Estimates and prospects of software import substitution in Russia

2023: How import substitution of software in Russia is moving - situation assessments and prospects

The course for the use of Russian software was announced back in 2016. Further, from year to year, adjustments and changes were made to the regulations, the purpose of which was to oblige state customers of all levels to purchase software developed and produced in Russia. In other words, the course was specified. However, its lack of alternatives became fully realized by such organizations only last year. The result was an explosive increase in their demand for software of all classes from a single register of software for electronic computers and databases.

Read about how Russian vendors managed to satisfy it, what difficulties and contradictions they had to face, as well as what actions the regulator expects from developers in the near future, in the new material. TAdviser

About the scope of the task

In the Classifier of programs for electronic computing programs and bases, data approved by order Ministry of Digital Development No. 486 of 22.09.2020, 11 categories were allocated. software It

• built-in, ON
• system software,
• information security tools,
• software development tools,
• applied software,
• office software,
• linguistic software,
• industrial software,
• organization process management tools,
• data array processing and visualization tools and
• data analysis tools.

According to official data, in Russia, for 80% of solutions in the field of information technology, their own analogues have already been developed, − comments Kirill Timofeev, head of the infrastructure and services operation department of OBIT.

We included them in the list of particularly significant projects that are being finalized and implemented in different industries. By the first quarter of this year, 10 such projects were fully implemented, by the end of the year we will complete another 9, the rest of the projects will be implemented in the horizon of 3 − 5 years, − said Dmitry Chernyshenko.

But industrial software is only one of eleven classes of software in a single register of Russian programs, undoubtedly very important.

And what about the replacement of software products of the remaining ten categories after leaving the Russian market of foreign vendors, as well as international cloud service providers? How fully does it replace the functionality of foreign solutions, how flexibly adapts to the IT infrastructure of each individual customer - in other words, how does it meet the needs of potential customers? And finally, the last question: is it compatible with each other and with Russian hardware, i.e. processors?

This is what I want to talk about.

Industrial softwares

To determine the priority directions, types and classes of software necessary for import substitution of foreign industry product solutions, as well as to set technical assignments for vendors to develop products for the needs of the Russian industry last summer, on behalf of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, 35 industrial competence centers (ICC) were created in Russia. By the end of 2024, 37.1 billion rubles of budget funds were allocated for co-financing the creation and introduction of new products in the amount of 80% from.

The software products developed with these funds should be implemented at enterprises and in companies that, within the framework of the ICC, participated in the preparation of terms of reference, as well as delivered to the markets of other countries.

As a result, 32 industrial competence centers by industry affiliation were formed, which were headed by the heads of state corporations or large companies with state participation. Each of them included representatives of customer companies of solutions, products and services based on IT, which formulated technical tasks for the development of the necessary to maintain the efficiency of each industry, and in the future its digitalization.

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation provided TAdviser with information on the results of the work of industrial competence centers in 2022 and in the first quarter of 2023. According to her, the main result was the approval of a list of 197 particularly significant projects: 162 projects through the ICC.

The total costs of ICC projects amount to 202.1 billion rubles. Most of them are implemented at the expense of companies' own funds or other support measures, and 46 projects claim grants in the amount of 25.3 billion rubles. By the beginning of May 2023, agreements were concluded with 25 projects that received funding in the amount of 15.9 billion rubles.

Projects implemented through grants are mainly aimed at import substitution of products by classes: PLM, CAE, CAD, MES. Control over their implementation is carried out within the framework of the "road maps" "New industrial software" and "New system-wide software." 29 projects are planned for completion in 2023.

Industrial competence centers for the replacement of foreign industry digital products and solutions (ICC) were created on behalf of the government in the summer of 2022. The main task is to ensure the transition to domestic technical solutions in key sectors of the economy. A number of ICCs have already held demo days in which their representatives spoke about the results of work and plans. More...

Visible results

There is little detailed information about the products ToR for which industrial competence centers are formed, and the press service of the Ministry of Digital Development, answering a question about the results of the activities of industrial competence centers, also did not specify which software development projects were included in the list of particularly significant.

But customer companies and their partners from time to time still talk about introducing domestic software. During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum this year, there were several rather loud announcements. Thus, Rosatom announced the inclusion in the Unified Register of Programs for Electronic Computers and Databases the development of the RuSat Infrastructure Solutions company − a digital platform for managing industrial facilities.

The performance and functionality of SCADA "Infrastructure IoT platform version 1.3" was tested during a dozen pilot projects implemented in different regions of Russia. All of them showed impressive results - the digital platform provided a reduction in operating costs from 9 to 16%, and allowed to increase employee productivity by 5 times.

Now the "Infrastructure IoT Platform" is being implemented in the central region of the country, at a large facility with an area of ​ ​ 50 thousand square meters equipped with engineering equipment, which generates more than 50 thousand signals per second.

Delta Computers reported that, together with STC IT ROSA, they developed a domestic software and hardware complex for the Rosenergoatom concern to build a private cloud and, after successful tests, implemented it.

The hardware platform PAC built on Delta Computers products, and the enterprise-level server and desktop virtualization platform created by STC IT ROSA was used as software. The Delta Cloud Appliance resource management portal is also included in the hardware and software complex.

The solution implemented within the framework of the implementation of the import substitution program of the Government of the Russian Federation is certified for compliance with the requirements for the protection of information FSTEC of Russia of JSC Center, Atomzoprotyainform including compliance with the requirements for ensuring the safety of significant objects. CII of the Russian Federation

As Oleg Shalnov, Director of the IT Projects and Integration Department of the Rosenergoatom Concern, notes, thanks to the introduction of this hardware and software complex, the enterprise has balanced and horizontally scalable hardware solutions on the Russian hardware with predicted parameters of the quality of information systems, the level of security and cost of ownership throughout the life cycle of the solution.

In less than 5 months of implementation of the import substitution plan, RusHydro transferred the IT infrastructure to the DBMS and the modular administration and monitoring platform Tantor and centralized the management of database servers based on the PostgreSQL DBMS.

On the eve of the SPIEF, the Digital Design company demonstrated in St. Petersburg at a specialized conference on the digitalization of industry and dispatching of engineering systems "Automated Workbench of the Crawler." This solution, designed to automate inspections of equipment by mobile employees and ensure industrial safety, is included in the Unified Register of Programs for Electronic Computers and Databases. And, according to Anton Varflomeev, General Director of Digital Design, it is already used at oil and gas enterprises.

Other software

To coordinate efforts to develop domestic analogues of foreign software of the remaining 10 categories and classes, from operating systems and drivers to real-time analytical data processing and decision support tools, 12 competence centers for the development of system-wide and application software were created. The topics on which market participants unite in them partially coincide with the classes in the Classifier of programs for electronic computing programs and databases (for example, there are centers of competence for the development of operating systems, tools, information protection software development management), and in some ways differs from them. Thus, individual CDCs solve the problems of import substitution of multimedia software, cloud platforms, "ERM/, CRM game services.

But this is one of the key areas of digital transformation, ensuring such urgent rapid victories now, − declares Pavel Sergeyev (the company) Robin and proposes to create the Robotization Central Development Commission. We are ready to speak as experts and evangelicals. It is important to develop an ecosystem of services around this direction. For example, we have been working with universities for a long time, training specialists for our corporate customers. But all this needs to be done systematically and with a large level of support.

In 2022, the centers of competence of technological development contributed to the coordination of the import substitution process of software. In the approved list of 197 particularly significant projects, which we wrote about above, 35 were initiated by the Central Development Commission. According to the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation, all of them will be financed from their own funds by domestic developers in the amount of 19.2 billion rubles.

According to Roman Karpov, Director of Strategy and Technology Development at Axiom JDK, Chairman of the CDC for IT Infrastructure Management, the main task of the competence center is to form a landscape of IT solutions for the purpose of further forming a portfolio of projects for the development and implementation of domestic software products.

In the CDC UITI - different solutions. For example, a solution is being developed to replace the Jfrog-type artifact management system, there is also a project to refine the domestic Java server of Libercat applications, which replaces foreign ones, he Oracle WebLogic IBM WebSphere Red Hat JBoss says.

At the same time, according to the expert, all software needs to be replaced, but critical rates of import substitution have not yet been recruited.

{{quote 'There can be only one result here - this is the presence of the IT landscape entirely on domestic products and its replacement with customers. The implementation of current projects will take several years. However, this is a lively process, where new needs are identified and companies are ready to close them by developing their own domestic product, says Roman Karpov. }}

At the same time, since the developers of the same class of software united in the CDCs, who themselves invest in the creation of new software products, in some cases it turned out that they were not very interested in sharing information with each other.

The participants of the CC OS decided that the OS market is highly competitive and successfully developing: about a million domestic OS are installed annually. Thanks to measures to support the industry, such as tax incentives and preferences in procurement, as well as due to the departure of foreign vendors from the Russian market, OS developers have the opportunity to invest their own funds in development, and there is no need to provide budget grants, "− comments Alexey Smirnov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BASEALT and Chairman of the CDC" Operating Systems.

According to him, all projects within the framework of the TsKR OS were issued exclusively for information purposes, are carried out by developers in accordance with their internal plans and do not need external management from the project office.

A number of ICs work effectively, − comments Alexey Smirnov, − since there are industry customers with their tasks, and there are vendors involved in them, who are set specific requirements. This is an important bundle that works. At the same time, many ICCs work at their own expense, in others - grants are allocated to the customer.

During the year, preparatory work was carried out, within the framework of which the needs of customers from various industries were determined, the most successful Russian software products were selected that are best suited for import substitution, projects and road maps for the development of new industrial and system-wide software were formed, − he notes.

From his point of view, the ICC and the CDC turned out to be the most productive collaboration format, giving a good synergistic effect. In the future, such a partnership will help find the necessary products and make them fully domestic comprehensive solutions that are ready for implementation. "

Import substitution practice

The departure of Western vendors from the Russian market pushes customers to solve the problems of digital transformation in an importo-independent environment, − says Anton Varfolomeev, General Director of Digital Design.

Now the focus of ensuring technological sovereignty has shifted to operating systems, database management systems, VKS, email services and office packages, − states A. Varfolomeev.

To date, the Unified Register of Russian Software contains more than 17 thousand software products and more than 6 thousand copyright holders, so potential their potential clients - government agencies and businesses, have something to choose.

According to the report "Results of procurement monitoring to meet state and municipal needs as of 01.01.23," prepared by ANO "CKIT," the share of Russian software products in the procurement structure of FNIV, executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local self-government bodies, as well as state-owned companies and joint-stock companies with state participation, FSUEs and state unitary enterprises, state corporations and some other organizations amounted to 87.1% in quantitative and 54.2% in monetary terms. The total volume of software purchases by monitoring entities in monetary terms amounted to 2022 million rubles at the end of 189,070,8, which is almost 8% more than the indicator with which the previous year was completed.

Most often, the monitoring subjects purchased Reference and Legal Systems (8819 purchases during the observation period). In second place in demand were "Means of antivirus protection" with 3608 purchases and in third - "Means of financial management, asset management and labor resources" - 2381 purchases.

In addition to them, in the top ten most purchased software products "Information systems for solving specific industry tasks" and "Information systems for solving specific industry tasks in the field of public administration," "Software for electronic document management tools," as well as two classes of software for information protection.

However, as noted in the report, software purchases of many other classes also showed positive dynamics compared to 2021. Experts also confirm this.

In 2023, the number of requests from medium and large businesses also increased significantly, since current restrictions in the future may affect their competitiveness.

According to Konstantin Timofeev, head of infrastructure and services at OBIT, small and medium-sized businesses in the field of import substitution in the field of digital and telecommunications solutions in IT infrastructure are still lagging behind the leaders.

And here the question is not even the cost of robotization: for example, since 2022 we have not raised prices for our products, and our cloud RPA solution just gives significant savings due to the marketplace of ready-made robots and the lack of the need to pay for licenses. But the economic difficulties of small and medium-sized businesses do not allow companies to invest in optimizing processes at the moment, − says Pavel Sergeyev.

Leaving the market of Western vendors of MDM (Mobile Device Management) solutions poses a reasonable question for customers - whether to try to import replace the functionality of foreign solutions with Russian "one-to-one," or, taking advantage of the opportunity, switch to more modern technologies: container applications with smartappers inside. In the market, we see that more and more customers are choosing the second, much more efficient and cheaper option for the future.

Preferred Software

There are many software developers in Russia, and, therefore, products of their main activity. For the most part, they focus on one class of software. And since the division into segments in the total volume of the software development market was not uniform, the number of software products per class is different. For example, the number of Russian operating systems in the Unified Register of Programs for Electronic Computers and Databases is already about 90, which is too much for even a large country like Russia. At the same time, domestic software of other classes, for example, office or DBMS, is much less

System integrators have been actively helping Russian customers in import substitution since the start of SVO, so they either oriented themselves faster than others, identified the most promising Russian software vendors and entered into partnerships with vendors of the most promising software products, or already during import substitution projects they came to understand which products should be guided.

For example, NORBIT (part of the LANIT Group of Companies), according to its managing director Vladimir Vertogradov, after the departure of foreign manufacturers, revised its priorities and rethought its portfolio of solutions and products. {{quote 'Last year, − he says, − the NORBIT product line underwent a serious transformation, it included more than a dozen Russian solutions. We have entered into a number of strategic partnerships, of the latter - with Websoft, TURBO, MyOffice, DataCatalog. And now in NORBIT portfolio has analogues for each key line of business systems: ERP, CRM, BI, SRM, HRM, data management and ML. These are either several product options from proven domestic vendors, or our developments. And Sisoft, based on the experience of implemented projects on import substitution of software, has developed a clear understanding of which domestic software products are used by clients more actively than others.}}

Client server and operating systems Microsoft are replaced by products of GC "," Aster BASEALT, ROSA, − says Timur Badretdinov. − In systems backup , the undisputed leader is. Cyber Backup Desktop office applications and document collaboration are "" and "" products. and MyOfficeP7 Office Mail servers communications -, " CommuniGate Pro MyOffice Mail 2," and. VK WorkSpace Yandex 360 virtualizations There are no unambiguous leaders in the systems, since the choice of solution is determined by numerous objective and subjective factors.

