheses using quantum computers continues to remain relevant.

The global market is dominated by American companies. According to Synergy Research (2024), the world market leaders are AWS (33%), Microsoft Azure (22%), Google Cloud (11%), the volume is $600 billion, the growth rate is 15-20%, especially high - in Asia (China, India, South Korea).

Companies across industries, such as finance healthcare and manufacturing, increasingly prefer specialized cloud platforms that address their unique needs and customer requirements. To Europe For example, the US and the US are actively developing cloud solutions for that health care ensure the security and privacy of medical data.

The European market is focused more on gaining independence, said Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS. According to the expert, as a result of anti-Russian sanctions, energy prices have risen, and European business is trying to look for more profitable options, getting out of US dependence, and concerns about data privacy in the clouds have been updated in Brussels.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS

In Europe and Asia, experts call the following common current trends: AI-optimized chips such as NVIDIA H100, the rapidly developing segment of generative AI as a service (GAIaaS), focus on energy efficiency, digital sovereignty, "green" data centers. In Europe, there is an interest in Edge computing technology in the context of the development of IoT and 5G. In Asia, especially China, Edge computing is being actively introduced in various industries such as manufacturing, logistics and smart cities.

Asia is actively developing its own AI platforms (for example, Baidu AI Cloud), cloud platforms for e-commerce and logistics are popular. China, India, South Korea demonstrate the highest growth rates. In China, Alibaba Cloud, Tencent, Huawei dominate, there is an emphasis on AI, Big Data, IoT, there is tight state control (Great Firewall). In India, the market is characterized by rapid growth (Jio, Tata Cloud), a noticeable trend for cheap startup solutions. Western company solutions are popular in India and Southeast Asia. In Japan, the market is partly controlled by local NTT, Sakura and others.

Against this background, the domestic market is developing dynamically and quickly adapts, but this development is isolated with an emphasis on sovereignty. The focus is more on affordability and sustainability in difficult economic conditions. There is a lag in technology: especially in AI/ML (access to advanced chips/models), Serverless adoption, Edge, quantum computing. The Russian market is developing in line with global trends, but lagging behind Western and Asian ones also in terms of cloud penetration.

The overall lag estimate varies between 2-5 years. The lag is associated with a number of factors, such as the economic situation, geopolitical situation, peculiarities of regulation, lack of personnel. At the same time, in terms of growth rates, the Russian market is ahead of the global one, like many local ones, but adjusted for specific conditions, including a high loan rate.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Aleksei Dmitriyev, Head of Corporate Development at MyOffice

Шаблон:Quote 'by=Valentin Sokolov, Chief information officer of cloud platform RCloud by 3data

In Russia, such trends as import substitution (the transition from AWS/Azure to domestic platforms), the growth of demand for protected clouds from the public sector and military-industrial complex (for example, GosCloud), and their own AI solutions are relevant. Hybrid solutions are expected to deepen, the development of AI tools.

Unlike other markets, in the Russian Federation, the use of AI remains targeted - to close a number of scenarios. At the moment, we can even talk about the absence of a serious cost reduction, a tangible increase in profits due to the use of AI. Nevertheless, the trend towards the use of AI, for example, in industrial production in Russia is quite relevant.

In conditions of limited access to modern chips and Western technologies, the development of state initiatives is becoming a key guideline: local cloud services are increasingly supported by the state and are aimed at creating alternatives to global platforms.

One of the unique features of the market is the emphasis on compliance with strict regulatory requirements of information security: there is a law on data localization (storage of personal data in the Russian Federation), certification/ FSTEC(FSB requirements for information protection).

Sanctions restrictions create difficulties with the supply of equipment for data centers, sovereign clouds are developing (for example, based on Astra Linux), there is an emphasis on the domestic market (less aimed at exports, although expansion into the CIS and other markets is possible).

Export of Russian cloud services

Aleksei Dmitriyev, head of the corporate development department at MyOffice, estimated the export segment at less than ₽5 billion in 2024 from ₽7 -10 billion by the end of 2027 and growth in 2025-2027. by 15-25%.

The direction's growth by 20-25% in 2025 is predicted by Sergey Szhenov, director of product development at EdgeÖåíòð. Dmitry Lazarenko, Product Director of VK Cloud, named the volume of ₽15 -20 billion at the end of 2025.

According to Marat Khadumagomedov, Commercial Director of Cloud4Y, in 2023-2024. the volume of exports of cloud services by Russian providers is estimated at $100-300 million (according to indirect estimates, since official statistics on this segment are poorly disclosed). Anastasia Ugoleva, Marketing Director of ITKey, also noted that the volume is difficult to estimate due to lack of statistics.

The main sales markets: CIS (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Belarus), BRICS + (especially active work with government agencies and companies under sanctions pressure), EAEU, Asia (including Southeast), Middle East. There is a growing demand for AWS/Azure alternatives in friendly countries (India, China, South Africa, Brazil). Also, despite the sanctions, niche B2B clients in Europe and Asia work with the Russian Federation . There are successful examples of companies entering the markets of Latin America and Africa (where Egypt and Nigeria are relevant ).

As Nikita Tsaplin, general director of the hosting provider RUVDS, said, as the practice of the sovereignty of national segments of the Network spreads, Russian companies have opportunities to enter new markets.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Nikita Tsaplin, CEO of hosting provider RUVDS

The expert noted that Africa is a very promising region, from the point of view of IT, and the developing economies of the continent have every chance of becoming new markets for Russian players.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Evgeny Svidersky, director of the cloud business ITGLOBAL.COM

The Russian examination is in cyber security demand. Foreign partners are interested in both large-scale infrastructure solutions of national importance and products for small companies. Particular interest in this area was noted in Southeast Asia, Africa, as well as in the Middle East.

