Main risks of import substitution of IT

The main risks of import substitution are connected with difficulties of selection of necessary solutions. Not always among the Russian software products customers manage to find systems similar on characteristics western. Therefore in some cases there can be problems of decline in production, mismatch to the required quality standards and also changes in functionality and convenience of using of software. Also risks of failures and data loss at migration are not excluded.

Complexity of selection of necessary IT solutions

Igor Litvinov, the head of department of system architecture of LANIT-Integration company (enters into group of LANIT), notes what cannot be found absolutely identical replacement of an import IT product in the domestic market. Products always different and there are no complete analogs.

Not to be mistaken with the choice, it is necessary to examine first of all business processes in company/department and to formulate problems which each of the used products solves. Only then it is possible to start search of a domestic product capable to solve the same problems, perhaps, in a different way. In addition, it will be necessary to calculate the efficiency and risks arising in the course of implementation of a new product, to think over the system of retraining of personnel. Only if as a result of this analysis it becomes clear that benefits outweigh risks, it is possible to begin process of implementation of a domestic IT product, - he adds.

Tagir Yapparov, the chairman of the board of directors of IT Group, says that the main risks – technology. The majority of the domestic systems are still weaker in terms of technology perfection, than products of world leaders.

Overcoming lag is connected with the fact that a lot of time (and the product is necessary already now) and considerable investments for this purpose is required (which our developers are not able to afford too, financing developments from own means). Other risk which it is worth remembering too – practically in any domestic product all the same is this or that share of foreign components – somewhere it is DBMS, somewhere communication components, somewhere libraries, - Yapparov tells.

Maxim Bogdanov, the CEO of Ascon Group, considers that most the enterprises, considering a question of transition on Russian software for the first time, has a number of doubts. And they are quite clear, based on the foreign products IT environment was built for years, the enterprises already spent for purchase of products, trained the employees, adjusted business processes.

Replacement of one software by another, certainly, requires time and money, there is a mistrust to sufficiency of functionality of a domestic product, besides, there are failure to meet time constraints concerns on the current projects during substitution, losses of the previous practices because of incompatibility of file formats, long mastering by employees of new software, difficulties of data exchange with partners and so on. But each of these risks we manage and decides organizational and technical measures. Transition from one system to another should be step-by-step, it is impossible to replace everything and at once. It is important to get acquainted with results of the projects which are already implemented by the developer, to carry out test software implementation on pilot platforms, to test it on local tasks (for example, upon transition to new products), with gradual distribution in scales of all enterprise / holding, - Bogdanov says.

Lev Matveev, the chairman of the board of directors of SearchInform, believes that risk here one – to change software or iron for domestic and to find out that it is many times worse than an analog which was before.

I will give an example from our industry. I without false modesty always said that domestic DLP are ahead of the planet only. Under tasks of the Russian companies, under the legislation and even the Russian mentality – they approach better than any western analogs. So for our sphere I am quiet, clients do not lose here, and purchase. But what if we tell about it software how AutoCAD and Pro/ENGINEER with which designers work? You will not write it in one or two years. So I would speak about selective approach: where ripened – let's importozameshchat. In other industries – it is not necessary to jump off the deep end, - the chairman of the board of directors of SearchInform considers.

According to Alexey Smirnov, the technical director of the company of Netrik, the main complexity is a lack of the Russian analogs on a number of software products.

Solutions which are in the market today "close" not all functions necessary for business. From this there is the second problem: not always software products from different (foreign and Russian) vendors it is possible quickly, with small costs and "seamlessly" to integrate into a unified environment within the company. However, it at the same time is an incentive for the Russian developers to release complete solutions", - he is sure.

Maxim Bolyshev, the associate director of department of banking software of RS-Bank of R-Style Softlab company, lists a number of possible risks when replacing foreign software with domestic. In particular, it is the probability of decline in production, selection of additional resources, changes in functionality and convenience of using of software and also the risks connected with compliance of a new solution to quality and standards to which the company got used, using the western product.

Therefore before the choice of a new solution he advises to answer several questions:

• Whether the solution is scalable and whether it is capable to work under a heavy load? (This question is relevant for the large organizations.)
• Whether is at a new solution of an opportunity for functional expansion at potential growth of requirements to it in the future?
• Whether the company enough personnel for work with a new system locates?
• Whether it will be possible to adapt the new software to work with the IT systems and business processes existing in the organization successfully?

Elena Golovanova, the advisor to director general "MVP "Svemel", among the main risks calls complexity of selection of IT solutions necessary for the customer from the Register of the domestic software. At the same time, to the customer to have to solve a compatibility issue of software products of different developers among themselves.

Unfortunately, so far in Russia there are a little companies offering a complete solution package necessary for the customer. And from the Register not to obtain such information yet, - she adds.

The sales director EDMS THESIS of the company Haulmont Alexander Nazarov, also believes that risks of transition to domestic of software in some industries can be connected with limitation of the choice of the solution among the existing systems. However, according to him, when choosing EDMS such risks are practically absent as in this market not one decade exists the dense competition among the Russian developers providing the functional industrial solutions checked by many implementations.