OBIT has implemented a project to import replace a network protection solution for the large industrial company Europapir, introducing a product from the Russian developer UserGate. According to the customer, the domestic solution is not inferior in functionality and reliability to the Western (Barracuda), − he says.

According to him, OBIT also has experience in building from scratch the IT infrastructure of the customer - the former Russian subsidiary of a large German company from the energy sector. Such a task became acute on the agenda after the departure of the parent brand from Russia. At the same time, migration had to be carried out without compromising business continuity. To solve it, the customer had to change the global provider of regional services to the Russian one, that is, to the OBIT company, and his specialists helped replace a number of solutions that turned out to be inaccessible or unsafe for use for objective reasons.

Replacing other RPA platforms, we try not only to copy, but to add new opportunities that even the products of global companies do not have, − says Pavel Sergeyev. − After all, there is not much value for business in simply changing some robots for others. Our goal is not to transfer the error-to-error code, as our colleagues say. We optimize the service using all the advantages of the platform developed in the company.

In those segments of the IT market, where there are still few Russian analogues of foreign software products, competition for the client contributes to the development of functionality and improving the quality of development. Thus, the Digital Design and NORBIT companies offer their solutions to automating business processes.

The key areas in the field of import substitution for us are the development and implementation of systems for automating the company's business process management (BPM) and documentation management. In 2022, Digital Design took the first line of the TAdviser rating of the largest suppliers of BPM systems in Russia, which confirms the high demand for our solutions, − notes Anton Varfolomeev.

The demand for the solution is associated with the departure from Russia of Western vendors who offered such functionality in the cloud, − he explains.

A similar situation and the growth of implemented projects is noted with the product "Areopad," designed to automate meetings and the work of collegial bodies.

These are either several product options from proven domestic vendors, or our developments, − says Vladimir Vertogradov. − In the development of NORBIT products, we focused on the areas in which we have historically always been strong - BPM, CRM, SRM. We focus on three key platforms - NBT BPM (management of CRM, SRM and internal business processes), Norbit SRM (automation of procurement activities in commercial organizations), RightWay (digitalization of marketing, loyalty program management and consumer behavior). We are actively increasing ML and AI functionality to improve analytical and advisory capabilities, accelerate the adoption of informed management decisions.

The corporate mobility segment is in special rights in the IT market. They are explained by the already formed among Russian users, employees of companies, the need for such tools. Thanks to her, Russian vendors and service providers in this market segment are doing very well.

The classic problems of any Russian import substitution are both the insufficient level of maturity of Russian products and the lack of developers, − notes Andrey Vratsky. − But on the first point, unlike other market segments, we are ahead of our Western counterparts (even Microsoft does not offer smartapps), and with the developers, thanks to the regulator, the situation is much better than it could be. As for development, it is not only in import substitution, but in general, "employees should have all the opportunities for mobile work," this is a global trend, and Russia has every chance of becoming one of the leaders.

In 2022, we developed the Manager's Mobile Workplace application for the Aurora domestic operating platform, which allows heads of state-owned companies to work with documents and instructions on tablets in compliance with import substitution and information protection requirements.

How to speed up import substitution

Mikhail Mishustin determined further steps to develop industrial software development. Following the plenary session "Independence.Digital of Industrial Russia" at the TsIPR-2023, the Prime Minister instructed:

1. Launch already this year the second wave of projects for the development of IT solutions on the proposals of industrial competence centers. To finance them, the Ministry of Finance must provide for appropriate funds.

2. Organize on the basis of the ICC work on the formation of lists of typical solutions related to CII - for each industry. It is necessary to establish deadlines for replacing foreign products in them with domestic solutions, taking into account their readiness and maturity. You need to be ready for the moment when the amendments to the law on the security of CII come into force, that is, by January 1, 2025.

3. Make it easier for developers to access contracts of government companies - large industry customers. To do this, the Ministry of Finance, together with the Ministry of Digital Development, must prepare amendments to the legislation that will establish the status of the only supplier for systemically important developers and give the right to state-owned companies to conclude contracts with them without holding tenders.

4. Prepare changes to legislation aimed at stimulating venture capital investments in startups and IT companies. The government will prepare a separate action plan to form industry venture capital funds and remove barriers to attracting private investment, as well as simplify the entry of companies into the stock exchange. In order to stimulate the creation of venture capital funds by business, it is possible to introduce additional incentives and state support measures.

5. Work out the issue of spending part of the payment for the use of foreign software, which will go to special accounts, to support the development of domestic IT solutions. This measure is temporary and will be valid until the transition to domestic solutions. Thus, the initiative does not imply the introduction of new payments. Payment for the use of foreign software will be paid for special accounts only if there are no properly executed rights to use it and only until the moment of migration to Russian solutions. Such payments are part of the financial obligations of any company with respect to the Software owner.

6. Create a new competence center for the development of domestic controllers and sensors for automated process control systems.

As for other classes of software, here the regulator plans to first introduce requirements for software compatibility with Russian processors, then establish requirements for system-wide software (operating systems and databases), and then add requirements for compatibility with at least two Russian operating systems from the Unified Register to application software to the current regulatory document.

The compatibility of an application software product with Russian processors and operating systems is expected to be assessed by independent testing centers according to uniform standards. At the same time, the procedure for financing their activities - from the budget or at the expense of applicants, that is, developers of software products, is still under discussion.

Another Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Alexander Shoitov, who took part in the OS Day 2023 conference, also spoke about the need for requirements in the development of state information systems. "Since the development of GIS will require cooperation between various market participants to create entire software ecosystems, the state will impose on them requirements for standardization and unification, trust requirements and information security requirements in order to rebuild the safe software development pipeline in the entire ecosystem from the point of view of safe software development," − he said.

This will create more cross-industry universal solutions that will be replicated in related sectors of industry, − he explains his proposal.

According to the expert, due to the fact that industrial centers will interact, share developments with each other, it will be possible to avoid the parallel development of the same classes of IT solutions, create more functional software products and bring them to market faster.

Enterprises must agree on the basic functionality that everyone needs. This approach will allow you to quickly get a unified solution, and not develop for each individual company, − said Igor Zeldets.

Import substitution of all classes of software is only the first stage on the thorny path to technological sovereignty, or technological independence. Much has already been done: there is a clear understanding that there is no return road. To achieve the goal, those who develop, implement and use domestic software products take time and the ability to negotiate.

2022: What are the prospects for import substitution of software and what projects can be paid attention to

The current level of import substitution and import dependence, both in public and private businesses, is still assessed as insufficient. For example, in state-owned companies, according to the Center for Import Substitution Competencies in ICT (CKIT), at the end of 2021, the share of Russian software used was only 30-35%, with a standard twice as high. The outlook, however, is encouraging. All experts interviewed by TAdviser somehow agree that import substitution in the software market will accelerate significantly. There are already many positive examples of the transition to domestic systems and, in case of sufficient financing and the desire of customers (and in the current conditions this desire may become forced), the replication of this experience will allow achieving the necessary results in the foreseeable future.

At the same time, it is worth noting the unevenness of replacement processes, since the development of similar Western domestic solutions went with different success. And if in certain market segments Russian developers can see serious successes, then in others there may be certain difficulties.

A particularly difficult situation has developed with the replacement of system software, such as operating systems and database management system (DMS). On the one hand, replacing them comes with significant costs, because DBMS is the most conservative part of any information system. And the most difficult for migration! On the other hand, in the light of recent events, if we are talking about maintaining the operability of the IT infrastructure and reducing sanctions risks as strategic state goals, we will still have to use domestic software. And taking into account the clarity of today's situation with disconnection from support and demonstrative withdrawal from the market of Western companies, - especially, - emphasizes Mikhail Gusev, Deputy General Director of BOSS. Personnel systems. "

The use of foreign software in state strategic enterprises, which can simply be remotely stopped, has become unacceptable, says Mikhail Gusev. The clear risks of demonstrative blocking of Western software, its forced stop, loss of the ability to receive qualified support, pushed large companies to transfer part of business processes to Russian software.

So, last year the company "BOSS. Human Resources Systems "completed a project to automate personnel management at Pulkovo Airport, where a total of 16 IT projects were implemented in 2 years of large-scale digital transformation: they were able to update the IT infrastructure on time by 75%, and software and applications by 90%. And our BOSS-Personnel has become one of these Russian systems now used at this enterprise. Company "BOSS. Personnel systems "joined the import substitution process back in 2016 and at the moment offers various options for solutions to protect against sanctions risks," says a representative of BOSS. Personnel systems. "

Vladimir Zalesky, managing partner of FIS, also speaks about the difficulties of import substitution. According to him, many large companies initially introduced Western specialized solutions, which have no analogues in Russia (for example, the SAP HANA family, SAP ERP, etc.). This is especially noticeable in various industry areas - the oil and gas sectors, industrial processing enterprises and others in the real sector of the economy. Here now the main challenges and extremely ambitious tasks.

At the same time, the introduction of Western solutions also entailed the implementation, including the functionality that we did not require. Processes are already underway when Russian developers or vendors successfully solve local problems of replacing individual modules of large Western systems. As successful examples of replacement, we can cite our successful experience in the banking sector - we have a lot of replacement projects entirely with our solutions for products from Oracle (for example, Siebel), IBM (IBM BPM), Microsoft (MS Dynamics CRM), - notes Vladimir Zalesky.

There are already examples of complete replacement of the entire software infrastructure of the enterprise. Such a project, implemented at the Prioksky Non-Ferrous Metals Plant (PZTSM JSC), was told in the IT company CROC. In 2021, the company built a new infrastructure based on the Astra Linux operating system. Import substitution also covered major services, including corporate email, restarted on the basis of the CommuniGate Pro unified communications platform. PZCM JSC was fully prepared for further modernization of business processes based on domestic software and will be able to work with Russian business applications.

During the project, a configuration management system has been deployed that allows you to perform centralized automatic configuration of PCs, simplify their administration and connection to IT services. To maintain the usual flexibility in managing workstations and the level of information security, the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) was also transferred to the Russian solution. Additionally, the computers of all employees with Astra Linux were connected to the directory service and configured single sign-on (SSO) technology. This eliminated the need for reauthorization to access the company's resources and improved user experience.

The plant was one of the first in Russia to carry out such a large-scale restructuring and is now among the leaders in terms of import substitution, "explained Natalia Sofronova, director of import substitution solutions at CROC.

BIA Technologies draws attention to the fact that if it is appropriate for state business to talk about import substitution as a fact that will happen in the foreseeable future, then for private business (although its degree of interest has grown), first of all, dry calculations of benefits and the most effective options will be important. Thus, the business will face a choice - whether to replace the current foreign software due to barriers insurmountable in each specific case and too high costs, or to the last by any means to support the current version of foreign software installed at the enterprise.

The best incentive for import substitution in the commercial sector would be dynamic development and focusing on the business value, firstly, IT itself, and, secondly, domestic software produced on their basis, in terms of its commercial attractiveness for integrators and its not only economic, as well as visual, functional, service attractiveness for customers. Then domestic software will not become a catching-up leader with a copy of the Western, but a thoughtfully born product, which will initially contain a commercial and service component, and which will become interesting to all sides of the process, BIA Technologies argues.

Given the fact that the replacement rate in 2021 was significant, in 2022 we can expect at least their doubling, says Roman Karpov, director of strategy and technology development at Axiom JDK. But here, according to him, you need to understand that money has already been paid to foreign vendors and it is not a fact that there are other budgets, now for domestic software. In the end, many will make and evaluate the decision on the transition based on the risk model, as well as competencies and opportunities within the company.

The market for domestic IT solutions is already quite large. There are a lot of software products for solving a wide variety of business problems. So far, not all niches are covered, but most of the basic products are already there, - notes Roman Karpov.

In his opinion, the role of end-to-end solutions is now especially increasing, including on the basis of the Java stack, compatibility of the component is a critical issue. And compliance with the standards here is of particular importance.

Our binding software class products - Java runtime and application server - meet Java SE/EE standards and link stack components. They support all common platforms and operating systems and migration is seamless. In 2021, our partner ecosystem grew by 400%. We can guarantee the collaboration of products with leading domestic developers of OS, DBMS, applications and equipment. This allows you to create end-to-end software and hardware solutions for the implementation of import substitution projects, - says the expert.

As a successful example of import substitution, he cites the project of the VTB and Arenadata teams, calling it one of the best in the industry.

We are proud of the project that continues to develop with our NSPK client - the abandonment of Oracle Java and the transition to the domestic Java execution environment from Bellsoft in server version. The national payment card system has transferred critical services to our product: clearing, loyalty and processing. Including, thanks to this timely step, we all have the opportunity to continue to make online payments in Russia with Visa and Mastercard cards and pay with MIR cards in all countries of its coverage, - explains Roman Karpov.

And yet, if we talk about the very near future, then the most serious positions in this regard are among replicated application systems.

Import substitution up to 90% of the market in engineering software is a fully achievable goal in the next year or two, according to the SiSoft group of companies (CSoft). The decision taken not so long ago by the President of Russia (Decree No. 166 of March 30, 2022), which concerns the ban on government agencies and state customers from using foreign software in critical infrastructure, will help speed up this process.

The company ASCON adds that if earlier the import substitution of engineering software was relevant for companies on the sanctions lists or associated with the military-industrial complex, now this is the need for absolutely any business.