Industry solutions, ERP and CRM can be relevant in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Often, the export of cloud services is in conjunction with software development and technical support, which increases their attractiveness.

Virtual infrastructures with flexible configuration are in demand. Proximity to the client - in terms of language, culture, support model and feedback speed - is becoming an important competitive advantage of Russian providers. For many companies, this plays a decisive role in choosing a supplier, especially in conditions of limited access to foreign services.

As Alexander Obukhov, Product Director, said, the RTK-DPC company sees three main options for cooperation: assistance and expertise in launching its own cloud platforms for providers in other countries; providing cloud platform resources RTK-DPC for the sale of cloud services to customers in other countries under the brand of providers of these states; integration of cloud platforms to provide services of foreign providers to users in the Russian Federation.

The expert noted a major case of 2024: the company's cloud platform was deployed in Armenia on the basis of the Ovio operator and became one of the largest cloud installations in the country.

The following factors also play in favor of Russian exports: the exchange rate for import substitution (allows you to create unique products that are already in demand abroad), state support and political influence (subsidies, promotion through ВЭБ.РФ, the Russian Export Center, BRICS +, the EAEU), the desire of individual countries for "digital sovereignty," their interest in specialized solutions (in cybersecurity, the public sector, geological exploration, etc.).

Barriers are factors such as limited global infrastructure (few data centers abroad), technological lag (lack of AI/GPU services, a weak SaaS ecosystem), currency and payment risks (problems with international settlements), the possibility of tightening sanctions against IT exports, competition with Chinese (giants like Alibaba Cloud) and Indian clouds. Also mentioned are problems with product certification, lack of recognition of Russian technological standards. Difficulties arise with the localization and legal elaboration of contracts, regulation, promotion of brands.

Export potential can grow due to the adaptation of products to local regulatory and technological requirements of different states, as well as due to the more affordable price of Russian solutions compared to Western counterparts. There are prospects, especially for companies operating on the white label model or offering industry solutions. The most likely exporters will be large players with state support (for example, Cloud.ru, RTK-DPC) and niche vendors of information security/regulatory solutions. In the coming years, Russia may occupy its niche in countries with similar regulatory requirements, further developments depend on geopolitics, competitiveness, innovation and compliance with local standards.

According to Cloud4Y 's forecast, by 2030, an explosive growth of the export direction is possible due to expansion in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the development of hybrid and multi-cloud solutions, partnerships with Chinese (Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud) and Middle Eastern providers. A significant breakthrough requires investments in infrastructure and technology (AI, Big Data, quantum computing).

Protectionist measures

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation [1] is studying the issue of gradually limiting the use of foreign clouds in those areas where there are "mature Russian analogues." We are talking about foreign cloud services that continue to be used in Russia, despite the fact that many of them formally stopped working in the market. First of all, these are the large cloud platforms Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform. Priority for replacement will be given to the cloud services of the Russian bigtech.

How will the implementation of the voiced intentions affect the market? According to experts, as a result, not only will the positions of Russian providers strengthen, but a number of neutral-negative factors may arise. Also, this decision will have long-term consequences.

Among the positive effects: an increase in demand for services of domestic providers by 15-25% - especially in the public sector, the financial sector, the fuel and energy complex, transport, telecom - in segments with "mature analogues." Local providers can get a strong impetus for development. Import substitution will accelerate. Investments will be made in R&D of Russian platforms, and, in general, in the IT sector. The state can increase funding for the development of competitive cloud solutions, the development of local IT development and infrastructure will receive additional incentives. The development of domestic analogues of foreign cloud and related solutions (databases, virtualization systems) will accelerate.

What could go wrong? Artificial market stimulation can lead to a decrease in competition, experts warn, and with high protectionism there is a risk of technological lag.

Migration from foreign platforms will require business time and money, and Russian counterparts can be more expensive or less functional. It will be especially difficult for companies using specific foreign services (AI/ML tools, niche Solution SaaS). Russian cloud platforms are still lagging behind in terms of scalability, global infrastructure and some technologies (for example, in the field of AI). An abrupt transition can lead to temporary disruptions, especially if migration is carried out in a short time.

Big players will strengthen the position, but small providers can be absorbed or leave the market. Companies that are critical to foreign clouds (for example, to work with international customers) may face additional difficulties.

The initiative will strengthen the Russian IT sector, but at the cost of time to business. Success will depend on the speed of development of domestic cloud technologies, the flexibility of regulators (a phased transition is more important than strict bans), government support (subsidies, tax breaks for migratory companies). If restrictions are introduced without proper preparation, side effects such as a decrease in the efficiency of digitalization and an increase in the shadow use of foreign services through bypass schemes are possible.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Sergey Szhenov, Product Development Director EdgeÖåíòð

According to Dmitry Denshchikov, director of cloud services at the Telecom Exchange IT integrator, the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Development is timely and aims to leave money within the country, sending it to R&D, stimulating the development of domestic solutions.

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Denshchikov, Director of Cloud Services at Telecom Exchange IT Integrator

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Dmitry Borodachev, executive director of DataRu Cloud

Шаблон:Quote 'author=Alexander Obukhov, Product Director of RTK-DPC

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