Other substantial risk – emergence in the market of a large number of the systems hand-made articles created to criteria of import substitution, quick for satisfaction. Here it is possible to advise customers, selecting from the domestic systems, to pay attention to presence of successful implementations at each specific it is blown also on the time spent of a system for the market (as a rule "to ripen" a system needs at least 2-3 years), - Alexander Nazarov says.

Pavel Frolov, the producer of robotic educational company "ROBBO", believes that to remove network equipment, all devices, since computers and finishing with phones, servers and to deliver new domestic - it it is extremely difficult implemented.

A small amount of domestic solutions and the tasks which are carried out by them therefore instead of their completion and adjustment business selects the western analogs becomes a stumbling block. Nevertheless, we see a number of the new products designed to substitute foreign solutions in the market, process goes, - Frolov adds.

Unavailability of users and IT landscape

The head of department of complete solutions of Gendalf Group Ivan Taranenko, as the main complexity of import substitution calls incompatibility of hardware-software infrastructure with domestic developments. As an example, according to him, educational institutions can serve where the equipment on which there are drivers and specialized software only for operating systems of Windows is used.

One more complexity is an unavailability of users to pass to new programs. From a school bench all got used to apply operating systems and office applications of Microsoft, and retraining of users can become a serious problem.

According to Timur Medzhitov, the associate director on work with public authorities of DIRECTUM company, at primary implementation it is simple to set Linux and LibreOffice on all jobs it will not turn out. In any company there is already the IT landscape with business applications and system applications. At the same time, at most the organizations it was initially focused on infrastructure of Microsoft.

The main risk consists in what when replacing software a system just will not earn as it is necessary, and it threatens with a stop of key processes of work. It is easier to replace office suites, but also in this case there will be categories of users which use pivot tables, special formatting, and open office suites will not suit them. For providing a full-fledged work it will be necessary to remake a lot of things, to update business applications, to provide scalability on new to Open Source systems, etc, - Medzhitov says.

Finance costs

The cost of the majority of the Russian analogs of software and the equipment is insignificant less or is equated to foreign samples, at the same time costs for integration, training and idle times will be essential, the representative of Gendalf Ivan Taranenko is sure.

One more risk is the lack of the budget on import substitution, especially at departments. To them to have to fulfill this national objective only within the planned budget on IT. At present, not the biggest. Thus, or the quality of transition will suffer, or transition term significantly increases, Elena Golovanova, the advisor to director general " says MVP "Svemel"

Vladimir Andreyev, the president of DocsVision company, considers that import substitution - it is expensive and complex.

Many domestic goods, of course, are cheaper import, but most often not on orders and even not many times. And in practice it is necessary to compare the price of support and prolongation of licenses of the import systems to the price of initial purchase of domestic licenses, plus costs for implementation and migration from old on new. Any change in the adjusted system is integrated to costs and risks, and in the field of IT all this is aggravated with very fast development of technologies and their high coherence in a uniform complex. A simple example – changing e-mail server, it will be necessary to change antiviruses for it, means of a backup, administration, etc. And each "secondary" change will pull for itself primary. Most the organizations which got used to use the standard combinations of technologies worked someone another fall into a state of pioneers. With all that it implies, - the president of DocsVision tells.

Vasily Babintsev, the marketing director of DIRECTUM, adds that the risk consists in a distortion towards Open Source because of "delicious" starting reduction in cost of ownership, in hope that the level of support will not decrease, the functionality and convenience will be invariable, and reorganization of work of collective will take place smoothly. At the same time, complexity — to accept as the fact that the proprietary software costs the money and to prove to the management that domestic goods worthy replacement to the western software.

The deputy CEO of BARS GROUP for commerce and business development Galina Akhmerova, considers that it is necessary to substitute foreign software together with digital transformation of business processes, reorganization of information systems. This process requires additional efforts of the management and personnel, assignment, search and implementation of new solutions.

Also works on creation and implementation of the Russian systems are still slightly more expensive than similar works with foreign software (approximately for 20-30%), however these expenses pay off in the next several years, first of all, at the expense of the cost of licenses. Thus, purchase of domestic software is the not just imposed political doctrine, and the standing investments into the business, - Galina Akhmerova believes.

Lack of examination and highly qualified personnel

Sergey Galeyev, the CEO of Addreality company, considers that due to the lack of examination and highly qualified personnel in domestic IT market, the main risks for the customer are incompetent specialists and a defective product.

Vladimir Vertogradov, the managing director of NORBIT company (LANIT group), adds that more kvalitsirovanny specialists ready to work with unique software or the equipment should strengthen IT examination of companies/departments.

For the rest there are no specific difficulties - normal IT projects and risks corresponding to them, - the expert says.

According to Anatoly Volkov, the CEO RDTECH, the main risks of import substitution are connected with failures and data loss at migration. But such situation is possible when implementing any project on transition to a new system, he adds.

The main thing – is correct to select the contractor. As a rule, the Russian developer himself begins to sell and implement the solution. And there can be difficulties with scaling of a command. Therefore even more often it is possible to observe a situation when the small company or a startup signs the partnership agreement with the system integrator which already successfully implements the project of transition to domestic software, - Volkov says.

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