Foreign cloud solutions and products that were used by subscription are subject to urgent replacement. They have become the most widespread in the field of construction, so Russian developers now literally have a queue of customers, "says Pavel Shcherbinin, head of special projects at ASCON.

Russian developments in the field of unified communications should be noted. Under the UC solution, IP telephony, video conferencing, instant messengers, collaboration programs, speech recognition solutions and other communication services are built. For companies with extensive experience, the fact that legacy TDM networks can be combined with UC is important.

For example, the solution TO MOUTH ("Russian telephone node") from our company not only meets all the requirements of Roman Romanov Russian customers, but also surpasses foreign competitors in most parameters, - says the Deputy General Director for Company Development. SATEL

From the point of view of import substitution of video conferencing systems, both the prospects and the real experience are very rosy, confirms Dmitry Seryi, deputy director and co-founder of Vinteo. If we are talking about repurposing new purchases for Russian VKS products or replacing failed systems with domestic counterparts, these processes are as painless as possible for the customer, the infrastructure is expanding without the need to replace the existing equipment, that is, seamlessly.

Using the example of the Russian solution of the Vinteo VKS, if the customer has the necessary server capacity to deploy the VKS software server and the assistance of the developer's specialists, migration from foreign VKS Cisco, Poly (Polycom), Avaya, etc., takes several hours, - notes Dmitry Seryi.

An important point of import substitution now is the need to integrate domestic products with each other. For example, Vinteo, together with eXpress, CommuniGate Systems and Neutronix, is part of the UC 3.0 unified communications alliance, which offers the market a single solution for organizing fast synchronized corporate communication online, video communication, telephony, office PBX, task management, management of complex calendars, etc.

Russian electronic document management systems also have good positions in terms of import substitution. However, when choosing an EDMS to replace an imported one, you need to pay attention to the real experience of projects, says Alexander Nazarov, sales director of Haulmont. If the decision began to comply with the import substitution policy recently, then there is a risk of facing problems.

Our product, EDMS THESIS, was chosen to replace foreign systems before, when it was not necessary to ensure independence from imports. The decision was made based on the criteria of price, functionality and technology. Among these projects: replacing the Documentum system with a large cement manufacturer; replacement of Alfresco in TKB Bank, Russian Auction House and Help Insurance Company; replacing MS SharePoint with Expoforum; Replacing SAP OpenText in the 585 GOLD jewelry network replacement of Lotus Notes in PSB and NOC. Moreover, we have several projects when the EDMS THESIS was chosen by foreign customers who were not influenced by the import substitution factor, - notes Alexander Nazarov.

Over the past few years, the TESSA platform has successfully passed tests on the complete import substitution of EDMS in several major Russian companies with tens of thousands of users and hundreds of millions of documents, says Pavel Kashtanov, CEO of Synthellect. Such projects were implemented, in particular, in Gazprom Neft, Rostec Group of Companies, Otkritie Bank, Gazprom Transgaz Ufa and other companies.

Directum cites an example of a successful project in the Government of the Tyumen Region. According to Konstantin Lyanguzov, head of the business unit for working with government authorities of Directum, has done a lot of work on the transition from Directum 5 to the current fully imported version of Directum RX with the transfer of all servers to Linux and Postgres.

We plan to go the same way with all existing customers. Since last year, Directum RX has been introduced in the Government of the Udmurt Republic, and this year the Government of the Vologda Region will also be transferred to Directum RX by the forces of STARKOV Group's partner, the company says.

Docsvision talks about the project in the Administration of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, where a complex of domestic software was introduced - SDU Priority on the Docsvision platform and office software P7-Office.

This complex is deployed on domestic DBMS Postgres and OS Astra Linux, - explains Sergey Kuryanov, Director of Strategic Marketing at Docsvision.

The commercial director of ELMAAndrey Chepakin also sees excellent prospects for import substitution.

We see many requests for replacement of niche systems, class systems CRM,. BPM It's too early to talk about the results, because the replacement projects have just begun, "the expert explains.

You can successfully replace foreign solutions in other areas. For example, in the field of automation of internal audit, control and risk management, the AVACOR platform occupies good positions.

According to the Ernst & Young report, this domestic platform has previously been a leader in automation of audit and control among companies with state. participation, and in the current circumstances has become a key option for replacing such solutions as SAP GRC, SAS Enterprise GRC, Wolters Kluwer TeamMate and others for the entire segment, - explains Vladimir Kohan, Commercial Director of Digital Design.

The Russian BI platform Triaflai is successfully working on projects to replace solutions at the junction of Oracle and SAP technologies, implementing import substitution projects at Gazprom Inform, Inter RAO, and space industry enterprises, according to Artem Grishkovsky, commercial director of Triaflai.

In the field of trade, and specifically in terms of cash solutions, there are successful examples of the transition from foreign systems to Set Retail. Such projects were carried out in the networks "Globus," "Decathlon," Fix Price and others, says Alexey Ankudinov, Product Director Set of CSI.

We assess the prospects for new replacement projects positively, the expert adds.

The 3iTech expects an active transition of contact centers of state-owned companies, medium and large businesses to Russian telephony platforms and call recording systems, solutions for voice bots. According to the general director of the company Alexei Lyubimov, new tenders for replacing solutions for speech analytics are also expected.

The solutions for speech analytics were initially Russian for many customers, but there are still a number of companies that preferred foreign solutions, he explains.

In a positive light, the situation with import substitution is also looked at in the information security sector, noting that with the departure of foreign competitive solutions, Russian vendors have huge opportunities to provide high-quality protection for at least the entire Russian business and the public sector.

Our study showed that business is more clearly aware of the need to implement information security tools every year. 42% of companies feel an increase in the number of internal and external threats. In 2022, Russia faced unprecedented politically motivated hacker activity, which affects both the authorities and even small commercial companies, so the situation will still worsen. For 60% of organizations in the budget and commerce (separately in private business - for 70%!) This means a real need for protection. Thus, there will be more implementations of information security funds, - said Alexey Parfentiev, head of analytics at SearchInform.

At the same time, as the general director of Security Vision Ruslan Rakhmetov notes, for many Russian companies, replacing imported protective equipment is not required, since domestic information security vendors have successfully competed with foreign players over the past few years, winning against them with functional comparison in open contests.

As for other market segments, he said, a large number of solutions of various classes have already been created that are suitable for import substitution without losing functionality: domestic operating systems, virtualization tools, DBMS, office applications, instant messengers, video conferencing systems.

Successful examples of import substitution can be called projects for the transition to domestic OSs in a number of state structures and state-owned companies, banks, KII entities, - adds Ruslan Rakhmetov.

Rustem Khayretdinov, Growth Director of BI.ZONE, also speaks about the good prospects for import substitution:

As the experience of companies and banks that have been under sanctions for a long time shows, the combination of Russian platforms, open source software and their own developments is quite capable of almost fully implementing the functionality of digital systems that support business.

According to Research and Markets, in the coming years, the volume of the open source software market in the world will grow by an average of 21.75% per year and by 2026 will reach $66.84 billion. In Russia, the market will also reorient from proprietary to free software, said Vladimir Rogovoy, director of business development at Innovative People.

At the same time, if the software has no Russian analogues, but at the same time it is still necessary to automate processes, then two options remain - custom development or development by its own IT specialists, explains Haulmont Sales Director Alexander Nazarov. Development can speed up and reduce the cost of Low-code platforms and other similar tools.

For example, one of them is the platform for the rapid development of corporate information systems Jmix. On its basis, in particular, we developed a new corporate portal for Rosenergoatom, which replaced the SAP-based solution. The new portal allows you to unify technologies throughout the group's structure, as well as provide simple and fast customization for the tasks of subsidiaries, branches and divisions. In this case, you can carry out customization without specific knowledge and skills available to one manufacturer, while previously special qualifications were required to work with SAP. It is important to note that the Jmix platform has turned Rosatom developers into a developer full stack by unifying the technology stack and using high-performance tools. The portal is designed for a high load: at the first stage it was introduced in the central office of the Rosenergoatom concern and at the Balakovo NPP, and this is 5,000 - 7,000 jobs. The infrastructure includes the possibility of scaling up to all the concern's NPPs, which is 25,000 jobs, says a representative of Haulmont.

You can look at the situation in different ways, but right now is the most successful time to move to the strategy of digital transformation of Russia, to the competition of domestic software at the beginning on the local, and then on the world market, says Innovative People expert Vladimir Rogovoy

In 5 years, you can create a really powerful IT industry, he believes.

2020

How import substitution affected the activities of IT companies

Import substitution has significantly changed the priorities of IT companies. Many vendors and integrators interviewed by TAdviser announced a restructuring of development processes and the allocation of additional resources for this. Thus, the EOS company has greatly increased the load on the development, testing and support of products for different platforms. HandySoft said that as a result of the refusal of many customers to use MS SQL Server as a DBMS, it became impossible to use part of the development, and the use of Linux and a large number of versions of this system complicated the processes of installing and configuring the product, increased the requirements for customer IT service. SKB Kontur has adjusted product development plans and allocated additional resources for the implementation of import-substituting technologies.

Import substitution processes affect today mainly budget and state customers. For us, this is a significant share of customers, so we had to analyze many of our software products for readiness to transfer to import-substituted technologies. In this regard, we have expanded the list of technologies with which we are working today, which made it possible to simplify the recruitment of developers in teams. Also positive is the removal of requirements for a proprietary system ON in the customer infrastructure during the implementation of projects - the customer does not need to purchase licenses, Microsoft you can use free solutions on Linux, Postgree, and so on, "says Evgeny Shonov, Head of Local Software Solutions for Automating Accounting" Company. "SKB Kontur

The company, Mirapolis the vendor of the HR platform of the same name, notes that customers have become more willing to consider Russian developments.

Domestic solutions - and we are a software vendor - received priority when initially selected. If earlier it was easier for companies to go along the beaten path and prefer foreign software, now, if the software is in no way inferior to the foreign one, they are more willing to consider Russian. Manufacturers of Russian IT systems and customers themselves benefit from this. Companies, buying Russian software, invest in its development. This, in turn, allows over time to compete with Western solutions, - said Kirill Dyakov, managing partner of Mirapolis.

The new situation gave a chance to Russian manufacturers, said Dmitry Kurashev, director of UserGate.

Now we can come to big business or government departments and we will be given a chance to show our decisions. We start talking to us and we do our best to take advantage of this chance. With all this, customers are not ready to reduce the level of their requests, they want to get products no worse than Western ones and look at unfinished solutions extremely negatively. That is, if you make an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and want to run it on the customer, nothing will come of it. We have projects that last two to three years, because customers who have been using a foreign product for a long time are rolling out a roadmap with detailed requirements, which is exactly what they want. Then there is piloting, coordination of procurement, all this is not easy and takes a lot of effort and time. But the fact that this process is possible is already a great achievement, before there was not even such a thing, - he notes.

Dmitry Ivanov, CEO of HandySoft, also announced the advantages of participating in competitions. According to him, a wide interest in products from the register of domestic software and the possibility of obtaining advantages when participating in competitions is a positive experience. In addition, he noticed an increase in the number of projects for new implementations.

Vladimir Kokhan, Commercial Director of Digital Design, also noting the growth in demand for domestic products, added that I would like to see from the state more active stimulation of the transition to domestic software, supported by appropriate targeted financing.

Meanwhile, thanks to import substitution, such large projects on domestic software as the Unified State Register Office of the Registry Office, which was carried out by GNIVC, became possible. FTS Now in all registry offices of the country our OS is used, "" Viola explains the Alexey Smirnov general director. ""BASEALT

In addition, according to him, large-scale purchases and implementations of domestic software, for example, the Moscow region, have become possible. Purchases of tens of thousands of licenses for domestic OS for medicine and for education.

In 2019, about 12 thousand distributions of Alt operating systems were introduced in Russian educational institutions. In total, more than 60,000 computers work on these operating systems in educational institutions of the country. Also in 2019, we delivered more than 20 thousand operating system distributions for servers and workstations (including versions with a high level of protection) to medical institutions in Russia. Including, more than 12,000 distributions are installed on workplaces and servers in medical institutions of the Moscow region, - says the general director of BASEALT.

Sergey Kuryanov, director of strategic marketing at Docsvision, speaks about increasing the scale of projects. At the same time, earlier, according to him, domestic software was practically not used on tens of thousands of jobs: the developers did not have the opportunity to increase scalability without having pilot platforms for optimizing products.

Timur Akhmerov, General Director of BARS Group, speaks about the increase in the number of requests and projects thanks to import substitution processes.

We are a Russian developer with products in the register of domestic software and consider the state's course to support Russian solutions to be correct. The process of import substitution in IT itself affects us directly: the number of requests and projects is growing. A positive example: the introduction of our analytical platform AlphaBI in a large group of companies allowed us to see the real needs of the customer and greatly improve it. Such experience will allow us to develop a wider partner network and even enter the international market, "he says.

Expanding the partner network is another positive. Import substitution processes have pushed Russian companies to strengthen ties with each other. The company "Hi-Tech" TAdviser told about the expansion of the partner pool - domestic, often well-compatible with the products of foreign vendors, are added to the solutions of traditional Western manufacturers.

Hi-Tech is increasing its expertise in this area - partnership agreements are being concluded with leading manufacturers of domestic equipment and software, their solutions are being implemented by customers. According to rough estimates, we have carried out more than a hundred pilot and implemented more than a dozen joint projects, - said Stanislav Iodkovsky, First Deputy General Director of Hi-Tech.

The company "CROC" also expands its competencies. Stanislav Cherkov, head of infrastructure solutions at CROC, said that after the import substitution trend appeared, the company allocated a separate structure, within which horizontal ties with a huge number of developers are being built.

In ITPS, thanks in part to the IT import substitution policy, the process of transformation from a system integrator to a product company was launched.

As a system integrator, we have been developing cooperation with leading manufacturers for many years, both bringing the best world practices to the Russian market and creating our own solutions taking into account this best experience. Today in our portfolio there is also a very balanced package of vendor solutions and own developments included in the register of domestic software. Import substitution policy, of course, changes the demand for foreign products and affects the requirements for domestic products, but this should not be taken with negative, since such evolution is a completely natural process. The market is changing, and we are changing with it, - explains the head of ITPSLeonid Tikhomirov.

At the same time, the active interaction of vendors made it possible to significantly increase the number of compatible solutions, primarily this applies to Russian operating systems.

Roman Mylitsyn, Director of Innovation at Astra Linux GC, noted that the company's own need to use domestic software allowed building a closer technological partnership with Russian vendors, which, in turn, contributed to the development of the product ecosystem and a serious increase in the number of Astra Linux compatible solutions.

The policy of import substitution also affected information security companies. In the field of information security, where we work, projects with domestic cryptography feel good. All conditions are created so that state consumers support domestic developers in projects related to data protection. The long-term driver is and will be the rapid development of electronic document management (EDO) and the electronic signature market, respectively. The volume of EDO and the number of users of its systems is increasing from year to year.

The import substitution process in Russia is developing and it is unlikely that something can stop it. IT companies have preferences that they can take advantage of. Protectionism is a good thing, - said Dmitry Gorelov, commercial director of Aktiv.

In the USCS, thanks to import substitution, the portfolio of solutions has undergone fundamental changes.

In such an area as information security, import substitution began to gain momentum much faster than in related areas, therefore, by 2016, all the main manufacturers with which the company cooperates became either domestic or from countries that do not support the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation, - explains Nikolai Domukhovsky, Deputy General Director for Scientific and Technical Work of the UTSB.

At the same time, foreign manufacturers themselves, in his opinion, began to sharply lose interest in the Russian market, and some very quickly left it, leaving customers and partners with a "broken trough."

A similar trend was noticed by Sergei Kuznetsov, General Director of Unidata.

If we talk about negative examples for the market as a whole, then we, analyzing a large number of requests, see that in many cases the main negative factor is that foreign companies simply leave the domestic market, leaving their partners, literally, with bare hands. The departure of large players from the software market for large state corporations can reduce competition in the software market, which in the long term may negatively affect the quality of domestic developments, says the general director of UniData.

In turn, Yulia Kudryavtseva, director of strategic development at Forsyth, believes that the implementation of the import substitution policy and state support measures stimulate the development of the Russian solutions market.

But Forsyth rather relies on creating a high-quality and competitive product for the needs of customers. Over the past two years, an approximately equal number of projects for the implementation of our software by state corporations and commercial companies have appeared in our piggy bank. In the case of state-owned companies and authorities, the import substitution policy helps us. In the commercial sector, import substitution rules do not work. Companies choose our software instead of foreign software based on the results of tests. They compare the functionality of our and foreign software, analyze the terms of the licensing policy, implement pilot projects, and then migrate to Forsyth software. All such projects were very successful, - says Yulia Kudryavtseva.

Elena Bocherova, executive director of Akronis Infozashchita, also notes that customers choose the company's products for their quality.

Our solutions are included in the register of Russian software and are built on proven technologies that have proven themselves well. Therefore, for customers for whom import substitution has become important when choosing a product, this is an obvious plus, but we are proud that our products are chosen for their quality, reliability and usability, she adds.

The main plus of import substitution, according to the director of UserGate Dmitry Kurashev, is potential.

I am sure that there are many companies in Russia that can make gorgeous products, and not only software, but also hardware developments. We realized that in some cases one does not work without the other, so it is necessary to work in two directions at once. Moreover, we are not talking about who stamps - Apple's equipment is also produced in China - we are talking about the design of hardware solutions, this must be done. Although I can tell you that now some decisions from the point of view of microelectronics can be made in Russia, "he notes.

Joint integrated solutions of Russian developers

Integrated solutions are a promising path for the development of Russian software. By purchasing a complex product, the company immediately solves a whole range of digitalization tasks, while simultaneously closing the task of integrating software, implementing a course for import substitution and achieving cost reduction. Basically, the customer gets advanced functionality at a lower price.

The technological partnership of Russian companies is aimed at overcoming the restrictions that stand in the way of import substitution, as well as expanding opportunities in the field of automation of business processes in the corporate sector and public administration. The compatibility of software products of Russian vendors allows you to successfully solve one of the key problems of switching to domestic software related to integration between parts of corporate information systems.

Representatives of domestic IT companies told TAdviser which complex solutions include their products.

Forsyth

Forsyth is actively cooperating with its technological partners in the field of creating joint products, says Yulia Kudryavtseva, director of strategic development of the company. There are a number of effective solutions that ensure the construction of data warehouses and automation of business processes for data collection and analysis, joint mobile developments, and a specialized solution for mechanical engineering enterprises.

For example, Forsyth's joint solution Arenadata , which fully covers the tasks of data storage and processing, business process management and information visualization, allows you to achieve high-speed reporting, including on large amounts of data. The solution includes domestic software products: "Forsyth. Analytical Platform "and distributed. DBMS Arenadata DB The test results showed that there are no restrictions on platform sharing, as well as the ability to add functionality to each other by performing complex and resource-intensive pre-calculations at the Arenadata DB level, with implementations of visual representations and models at the level. "Forsyth. Analytical Platform "

Forsyth, together with the Russian software developer Postgres Professional, ensured the compatibility of their solutions by combining the capabilities of the Forsyth software complex. Analytical Platform "and Postgres Pro DBMS. Integration of products of domestic vendors allows you to offer users a comprehensive solution that includes the domestic business analytics toolkit Forsyth. Analytical Platform "and a specialized version of the Postgres Pro Enterprise DBMS. Thanks to the comprehensive solution on the market, which includes the functionality of two domestic developments, enterprises and state structures will be able to implement advanced analytical tools with simultaneous migration to a reliable, modern DBMS within the framework of the import substitution policy.

The company also talked about a specialized end-to-end solution for digitalization for mechanical engineering enterprises - "Figure BI." The solution includes the ERP system for the Infor LN industry, the Dispatcher system from Zyfra, and the Forsyth toolkit. Analytical Platform. " The integrated product "Zyfra BI" solves a whole range of tasks: it provides connection to the industrial Internet of Things of machines, collecting reliable information about the operation of production equipment and providing this data to the Infor system for real-time planning, as well as provides tools for visualizing data and building specialized reports for engineering. The extensive visualization and reporting capabilities provided by the Forsyth digital analytical platform will allow you to qualitatively analyze the production load of equipment, track the plan-fact and control the fulfillment of orders in real time.

In the field of mobile development, the company offers the market a comprehensive solution "Protected Mobility" - it includes a list of ready-made secure applications, allows you to develop mobile applications for business in a short time and ensures the global information security of the entire mobile ecosystem of the enterprise using Russian software certified by FSTEC. Protected Mobility consists of two Russian products - Forsyth. Mobile platform "and the SafePhone platform from the company" Research and Testing Institute of Integrated Security Systems "(NII SOKB).

"BOSS. Human Resources Systems "

The company BOSS. Human Resources Systems"" tested the health of the solution BOSS-personnel officer"" on operating system DEW COBALT in client and server versions. The test bench also included DBMS. Tibero This OS is certified by FSTEC and is designed to build infrastructure solutions with a very high level of protection against external threats. And a little earlier, in 2019, the company ensured the compatibility of its software complex with the operating systems of the family. "Alt"

For us, an extremely important result of the certification tests carried out is that now we can offer BOSS-Personnel as an import-substituting solution where the stack of permitted domestic technologies is used. I emphasize - to offer without any exceptions, abbreviations or simplifications of the functionality of the basic version and at the same time guarantee customers the preservation of the high level of performance inherent in the basic HRM product. This is extremely valuable for corporate clients, "says Mikhail Gusev, Deputy General Director of BOSS. Personnel systems. "

"Asset"

The commercial director of the company "Asset" Dmitry Gorelov says that all their products are designed for complex solutions. Most often, these are complex systems - information security there Rutoken products are used for two-factor authentications or systems, E-DOCUMENT FLOW for working with electronic signatures.

Open mobile platform

According to Pavel Eiges, General Director of the Open Mobile Platform (developer of the Aurora operating system), the company, in partnership with Baikal Electronics and NPP ITELMA, participates in the creation of information kiosks that can be used as infomats in MPSC, prefectures, city halls, judicial institutions, as information kiosks and self-registration terminals - in medical institutions. They can have the form of self-service terminals in employment services, automatic examiners - in the traffic police, used for other important objects and tasks. "This is a living example of the implementation of the Russian decision stack," says Pavel Eiges.

In addition, the Open Mobile Platform is actively working with the community of application software companies, which includes, for example, developers of instant messengers, VPN clients, document management systems, tools for working with CIPF, antiviruses, specialized software complexes for industry use, etc. Such large Russian IT companies as CROC, LANIT, Kaspersky Lab, InfoTeCS, Security Code, Crypto-PRO, Asset, Aladdin-RD, VTB Bank and others have already presented their products at Aurora OS.

The focus of the company's attention is to satisfy the demand of application developers for functionality. To do this, a set of development tools () is being improved SDK and application programming interfaces () are constantly being developed and supplemented API. The priority is to increase convenience, simplify and reduce the time it takes to write applications for Aurora. Read more in an interview with Pavel Eiges.

RusBITech-Astra (Astra Linux)

The Astra Linux Special Edition operating system is part of a variety of products and solutions, ranging from video recording complexes to instrument metering systems. The customer's benefit when purchasing package solutions lies in a significant reduction in the cost of the complex due to the lack of the need to independently adapt products, certify and support information protection tools, says Roman Mylitsyn, Astra Linux GC Innovation Director.

In February 2020, Greenatom, the multifunctional general service center of Rosatom, Baikal Electronics, Depot Electronics and the developer of the Astra Linux special-purpose operating system RusBITech-Astra signed an agreement of intent during the TAdviser conference Import Substitution 2020: Real Experience.

The agreement provides for joint work on the creation of a Russian workstation in the "ARM Depot Peresvet" line based on the BE-M1000 microprocessor (Baikal-M) with a package of domestic software and the possibility of modular expansion. The solution will be adapted to the requirements and systems of the nuclear industry and should contribute to the development and implementation of import-independent solutions at Rosatom. Read more here.

"Digital Design" and "Docsvision"

Digital Design products have been tested for compatibility with a number of manufacturers of system-wide software, says commercial director Vladimir Kokhan. The benefit for customers, according to him, is obvious here: without purchasing package solutions, the customer saves time and money for possible additional compatibility checks and reduces the risks of integrated import substitution projects.

Sergey Kuryanov, Director of Strategic Marketing "Docsvision," adds that the company is actively involved in the creation of import-substituting "stacks" of domestic products within the framework of the integration committee of the ARPP "Domestic Software."

Now we have integrated with the domestic DBMS PostgreSQL. Client software - with a number of domestic systems based on Linux, server software is undergoing pilot projects with domestic Servers OS. However, stacks in reality are only a demonstration, the customer has to integrate into his system not only vertically, but also horizontally. In most cases, this cannot be provided with a comprehensive solution. I think that there are practically no benefits for the customer from complex solutions now. As a rule, customers who fall under the requirements of the state policy of import substitution are trying to switch to them, - says Sergey Kuryanov.

"New Cloud Technologies"

The company MyOffice (New Cloud Technologies LLC)"" is actively working on joint deliveries with OS developers (for example, makes joint deliveries with AltLinux), developers EDMS (), EOS Case participates in the supply of software and hardware systems (for example, with products for education).

{{quote | A comprehensive supply is not only an economic effect (a bundle is cheaper than components purchased separately), but also a guarantee of compatibility and a single support point, which is always very exciting for the IT services of our customers, says Armen Kocharov, commercial director of New Cloud Technologies.

BaseALT (Alt Linux)

Alexey Smirnov, General Director of BASEALT, explains that users do not need an operating system in themselves, as a rule, it is part of complex solutions created by integrators as part of implementations.

We are doing a lot of preliminary work, ensuring the compatibility of our OS, on the one hand, with a wide range of domestic software, and on the other, with hardware, including domestic. I think that a computer based on the Elbrus processor with the Alt operating system should be considered precisely as a PAC. A laptop with an Alt Education kit is also, he notes.

There are also more specialized solutions, for example, PAC Zastava-TK, certified by the FSB as a secure remote workplace. Or kits that are being prepared by Fizpribor on the basis of the Alt OS to ensure monitoring of nuclear power plants.

From what is now especially relevant, the demand for software for remote work has grown very much. One of the few fully ready-made complex solutions is the VDI platform of BASEALT and Thionics Holding. This is a remote workplace for employees based on domestic software. It includes Alt OS for the cloud platform, automated user desktops, guest operating systems, Linux and Windows applications . The most important advantage of the platform is that it uses a terminal protocol for Linux systems, similar in features to Microsoft-RDP. In connection with the situation with the coronavirus, this decision is provided as a service, and unfolds among customers in 1-2 days, "says Alexey Smirnov.

ECM Systems EOS

Together with colleagues in the Association "Domestic Software" with the participation of Russian hardware developers, EOS invented the concept "Business Domestic Solutions" (DOR). Its essence is the creation of workable complexes, which include only domestic components: domestic applied software on domestic computer equipment under the control of a domestic OS using a domestic DBMS.

Over the past two years, we have created and shown at various exhibition sites several such test complexes for the public sector. For example, we demonstrated a cluster on Elbrus processors (with submersible cooling). Comprehensive solutions have been installed on this platform - a universal workplace for a civil servant and a complex for the provision of public services, of which our EDMS Delo and AIS MPSC Delo were an integral part, - says Alexey Malkov, Quality Director of EOS.

In addition, testing of the country's first software and hardware complex for automating public services at the MPSC has been completed. The components are completely Russian - Yakhont-UVM servers based on domestic eight-core Elbrus processors, Alt Server OS, Postgres Pro and AIS DBMS MPSC Delo.

The undoubted benefit of acquiring this "package" for the customer (in this case, for the MPSC) is its full readiness: buy and put into operation, the compatibility of the components has already been tested, everything has been tested on "live" processes in a similar organization, - explains Alexey Malkov.

The company is also working to ensure the import independence of its own EDMS - it is expanding the number of compatible OS, DBMS, office applications. The task is to bring everything that Russian vendors do in this direction into the system. This is already being done by ARPP "Domestic Software" - the "Compatibility Catalog of Russian Software" has been created and made publicly available.

It works like this: the customer chooses a software product and immediately receives information with which of the domestic products it is compatible. Of course, the catalog is still being filled, but even now it can be used by customers as a reference resource. There is no need to search for information on vendor sites, since this is where the results of testing the joint operation of products are accumulated, - adds the director of quality of the EOS company.

ITPS

The key development of ITPS - the AVIST (Asset Virtualization System) integration platform - is an umbrella for the integrated industry solution Intelligent Field. With its help, the company implements an innovative approach to organizing development and production management in the oil and gas industry using modern digital tools such as integrated modeling, potential management, integrated planning, analytics and forecasts in real time. This is the intellectualization of production based on the use of modern technologies (neural networks, big data, digital twins, etc.). The platform integrates production data streams and digital models that previously existed in heterogeneous systems separately from each other, and helps the customer choose rational and optimal scenarios for the operation and development of oil and gas fields, allowing to realize hidden potential and avoid planning errors.

The complex solution consists of several functional components that can be implemented at different times and not only for the oil and gas pipeline, but also for other industries. This in itself carries a certain value for customers. In a situation where a complex solution is designed and implemented as a single integrated complex, the appropriate necessary transformations are carried out in business processes and structure, the value of such a solution increases significantly due to the optimization of all interconnected elements of the production chain, "says Leonid Tikhomirov, head of ITPS.

Acronis ITProtect

Acronis ITProtect is working to ensure that its products are compatible and work together with Russian software from other developers. First of all, this applies to system software: operating systems, server virtualization systems, DBMS.

It should be noted that in recent years, system software developers have been striving to create as diverse an ecosystem as possible around their products, and are striving for technological partnership and integration into complexes with other Russian developers. Such packages become beneficial for customers when they build a well-developed plan for sequential import substitution of their entire infrastructure - from server virtualization systems, DSS systems, system software, information security systems, and up to application software. Then consultations with vendors will help them build the entire vertical and find options for ready-made complex solutions. For such cases, we have our own consulting, special solutions and offers, - says Elena Bocherova, executive director of Akronis Infozashchita.

2019

Positive trends in import substitution

Despite all the difficulties of the IT import substitution process, a number of experts still notice positive shifts. More and more successful Russian IT solutions appear, for the better, the attitude towards domestic developments is changing. In addition, stacks of Russian products are created, which allows customers to select software kits for optimal solution of typical tasks.

Alexander Azarochkin, head of the Competence Center, OTR believes that the trend towards import substitution is increasing every year, and in state bodies this is almost an obligatory event of roadmaps for the development of departments.

Ivan Taranenko, head of the complex solutions division of Gandalf, notes that almost all government agencies are carrying out preparatory or implementation work on a partial transition to Russian software.

Roman Romanov, Deputy General Director for Development of Satel, notes an increase in the number of requests for Russian IT solutions among organizations with state participation.

Many of the largest domestic banks, oil and energy companies are becoming more interested in domestic IT developments and setting the right vector in IT import substitution, he notes.

According to Sergei Kuznetsov, General Director of Unidata, the pace of import substitution in the IT industry is increasing every year. First, there is a growing understanding of the scale of penetration of foreign products and the risks associated with their further use. Secondly, there is an understanding of the economic effectiveness of the transition to domestic products.

I note that now on the wave of import substitution there are many players who are trying to create products based on their design solutions. If we talk about us, the core of the R&D team "UniData" has always been engaged in product development for companies of various scales - from international companies to small startups. In addition, we did not attract any commercial product solutions when creating the platform: the platform was created using an open technology stack. Therefore, one of the main advantages of our platform is flexibility and performance. To summarize very briefly, thanks to the accumulated experience, we began to use technological solutions that made the platform flexible. In turn, high performance is achieved by using the latest technological stack, which has already proven itself, "says Kuznetsov.

Evgeny Shchepilov, Managing Partner of the Service Business of I-Teco Group of Companies, notes more and more successful Russian solutions, which sometimes already surpass foreign counterparts, but are significantly cheaper. Their cost does not depend on the exchange rate, and it is better to take into account the specifics of Russian legislation, since they are created immediately taking into account current requirements and best business practices.

According to Alexander Semenov, chairman of the board of directors of Korus Consulting Group of Companies, the choice of non-Russian software in state authorities is now regarded as nonsense, although, undoubtedly, there are functional areas where it is not possible to find an analogue to foreign systems.

Despite the fact that the market understands the impossibility of obtaining a functional domestic software product quickly, the minimum number of vendors was engaged in the creation and launch of their own technological solutions (1C, Compass, Kaspersky Lab (Kaspersky)), success stories are already appearing in certain niches. In particular, I would note the products of the MyOffice and Bitriks24 lines, explains Semenov.

Anton Chekhonin, General Director of Norbit, notes that if earlier most state customers in the TA for the development and implementation of IT systems were limited to fairly standard phrases about the impossibility of using Russian software, now many state corporations deliberately prefer domestic developers.

Of course, the powerful driver of this process is the efforts of the regulator. For example, a government decision that required state corporations to replace half of foreign software with domestic software. In two months, state-owned companies must prepare and approve a plan for the transition to Russian software until 2021. It is important to note that during this time, Russian applied IT solutions have significantly increased their capabilities and have become really competitive, and this has led to the fact that the attitude of customers towards Russian developments has also changed, adds Chekhonin.

Effective IT products within the framework of the import substitution program are created only in conditions of high competition, says Dmitry Livshits, General Director of Digital Design. Such highly competitive markets in Russia, in his opinion, are the market for solutions for information security (IS) and EDMS/ESM. In this direction, the substitution trend is positive.

Another way to create effective solutions within the framework of import substitution is custom development. This is a situation where the customer and the developer jointly solve a specific problem, while closely interacting at each stage of product creation. The customer's involvement in the project and his willingness to share his expertise are the key to creating effective products that will become a worthy replacement for foreign solutions.

In this direction, there is a "warming" - customers feel an acute lack of narrow-industry solutions and are increasingly looking towards Russian developers to collaborate and create the desired product. If the history of the product begins with the task of "creating an analogue of a foreign solution" - such a product has little chance of gaining a foothold in the Russian market, - believes the general director of Digital Design.

According to Roman Zhukov, director of the Garda Technology competence center, 10 years ago, domestic software was skeptical, but by 2019 the situation had changed radically. The level of maturity of Russian solutions has become comparable to foreign counterparts and even in some cases exceeds them.

As a developer of domestic protection systems against external and internal threats, we see the situation from the inside: the number of customers who choose our products not according to the "Made in Russia" criterion has fundamentally increased, but because they work better and more satisfy the tasks of consumers, he notes.

Dmitry Sorokin, head of the department of infrastructure solutions of the Softline group of companies, sees another positive trend - domestic developers began to seriously think about the compatibility of their solutions, negotiate, offer ready-made software and hardware complexes.

For example, "BASEALT," in order to make it easier for organizations to find and select software, created and constantly updates the list of Russian software products of various classes compatible with the Alt OS.

Many yesterday's opponents of import substitution stopped looking for arguments against the transfer of their IT infrastructures to domestic software products and began to form corporate programs of technological independence. The first stage of their implementation is the choice of Russian products for automating certain processes, - says Alexey Smirnov, General Director of BASEALT.

Vladimir Rubanov, Managing Director of Rosplatforma, notes that in 2018 the number of press releases on the mutual compatibility of Russian software products with each other exploded. It became possible to build complete stacks of IT projects on Russian solutions - from server virtualization, the operating system and DBMS to applications. And such projects began to appear, including on a federal scale.

There is an unequivocal strengthening of the trend - both from the point of view of tightening regulatory regulation, and from the point of view of the heads of organizations gradually overcoming inertia and the prevailing stereotypes on the uncontested use of well-known foreign solutions, he notes.

I agree with Vladimir Rubanov and Yulia Kudryavtseva, director of strategic development at Forsyth. In her opinion, cooperation between Russian software manufacturers and their focus on creating software product stacks at the current stage of import substitution plays a large role. This allows customers to select software kits for optimal solution of typical tasks.

Today, the task of uniting Russian manufacturers is successfully being solved by the Association of Software Developers "Domestic Software," which is developing a catalog of domestic software. The catalog includes information on compatibility, the industry purpose of products presented on the Russian IT market, as well as the possibilities of their integration to solve import substitution problems. The catalog will allow system integrators and IT product developers to promote comprehensive IT solutions in the Russian market, she adds.

In general, it becomes clear that the task of replacing Western software is really difficult, but it is not unsolvable. In 2019, there is already less enthusiasm and groundless hopes compared to the start period of the import substitution process, but there is more understanding of how this transition can be implemented.

Assessing the situation, it is still clear that the share of Russian solutions in IT supplies does not exceed 5%. This suggests that we all have a lot of joint work ahead of us - the state requires measures supporting manufacturers, from enterprises - the development of products that meet the needs of consumers, - says Roman Volkov, CEO of IVA Technologies.

When will the turning point come for IT import substitution in Russia

2018 was not a turning point for IT import substitution in Russia. During this period, the process of "looking after" the authorities and large businesses to the possibilities of import-substituting solutions continued. The process of testing Russian products was more active, but at the same time there were no numerous major transactions to replace imported software with Russian software.

Fundamentally, the situation may change in the next two years, in 2019-2020.

Dmitry Vedev, Marketing Director of Applan Group, identifies 4 key factors that contribute to this process.

Firstly, the stimulation of the import substitution process "from above" will intensify and tighten. In his opinion, until recently, the measures of influence in this field were quite "soft," leaving opportunities for continuing purchases of foreign software with minimal personal responsibility for the results of the execution of cheerfully written by all import substitution plans. The appearance of the "Siluanov directive" not only introduces personal responsibility for the implementation of import substitution plans, but also establishes annual reporting on specific KPIs regarding the share of Russian software in information systems.

According to Stanislav Cherkov, head of import substitution and open source software at CROC, the demand of the head of the Ministry of Finance spurred the import substitution process, since everything moved from the stage of formal wishes to the stage of real requirements. And here we are talking about at least 50 state-owned companies that fell under this directive. The first results in the form of pilot and full-fledged projects can be expected before the end of 2019, while projects within all IT systems, and not one program area of ​ ​ the organization.

Dmitry Kurtov, director of programs at the Rostelecom Data Technology Department, adds that companies with state participation have agreed on import substitution plans for the period 2019-2021, and are already actively analyzing Russian software products. In his opinion, already in the second half of 2019, we will be able to observe the opening of a large number of large projects related to the topic of import substitution in large companies.

The second factor, according to Dmitry Vedev, is associated with an increase in the level of maturity of domestic products and the maturity of Russian manufacturers. The start of the import substitution process revealed several systemic problems with respect to Russian software. So, the vast majority of products from the registry solve a rather narrow problem. Meanwhile, the customer wants to get a working solution to the business problem as a whole.

Western manufacturers have formed their solutions for years, through their own developments and a large number of acquisitions. The way out for Russian manufacturers is to join forces to create competitive solutions. And now we see that such processes are underway. And within the framework of associations (the initiative of the ARPP "Domestic Software" to create stacks of compatible solutions), and at the level of individual companies. Here I can give an example of our mobile workplace WorksPad and its complementary solutions from InfoTeCS and Infowatch, - explains Dmitry Vedev.

In addition, many Russian developments have been actively tested by the Russian corporate market over the past 2-3 years. Many comments were revealed, shortcomings that manufacturing companies corrected by refining the product to meet the requirements of high business standards.

Today, many Russian software products are ready to leave the sandboxes for "combat" operation, a representative of the Aplana Group of Companies is sure.

The third factor is due to the fact that large state corporations such as Rosatom, Rostec, Rostelecom and others come to the IT solutions market. They display their own "heavy" software developments - both created for their own needs and purchased on the market. Large players are able to concentrate resources and investments to create complex production systems

The fourth factor is the market infrastructure that is formed around domestic developments.

Remember how foreign products "seized" the Russian corporate IT market in the 1990s? Then not only the developers themselves came to us. Western manufacturers "brought with them" reputable consulting companies that help the customer make the right choice from the point of view of global manufacturers. Dozens of translated publications appeared on the market, again focused on promoting global brands, marketing machines, exhibitions, and conferences actively worked. The vast majority of Russian developments for many years were "cinderella" in this field, working mainly in narrow niches. Today we see that such a market "infrastructure" around Russian software is being formed - conferences are being held, reviews appear, although market analytics still remain a very weak point, Vedev notes.

In turn, Timur Akhmerov, General Director of Bars Group, believes that 2019 will be a turning point for the now traditional import substitution tool - the register of domestic software. He believes that in the coming year the register will be revised and inappropriate software will be excluded - out of 5 thousand systems, the list contains at least 30% with proprietary Western components that cannot be replaced.

2018

9 major achievements of IT import substitution

1. Changing thinking and preparing the "soil"

Corporate customers have finally begun to change their attitude towards domestic developments. Russian representatives of the IT industry say that thanks to import substitution, in some way there has been a change in thinking among customers and developers. Large companies are already ready to implement mature Russian solutions on a large scale, including replacing foreign systems. The developers saw the demand for their products and are intensively investing in their development.

Alexey Vyskrebentsev, an expert on the development of the company's products, talks about such a change of thinking. Forsyth In his opinion, the period of the strongest resistance is already over, many realized that, in principle, the transition to domestic software is possible and this process is real.

The developers saw that there are new niches, new opportunities, that the country needs domestic developments, and began to focus on creating their own original products. During the time that has passed since the announcement of the start of the import substitution policy, many Russian software developers have taken a step forward, a large number of new software products have appeared in demand by the market. Integrators are also being rebuilt and include Russian products in the line of solutions offered to customers. Already, there are more than 30 business analytics systems (of varying degrees of maturity) developed by domestic specialists, "says a Forsyth representative.

Sergey Braersky, head of the information logistics department of the Insurance Company "Help," also notes that Russian vendors have begun to actively develop their products, many new solutions have appeared:

More and more Russian products can compete with foreign ones, and according to some criteria they even win. We were convinced of this from our experience when we changed the foreign electronic document management system.

According to Sergei Kuznetsov, CEO of Unidata, Russia has finally had the opportunity to create truly world-class products.

For a long time, domestic developers were on the sidelines in relation to technologies related to data management systems, and American companies traditionally played the first violin. Now everything has changed. In connection with the import substitution course, many Russian companies have the opportunity to create their own products that are in no way inferior to world counterparts, and in some cases surpass them. "Unidata," in particular, is one of the few world data management platforms capable of working with a billion records of regulatory reference information, and until recently this was almost impossible to imagine, "Kuznetsov recalls.

According to him, do not forget about a serious competitor advantage: we are talking about taking into account the domestic specifics, which was very often lacking when working with foreign analogues.

For example, we at UniData are sincerely proud that already at the stage of platform development we laid down in the product ideology the consideration of domestic requirements, laws and realities. The backbone of our team had previously worked on various international projects, accumulating the necessary experience. From the very beginning, we saw the potential for the development of data management systems that exists here in Russia. And finally, the time has come to work seriously here, - concluded the general director of Unidata

Ivan Isakov, executive director of "," speaks about a qualitative change in the perception of domestic developments and the potential of Russian IT companies. Neolant-service He recalls that three years ago it was difficult to imagine the possibility of replacing CADBIMPLM Western solutions with domestic//technologies. Alternatives like this have not even been considered. Now the Russian software for informational support of the processes of design, construction and operation of complex industrial and infrastructure facilities is perceived as quite competitive and is popular with the country's technological leaders - "," "Gazprom and Rosatom others.

Of course, stereotypes about the impossibility of the advantage of Russian developments are still strong, but every year confidence is growing in the correctness of the IT import substitution process among Russian customer companies wishing to solve the problem of dependence on Western suppliers, and among domestic developers seeking to show their capabilities not only within the country, but also abroad, - notes Ivan Isakov.

The fact that until recently corporate IT services treated Russian software with a certain caution reminds Dmitry Vedev, Marketing Director of the iT Group. According to him, at the start of import substitution in 2015-2016. no one wanted to take on additional risks, and manufacturers had to "pull up" their developments to the tough requirements of big business. During these years, customers looked closely at what domestic manufacturers have, were ready for certain experiments with domestic systems in special test zones - "sandboxes." In addition, then not everyone has yet realized the risks that, in the event of sanctions, may arise for the whole business due to IT.

According to the results of 2017 and the announced plans for 2018, we see that the mood has changed. Today, large companies are ready to introduce mature Russian developments on a large scale, including replacing foreign systems, says the marketing director of the AiTi Group of Companies.

The three years since the import substitution policy was announced have shown that this is really politics, not just rhetoric. Sergei Kuryanov, director of strategic marketing at Docsvision, considers the main result to be that import substitution has become a truly national project, which the entire IT industry has seriously taken up.

Today there is no Chief information officer that this does not care about, there is not a single vendor, neither ours, nor a foreign one, who does not try to offer the Russian market an import-substituting product or service, he explains.

Vasily Babintsev, director of marketing at Directum, believes that there has been a steady interest in domestic developments, which before that could not always compete with Western giants at the level of marketing budgets, which means they were not so known to customers.

Previously, it was difficult for many Russian IT companies to even get on the short lists of tenders for large enterprises. Today, corporations are really looking for a replacement for Western solutions, while they do not want to lower the bar for requirements. Therefore, in the wake of import substitution, those classes of domestic products that already have powerful competitive analogues, including EDMS, do the best. It has become easier for such systems to convey their advantages as domestic developments, "he says.

According to Alexei Sabanov, Deputy General Director of Aladdin R.D., the main achievement is that after loud words and slogans around import substitution, there was an awareness of the real need to reduce dependence on Western suppliers.

The essence of the achievement is that people are really in the mood for replacement and began to work. Moreover, both people responsible for import substitution and people offering domestic solutions. And here it turned out that import substitution should be approached very carefully. Somewhere the transition is clear, somewhere there is still nothing to switch to. One of the real achievements is that now, after practical exercises, it has become clear what and where we need to do our own, "said the representative of Aladdin R.D.

Alexander Nazarov, Sales Director of SADTEZIS Document and Task Management System at Haulmont, believes that many organizations only began to seriously consider Russian software in a row with foreign ones thanks to the import substitution trend.

At the same time, they found that in many areas, in particular, in the market of electronic document management systems, there are high-quality Russian solutions that are not inferior to foreign counterparts in functionality and the general set of parameters. Due to the increased attention to Russian software, the industry revived, new companies and products began to appear, new technologies began to develop, "he says.

According to Galina Akhmerova, Deputy General Director for Commerce and Business Development of BARS Group, import substitution has infrastructure achievements today. A new IT landscape is gradually being created: the public sector is already purchasing its own solutions for the needs of the country, the register of domestic software has been operating for several years, the government is creating conditions for the development of technologies with the help of a new personnel reserve, educational programs and constant dialogue with business, etc. All this leads to the creation of a self-sufficient innovation market, she said.

Today, IT import substitution is natural to consider in the context of the "Digital Economy," since they are interdependent and are reference points for each other. The program is aimed at creating a competitive domestic market for IT products. It is logical that in the business processes of Russian companies and corporations, the predominance of domestic software and subsequently a complete transition to it is one of the indicators of the successful implementation of the program, - notes Galina Akhmerova.

Dmitry Livshits, General Director of Digital Design, believes that the main achievement of the import substitution policy is to create the soil and the necessary conditions for this process.

At the same time, he believes that it is impossible to measure the success of the import substitution program by the number of implemented implementations. Individual successful projects will not be a representative sample, he notes.

At what point will the situation change? When government agencies and state-owned companies will be told that there is no way back. Now each of them understands that any project to replace foreign software with a domestic analogue is associated with certain risks. And only a few are ready to become pioneers, - believes Dmitry Livshits.

2. Reducing the share of foreign IT solutions

The decrease in the share of foreign solutions in current and promising IT projects is already noticeable for domestic IT companies. Thus, Ekaterina Medvedeva, a strategic marketing specialist at AstroSoft, cites data according to which at the time of the start of the import-substituting policy, the share of imports in the Russian IT industry was estimated at 75%, and in some categories of solutions reached 90%. Now there is a movement towards its decline, she notes.

The current political and economic situation and government orders forced many employees of state corporations and departments to become pioneers on the thorny path of mastering Russian programs. Russian developers were able to take feedback from real users of a often still raw product instead of an established habit of focusing on the idea of ​ ​ the needs of potential users, in many cases not very close to reality. Accordingly, products are developed in accordance with the wishes of real users, errors discovered by them are eliminated, which, as a result, allows you to create a product that is really in demand by the market, which means a commercially successful product. It is much more difficult for large foreign IT manufacturers to adapt to the needs of Russian users, explains Ekaterina Medvedeva.

Alexander Semenov, president of the Korus Consulting Group of Companies, believes that the inevitability of the import substitution process is already obvious.

The state is indeed taking significant organizational steps to ensure that this process continues. Over the past two years, we have seen many projects that would have previously most likely gone to foreign suppliers, and are now being implemented on Russian solutions. Foreign IT companies began to receive much less money on the Russian market, and domestic suppliers - more, and in my opinion, this is the main achievement of the IT import substitution process in the country, he says.

According to Anton Malkov, a member of the board of Galactica Corporation, a few years after the start of the import substitution course, finally, many companies switched from words to deeds: large corporate projects on Russian platforms started, a number of companies announced the transition from Western systems. At the same time, the replacement of Western software was started as a public sector and companies with state participation.

It is important to note that the import substitution process is not fast and should be justified not only from a political, but from a technological and economic point of view. Now customers began to fully analyze and compare domestic platforms with Western ones, and believed in Russian solutions that demonstrated their competitiveness in terms of functional characteristics and performance parameters, - notes Anton Malkov.

Vladimir Ryabchikov, General Director of the NCPR, believes that from a formal point of view, an objective assessment of the achievements of the IT import substitution process can be obtained only by checking the results of the implementation of the Plan for the transition to the use of domestic software, approved in 2016 by Order of the Government of the Russian Federation.

From an informal point of view, according to the subjective assessment of the NCPR, the main achievements of the IT import substitution process include an increase in the share of domestic and especially the share of so-called free software in current and promising informatization projects, a significant increase in interest in such software from consumers, developers and the entire IT community, expressed in the increase in the number of relevant publications and speeches at various specialized events.

3. Register of Russian Software

As of the beginning of 2018, the official Register of Russian software already contains more than 4 thousand programs that are resistant to foreign sanctions, recalls Vladimir Rubanov, managing director of Rosplatforma. According to him, many of them are real world-class products successfully implemented in federal systems and strengthening the country's digital sovereignty.

According to the Yuri Vostrikov commercial director "" Norbitol(group of companies LANIT""), such a filling of the register forced state customers to pay even more attention to the decisions of Russian developers, which, in turn, contributed to an increase in the share of domestic product implementations in government agencies and companies with state participation.

4. Growing number of strategic partnerships

Another result of the import substitution course was the increase in the number of strategic partnerships, for example, between developers of software and hardware solutions for joint creation and launch of a finished complex product without foreign components or with their minimal use.

This contributes to the formation of an ecosystem for the exchange of knowledge and technologies at the national level, new opportunities are opening up for creating breakthrough solutions and commercially successful products as a result of the merger of technologies and ideas of various companies, - said Ekaterina Medvedeva, strategic marketing specialist at AstroSoft.

5. Promotion of Russian technologies in education

The demand for domestic IT solutions contributes to the more active promotion of Russian technologies in the educational sphere. Universities are launching pilot programs to train students to work with Russian IT products, which allows them to train qualified specialists with a fresh view of the IT sphere and skills to work with its new representatives.

For example, an educational pilot course is being prepared at Petrozavodsk State University to teach students how to work with new domestic technologies: the operating system MAX. and equipment of JSC PAC Milander"." This contributes to the formation of an alternative view of Western solutions and skills in working with Russian equipment and software, - Ekaterina Medvedeva from AstroSoft gives an example.

6. IT is the state's priority

Dmitry Vedev, Marketing Director of AiTi Group, notes that for a long time the IT industry (with the exception of, perhaps, national Internet projects) was not a priority of the state. It was believed that there was no need to reinvent the wheel, it was necessary to take international (Western) platforms (OS , DBMS, etc.) and make application systems on their basis on their own or just take Western applications. Events in recent years have shown that the lack of their own "technology stacks" makes the country's economy and security extremely vulnerable.

Today, the situation has changed - decisions have been made on benefits for IT companies, export activities are supported, domestic IT receive preferences in public procurement, national programs are being formed that actively affect the IT industry, and a number of priority areas are being invested. This is extremely important for the industry, although, of course, it is impossible to wait for a very quick return and achieve complete "IT independence" in a couple of years. The processes of forming a competitive industry in high technologies are long - at least 10 years. Look at the experience of the same China! But with the support and development of the adopted directions of state policy, I am sure that we will be able to achieve a lot, the expert believes.

7. Practical experience in replacing western software with domestic software

An important result of the import substitution policy is the experience that companies gain from migrating from foreign IT systems to Russian ones.

Vadim Ipatov, Deputy General Director for Business Development at InterTrust, calls this experience the main achievement of the IT import substitution process.

If in past years the issue of import substitution in IT was of a purely theoretical nature, today you can observe real transition projects, road maps of transition technologies have been developed that allow it to be carried out more efficiently, with fewer risks, he says.

8. New investments

According to Dmitry Gorelov, commercial director of Aktiv, the main achievement of the IT import substitution process is new investments that have come to the industry.

Russian high-tech companies have ceased to fear reinvesting their income in development. Both the state and private business invest heavily in Russian developers. New markets are opening up, more and more highly qualified Russian programmers and engineers are making projects aimed specifically at the domestic market. Information technology is becoming an attractive, highly liquid business, "he explains.

9. Growing independence of Russian companies from foreign suppliers

Despite all the difficulties of migration, a number of experts believe that due to import substitution, the independence of Russian companies from foreign software suppliers has increased . As Alexander Baboshin, deputy head of the IT department of the Russian Auction House, notes, Russian business will not suffer in the event of new sanctions or the introduction of any other restrictions on cooperation between foreign manufacturers and Russian customers, since many Russian products are based on open source software.

For example, the THESIS system The document and task management system that we use to automate document flow was created using the CUBA platform, which is open source software, he explains.

Achievements are not visible to everyone

Not all representatives of the domestic IT market record any serious achievements of the import substitution policy.

For example, Kirill Kunitsyn, Deputy General Director of Lanit-Integration (Lanit Group of Companies), has not yet seen the real achievements of import substitution, which could be proud of and which would surpass imported analogues or at least equal to them.

I may be reminded of successful companies in the software market, first of all, these are 1C, Kaspersky, ABBYY. But they were successful even before the start of import substitution and their success is not related to this process. Now I am most impressed by the direction in which the T-Platforms company is moving, including everything related to the Baikal processors, and the New Cloud Technologies company with the MyOffice software product, the expert explains.

Igor Chizhevsky, deputy head of the department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Research Institute "Voskhod," believes that quite a short time has passed since the advent of fashion for import substitution in the IT sphere, and from the beginning of real work in this direction to judge the achievements.

Dmitry Livshits, General Director of Digital Design, recalls private Russian business, where there is simply no import substitution.

The business is focused on reducing costs and improving efficiency. If the customer understands that he will be able to get an adequate solution, which is also cheaper than a foreign one, then he will be ready to consider it. The result is always the same - the most effective solution is chosen, the expert concludes.

About the same says Maxim Bogdanov, General Director of the GC "ASCON." According to him, import substitution in the IT sector has moved to the market plane. In reality, a full-fledged replacement of imported products occurs only when it is economically determined. You can look for ways to bypass laws and sanctions, or you can approach existing restrictions as market ones. Being involuntarily in a situation of choice (for example, it's time to update software versions or in the case of the same sanctions), an enterprise can objectively evaluate products, honestly compare functionality, price and make a choice in favor of domestic software.

For such an enterprise, the political factor of import substitution becomes just an impulse to revise the quality of its internal processes, to abandon the "fashion" for import in favor of a rational business approach, - notes Maxim Bogdanov.

Leonid Kokovin, director of the department for work with regional authorities, Softline assumes that the main achievements of the import substitution process are still ahead.

We are developing a comprehensive licensing format that will help customers more comfortably switch to domestic software. We plan to announce it at the end of spring. I will not talk about the details yet, let it be a little intrigue, - a representative of Softline shared his plans.

What awaits the Russian IT market as a result of the strengthening of the import substitution trend

Most experts interviewed by TAdviser agree that the import substitution trend will only intensify in the coming years. The process has been launched and no one plans to stop it. Despite the fact that this course so far affects, by and large, only the public sector and companies with state participation, commercial organizations may also soon tighten up, participants in the domestic IT market believe.

An important factor in the increasing penetration of import substitution ideas will also be the accumulation of experience in migration from foreign proprietary solutions to Russian analogues or products from the open source category.

Vladimir Rubanov, Managing Director of Rosplatforma, speaks of an unequivocal strengthening of the trend both from the point of view of tightening regulatory regulation and from the point of view of heads of organizations that successfully overcome inertia and prevailing stereotypes on the uncontested use of well-known foreign solutions. In the next 3 years, the trend will only intensify as the number of successful examples of the transition to Russian technologies accumulates, he is sure.

Yuri Vostrikov, commercial director Norbitol"" (group of companies LANIT""), believes that in the near future we will see a uniform increase in the import substitution trend, since the state intends to further support Russian companies working in the field of IT development and implementation.

In addition, many commercial organizations will switch to Russian software in the coming years. Already, there are domestic solutions on the market that are more adaptive to the needs of Russian business and can compete with foreign software, he notes.

Alexey Vyskrebentsev, an expert on the development of Forsyth products, believes that it is no longer possible to abandon the implementation of the import substitution policy: the process has really started, although not as quickly as we would like.

There are prerequisites for the development of the trend: legislation is on the side of Russian developers, there is a sincere desire to switch to Russian products from many customers, although of course everyone is very careful about this. I believe that in the next three years we will observe a slow but correct strengthening of the trend, "says Alexey Vyskrebentsev. - The process of switching to new software has never been quick, so let's be realistic: where it is really possible at the moment, Russian software will be implemented and actively used. But this is possible far from everywhere.

Sergei Kuznetsov, CEO of Unidata, notes that having quickly realized the rich opportunities, more and more companies are making maximum efforts to develop more and more new products.

The forecast is positive - the number of developments in the field of IT import substitution in Russia is rapidly and qualitatively increasing. Today, finally, it is time to work in Russia and for Russia - something that everyone has been waiting for for many years. This trend is "echoed" by the reverse process, when Russian developers enter the world market - it is very pleasant that now a number of domestic IT companies have been operating around the world for a long time and successfully. After all, the base is wonderful: our country has a very high scientific potential and opportunities for this, he said.

Ekaterina Medvedeva, a strategic marketing specialist at AstroSoft, also speaks about the strengthening of the trend. She recalls that in the Unified Register of Russian Programs, created in January 2016, about 1000 decisions were registered six months later, but after 2 years their number increased to 4200, and the register is regularly replenished. At the same time, many newly created Russian IT systems now initially lay down the need to use software from the registry.

Creating new solutions requires significant time costs, as a rule, at least 2-3 years, so in the next 3 years we will be able to observe the growth of the Russian IT industry and the strengthening of import substitution due to products that have entered the stage of active development after the intensification of import substitution policy, that is, in 2016-2017. The technological gap with foreign competitors will begin to narrow, - believes Ekaterina Medvedeva. - There is no talk of complete import substitution of the software and hardware components, since their production in Russia in many categories is absent or in its infancy, very far from competitiveness with foreign counterparts. We don't have the resources to grab at everything at once. So far, we need to focus on several areas of the IT market, including relatively new ones, where the gap with the West is historically not so large - for example, on the Internet of Things and Big Data - and closely engage in the development of commercially successful products in them. Then in 3 years we will be able to replace up to 30% of Russian imports of IT products.

President of the Korus Consulting Group of Companies Alexander Semenov predicts that in the next three years the trend of import substitution will be even greater, and thanks to the money spent on the development and support of Russian software, solutions will be created that functionally exceed what is now.

At the same time, the process of replacing foreign solutions will be supported not only by demand from customers, but also by the offer from IT companies that will actively invest in the development of their own new IT products and services. In particular, Korus Consulting has plans in almost each direction to create its own software products, he adds.

Vladimir Ryabchikov, General Director of the NCPR, connects the strengthening of the trend with the sanctions restrictions introduced by vendors of foreign software products, as well as with the development and improvement of domestic legislation in the field of information protection, in particular personal data and critical information infrastructure.

Ivan Isakov, executive director of Neolant-Service, believes that the movement towards import substitution is becoming conscious and voluntary:

I think that in the next 3 years, customers will increasingly approach the issue of import substitution not as a directive, but as an opportunity to reduce their costs and increase the efficiency of the organization as a whole. In the field of technology, one can confidently predict, firstly, the development of domestic/ CAD/BIM-PLM solutions, in connection with which the displacement of Western software will occur. Secondly, more than one domestic innovative solution in the field artificial intelligence and technologies of recognition will appear. Thirdly, the development of Russian data management systems is obvious, including. document management systems

Sergey Kuryanov, director of strategic marketing at Docsvision, noting the strengthening of the trend, says that the goals set for the industry are becoming closer to reality, while the pressure on IT customers is increasing. In his opinion, everyone came to understand that the transition to domestic is not a decrease in expenses, but an increase in them, including budget expenditures.

In the next 3 years, most of the state customers will take practical steps to import substitution of their IT, and standard approaches and standard solutions will appear. The state program "Digital Economy" can become a real locomotive for the development of the industry, and not just a means to replace "someone else's with his own, - the expert notes.

According to Vadim Ipatov, Deputy General Director for Business Development of InterTrust, the strengthening of the import substitution trend is associated with the requirements of the Government of the Russian Federation, which set the deadline for replacing Western technologies with domestic ones in state structures until 2020.

We are talking primarily about the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 26, 2016 No. 1588-r, the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of March 23, 2017 No. 325. Given the mandatory nature of the transition for state authorities and state extrabudgetary funds, in the next few years the transition to domestic decisions may take on a massive character, he believes.

Galina Akhmerova, Deputy General Director for Commerce and Business Development of BARS Group, believes that in Russia the import substitution process is not just an expansion of its own IT products, but the development of innovations, a contribution to future technological trends with which we can compete with leaders in the international arena.

In the near future, the regulatory framework will be significantly transformed. In the spring session of the State Duma alone, the Russian government plans to introduce more than 25 bills related to the implementation of the digital economy program. Regulatory regulation is the basis that will allow technology companies to develop transparently and openly and prevent the possibility of a monopoly in the domestic market, she says.

The CROC company also expects an increase in the trend.

Given the current economic situation, the expansion of sanctions by foreign partners, primarily from the United States, as well as the formation of the state budget and schedules of state import substitution programs for an average of 3 years, we expect an increase in the trend. We will continue to help our partners work in import substitution, offering flexible approaches to promoting solutions and attractive programs for purchasing computing and telecommunications equipment using the HaaS model, "says Ivan Shumovsky, Head of Infrastructure Solutions at CROC.

According to Dmitry Vedev, Marketing Director of AiTi Group of Companies, there is a slight decline in the PR hype, but a constructive business component is growing.

The position of the state in the field of import substitution in IT is clearly formulated. The position of foreign vendors is also absolutely clear - they will strictly adhere to old and possible new sanctions. The maturity of Russian developments is growing, including thanks to work with the largest Russian customers, the expert explains.

Does not see the prerequisites for refusing import substitution, the company's Alexander Nazarov sales director EDMS ABSTRACT Document and Task Management System. Haulmont He notes that the trend is supported by legislative initiatives, including long-term ones. In particular, the digital economy development program adopted in 2017 includes measures to stimulate import substitution, he recalls.

The first positive results of the trend action are already visible. However, it will take several more years for more competitive Russian products to appear in those industries where they did not exist, a Haulmont spokesman said.

According to Vasily Babintsev, director of marketing at Directum, in the next three years we can expect that large customers will complete some of the infrastructure IT projects that have already begun, which were the reason for the postponement of import substitution projects. The life cycle of using previously acquired Western solutions will end, and resources will appear for the introduction of new software - domestic or freely distributed, the expert believes.

Anton Malkov, a member of the board of the Galactica Corporation, notes the strengthening of the import substitution trend on the example of his own activities - the largest consulting companies, vendors and integrators are building partnerships with Galactica in order to increase expertise and form an independent technological stack of domestic solutions.

Progress in replacing imports is driven by political, economic and administrative factors. Major examples of the transition to domestic software have an additional impact, the successful implementation of which becomes an incentive for other companies. For example, the market is significantly interested in revising the IT strategy of Transneft in terms of managing industrial assets and financial and economic activities using the solutions of Galactica Corporation, says Anton Malkov. - New sanctions of Western vendors will also have an impact. Companies that fall under them will have to revise their policy in the field of use and development of IT infrastructure based on foreign software and actually start import substitution.

In addition, according to the expert of the Galactica Corporation, the centralization of office and accounting software purchases, as well as information security software products, which was decided in early February 2018, will strengthen import substitution.

In general, more and more regulatory documents appear that regulate the transition to domestic software, indicators of the transition efficiency for government agencies are introduced. In 2018, plans for the transition to domestic office software,,,,,,,,,, and the Ministry of Health Ministry of Culture Ministry of Energy Ministry of Transport FTS Office of the President of the Russian Federation Ministry of Natural Resources National Guard of the Russian Federation Roskomnadzor Ministry of North Caucasus Affairs appeared in the public domain. Among those who previously published their plans are,,,,,, and Federal Treasury Rosimushchestvo Federal Bailiff Service others, Rospotrebnadzor- Federal Penitentiary Service Federal Agency for State Reserves Rostrud says Malkov.

Alexander Baboshin, deputy head of the IT department of the Russian Auction House, records an increase in the trend for import substitution and an increase in demand for Russian products.

This happens because there is a legislative requirement for government agencies to purchase domestic software. Commercial companies are also increasingly choosing Russian manufacturers as their solutions become more competitive. In many areas, even before the emergence of the import substitution policy, there were Russian solutions that were superior to or comparable to foreign ones, but this initiative motivated companies to take a closer look at them, he explains.

Alexey Sabanov, Deputy General Director of Aladdin R.D. notes that they began to talk less about import substitution, and do more. Therefore, the trend is positive, but one cannot do without the dominant role of the state in import substitution, and this role cannot be minimized.

Huge funds are needed for replacement - private capital does not want to invest money for a long time, it is much easier to earn money in quick projects. Therefore, without the active position of the state, including on attracting private capital, the process of import substitution in places may fade away. And of course, import substitution at a separate enterprise or homogeneous industry requires detailed planning and constant work, including significant design efforts at all stages of replacement. Here, as in chess, the sequence of moves and analysis for many moves forward are important, says Sabanov.

Despite the positive expectations of most experts from the prospects for import substitution, a number of specialists take a more restrained position in this matter.

Thus, Dmitry Livshits, General Director of Digital Design, answering the question will intensify or import substitution will weaken, noted that everything will depend on how 2018 ends.

Now regulations are coming into force, on which concrete steps must be taken before the end of 2018. The state executive authorities have set quite specific KPIs for what the IT landscape of state institutions should look like by the end of 2018. If those who do not comply with the requirements of the law are punished, then the trend of import substitution will go upward. If punishment does not follow, the trend will come to naught, he said.

Kirill Kunitsyn, Deputy General Director of Lanit-Integration (Lanit Group of Companies), calls the current stage a slip.

At the start of the import substitution program, expectations were clearly overestimated, and they did not materialize. Now both the government and manufacturers want to increase the efficiency of the process of replacing foreign products with domestic ones. In the second half of 2017, the number of requests from corporate customers for projects with import substitution elements increased, and this inspires optimism. I really hope that this year this trend will be more tangible in the market, "says Kirill Kunitsyn.

At the same time, according to Andrei Terekhov, professor, general director of LANIT-Terkom (Lanit group of companies), so that the trend does not fade away, visible and tangible results are needed, and not in any important, but small crafts, but in large significant projects, including domestic tools.

Maxim Bogdanov, General Director of ASCON Group of Companies, says that for the second year his company has been monitoring the dynamics of the representation of domestic and foreign vendors in tenders (in terms of engineering software).

Yes, this is not all purchases, but statistics on a comparable method give a clear picture: the volume of purchases of foreign engineering software in 2017 increased by 15%. Purchases of domestic engineering software grew significantly slower. How can these results be evaluated? What are they talking about? About the weakening of the trend or about any changes in software demand?, he wonders.

On the one hand, industry, the market are also accustomed to import substitution as a factor of influence on business, they have learned to take it into account in their development. In the coming years, external conditions are unlikely to soften, and import substitution will remain a constant factor in influencing the business. On the other hand, we see that the demand for engineering software has become more professional, the issue of fashion or buying with a "big hike," that is, not counting funds, has become less influential in the process of choosing IT solutions. So enterprises that face the need to replace outdated software or the need to look for ways to optimize, increase the efficiency of their business through technology will consider domestic IT solutions as an alternative. Domestic developers have the opportunity to change the balance of power in their IT market segments. But for this it is necessary to carry out serious work on the development of domestic technologies and solutions. So, for example, having received a signal of the state's interest in import substitution at the beginning of 2014, we, together with colleagues in the industry, formed a consortium of engineering software developers (ASCON, ADEM, Eremex, NTC APM, Tesis), developed a strategy for the domestic PLM complex and began to develop it based on their own resources. For us, import substitution turned out to be a reason to consolidate and create a domestic end-to-end PLM solution, - said Maxim Bogdanov.

Dmitry Klebanov, Development Director of VIST Group, notes that in companies related to the mining industry, the import substitution trend is not very noticeable.

We have the experience of more than 70 major implementations of our own developments and technologies at mining enterprises. Unfortunately, we often face a situation of distrust of Russian software. Currently, Russian legislation does not create additional preferences for those mining companies that are introducing domestic IT solutions. Thus, at the selection stage, the top management of Russian companies often decides to acquire foreign software. This is due, among other things, to a large number of well-known implementations around the world, while significantly less than a wide audience of the global mining industry is known about successful cases of Russian software and technologies, he says.

From our point of view, the solution to this problem is to create experimental landfills on the basis of existing mining enterprises (or other industrial enterprises) for testing innovative technologies in order to demonstrate the advantages of domestic solutions. For example, most recently, our Intelligent Quarry system in the form of a mining dump truck with robotic unmanned control Vist Robotics passed successful tests at one of the test sites in Morocco, as well as EVRAZ NTMK. The more such cases are carried out, the more confidence domestic IT solutions will acquire not only in the Russian, but also in the world market, "Dmitry Klebanov is sure.

2017

What changes are taking place in the Russian IT market under the influence of import substitution

In general, the import substitution trend has not yet led to significant changes in the Russian IT market. It takes time to achieve meaningful results. However, the direction has been chosen, the process has been launched, the market has revived, so in the future of several years the situation may change markedly.

The opinion that one should not wait for a quick effect is shared by the majority of experts surveyed by TAdviser.

So, according to Vladimir Andreev, president of Docsvision, the market shares of domestic products have not yet taken off, but the process has begun. For two or three years, the situation can change qualitatively, he said.

The state's import substitution policy and sanctions risks from Western vendors have created a trend of growth in replacement sales of Russian software. In fact, during the year the market was stagnating, specific mechanisms for policy implementation were incomprehensible, replacement proposals from Russian vendors were not ready, there were no reference examples of migration from Western to Russian software. However, a government decree banning the purchase of Western software in government agencies, a register created by the Ministry of Communications in cooperation with the industry, which is very important, and the practice of using these documents has shifted the market, the expert believes.

Elena Golovanova, Advisor to the General Director of Svemel Profit Center, is also of the opinion that it is too early to talk about changes in the Russian IT market.

Currently, there is a process of declaring the existence of such a market and software products on it. The Register of domestic software is being formed. However, the problems of its use have not yet been fully resolved. It's a process that takes time, too, she says.

The fact that there are changes in the market, but so far they are not so noticeable, says Dmitry Baranov, head of the department of infrastructure solutions for managing services of the Softline group of companies.

On the one hand, integrator companies armed themselves with domestic solutions additionally, try to develop them, offer them to the market. On the other hand, this is all "educational" work, and it is too early to talk about any specific results. But the process has been launched, there are internal standards, for example, for enterprises of the Rostec state corporation, which spell out to purchase exclusively equipment produced by Russian companies, he says.

According to Anatoly Volkov, CEO of RDTECH, there is a positive change, but it is small - decision-makers in terms of IT began to look more at domestic decisions and consider them as a full-fledged alternative.

I think that on the horizon of 3-5 years we will be able to observe a decrease in the share of purchases of Western licenses in favor of Russian and free software. We also observe the interest of customers in transferring part of traditional systems to the cloud, Volkov notes.

Igor Litvinov, head of the system architecture department at LANIT-Integration, believes that the few domestic suppliers of IT products that produced something competitive have gained a real advantage and are now actively developing. Otherwise, import substitution often turns into a replacement for American products with Chinese ones.

For the appearance of high-quality domestic products, time is needed. In addition, it is not a fact that such products will appear in niches where there are Chinese competitors, "says Litvinov.

Boris Bobrovnikov, CEO of CROC, notes the growing demand for Russian IT specialists, programmers, including due to the difference in exchange rates. According to him, interest in the Russian developments themselves is also growing. There is an active demand for competitive domestic software products, for example, antiviruses, Kaspersky backup systems Veeam and, solutions for, Acronis virtualizations Rosplatformas contact centers from the company Speech Technology Center , and so on.

Of course, one cannot talk about the unconditional leadership of domestic products over Western ones, but there are really strong brands. Thus, 1C has a mature product - ERP systems, which meets the expectations of many Russian customers and is better adapted to the requirements of Russian legislation than Western counterparts. By the way, this fact has become one of the decisive for the CROC: since 2016, we have transferred our ERP 1C systems. The project allowed us to automate the entire operating activities of the company on the basis of a single system from the preparation and control of primary specifications with the customer, the full cycle of procurement management, cash flow management, to control of materials used in construction, warehouse logistics management, "says Boris Bobrovnikov.

Vladimir Rubanov, managing director of Rosplatforma, notes that the situation is gradually changing, and the "import substitution train" is gaining momentum, overcoming inertia. Indeed, the digital sovereignty of the country is at stake, the importance of which is now recognized by much larger groups of citizens, including the first persons of the state.

It is important for us as a country to ensure resilience to legal and technical sanctions from other states: from "simple" disconnection of technical support and software updates to malicious actions. A sovereign state should be able to autonomously refine software, correct errors in it and fully support it even in conditions of complete isolation. This should not only be confused with the desire for such isolation. Also, using Russian software means leaving more money in the country's economy and promoting the development of the domestic IT industry - new jobs are being created and the competence of domestic IT specialists is increasing, "said Vladimir Rubanov.

According to ASCON, the share of Russian developers in the segment of mass design systems has increased. But in general, import substitution of engineering software occurs where it is not due to state regulation, not a trend, but a pragmatic approach.

It is more profitable, more reliable and more promising to cooperate with domestic developers in modern realities regarding the impact on the software product, "said Maxim Bogdanov, General Director of ASCON Group of Companies. - There are also paradoxical cases when, taking into account all these factors, Russian divisions of foreign companies are engaged in import substitution. For example, the engineering center of one Italian industrial concern is developing products for the Russian market and replacing foreign CAD with KOMPAS-3D, because all engineers studied at Russian universities, know the system and it is more convenient to develop it. In addition, the total cost of ownership of Russian software is significantly lower. This is an example of how a rational approach has triumphed over corporate standards.

According to Ilya Viger, CEO and co-founder of VR Concept, in addition to the fact that foreign companies began to pay attention to Russian software developers, and foreign vendors began to pay more attention to their Russian customers, investments in Russian software increased.

But here one should not expect a quick effect, especially in the segment of high-tech software, where years and even decades should pass before schools and technological ecosystems that are competitive by world standards appear, the expert argues.

Vladimir Rubanov, managing director of Rosplatforma, believes that despite the inertia, the combination of "Russian software" has turned into an additional plus when considering procurement decisions by many Russian companies and the state. According to him, more and more KPIs of managers and technical directors include "the degree of import substitution/resistance to sanctions of the organization's IT economy."

Timur Mejitov, Deputy Director for Corporate Affairs state power , DIRECTUM names three key changes:

1. Customers from the public sector began to closely consider domestic products.

2. In the context of the high cost of accompanying and developing Western products, analysts are looking at alternatives in the domestic market.

3. Customers began to show more interest in studying Russian experience in terms of large projects for the implementation of IT systems.

Vasily Babintsev, Director of Marketing at DIRECTUM, adds that a number of integrators who were previously involved in the supply of products from Western vendors include SPO solutions and domestic proprietary software in the pool of offered products. In addition, developers of new domestic products appear, which seriously declare their development plans.

5 years ago, large organizations and enterprises were skeptical of domestic products, and it was difficult for us to compete with Western solutions. But time has passed, the possibilities of domestic products have grown and import substitution has become our additional competitive advantage. At the same time, DIRECTUM advocates fair competition, because FZ-223 does not prohibit state corporations from choosing Western software, but obliges them to carefully evaluate all offers on the market, says Vasily Babintsev.

Elena Ivanova, Marketing Director of Electronic Office Systems (EOS), believes that first of all, Russian IT companies received state support. In her opinion, this is important, even if it is not expressed in monetary terms, although the latter is also present.

Many companies saw the potential of their own R&D, so investments in development in the whole market became more. The path to customers has become easier and shorter, so that in general, the import substitution strategy has already had a positive effect on the industry, she said.

Galina Akhmerova, Deputy General Director of BARS Group for Commerce and Business Development, recalls that supporting national manufacturers is standard world practice. The measures taken at the level of the law will allow worthy Russian products to be in demand in Russia, she said.

With state support, IT players revived, evaluating new development prospects: competitive strong vendors appeared, there is a tendency to increase the quality component of IT solutions. Companies are not sitting idly by, but are actively storming the market, taking advantage of all the advantages of import substitution, - notes Galina Akhmerova.

According to Alexei Smirnov, technical director of Netrika, the development market has become more open: as a result of the growth in demand for Russian software, the threshold for entering the IT market has decreased and the share of custom development has increased. In addition, according to him, the market structure has changed: many system integrators have their own software solutions.

Vladimir Vertogradov, managing director of NORBIT, says that Russian manufacturers have become more active in marketing, while previously they were less visible against the background of international companies. In addition, under the influence of the import substitution policy, consulting companies increasingly began to offer the implementation of projects using domestic software. In general, the IT services segment is growing in the market, since import substitution requires many workers, he said.

Evgenia Naumova, head of the corporate sales department in Russia at Kaspersky Kaspersky), notes that state and municipal customers began to prefer Russian software in those segments where Russian analogues are represented.

There are already enough examples of implementations, but still these are separate segments in which Russian vendors are traditionally present. For those companies that are critical for data protection (for example, working with state secrets), it is necessary to use products certified by regulatory authorities (FSB, FSTEC). And the solutions of domestic companies cope best with such tasks. In the field of information security, there are many Russian developers who successfully compete with foreign software outside Russia, she recalls.

Elena Ivanova from the EOS adds that import substitution is an unprecedentedly large-scale task. And if the state does not suddenly decide to change horses at the crossing, then Russia will be able to achieve technological sovereignty.

{{quote 'Of course, this will take not a year or two, but decades, but this can be achieved. We are already seeing results. And first of all, this concerns precisely the perception of the domestic IT product by the customer. If earlier many did not even want to look towards Russian decisions, did not know about them, and did not want to know, now the situation has changed. Russian decisions are seen as a real alternative to foreign ones, which cannot but rejoice. Of course, everything foreign will not disappear from organizations by the wave of a magic wand: many have long-term service contracts, investments in implementations have already been made, so the replacement will be carried out gradually, but it will still be - and this is important, says Elena Ivanova.}}

In fairness, it should be noted that not all experts see positive changes in the market and good prospects for import substitution.

Maxim Bolyshev, Deputy Director of the RS-Bank Banking Department of R-Style Softlab, believes that an increase in demand for Russian solutions may have a negative effect - in the context of the formation of a non-alternative market for Russian software, the technological development of domestic products may slow down.

Lev Matveev, chairman of the board of directors of SearchInform, believes that import substitution has become more of a lever and an opportunity for unscrupulous producers.

In our particular case, I state a sharply negative impact. Our application for entry into the Register was considered for almost a year, postponing the decision under various pretexts. We spent a lot of time writing official letters, answering absurd and repeated requests, messages to the responsible persons up to the minister that there is a conflict of interest among one of the members of the expert council voting on our application. At the same time, the absence of our product in the Register postponed several large contracts with state organizations, and we lost some at all, "he says.

In the end, CIB SearchInform was included in the Register, but time and opportunities were missed. In this whole situation, I have only questions about the effectiveness of the council: is there a need for it? Our company, for example, is a resident of Skolkovo. The fund is designed to help develop domestic innovation. Let me emphasize domestic ones. Our application was also considered, approved. And a couple of years later, the Expert Council under Rosreestr suddenly doubted our "fatherland." Do not see the inconsistency and useless spending of public resources?, the expert wonders.

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