BCS (Safe Communications System)

SBK is a company created by the sole legal owner of the Russian communication server CommuniGate ProAnna Butenko for the further development of the business and product.

History

2024

CommuniGate Pro: results of the first year of operation of the legal copyright holder

SBK JSC began in 2023 and in fact as a startup with a non-trivial task: not the launch of a new project, but the reanimation of a long-existing, very successful software product, which, long before the fashionable import substitution, provided Russian companies with a domestic postal service.

Understanding the source code of CommuniGate Pro was a condition of existence, the main task. In parallel, a support service was created, which, in addition to its main function, provides feedback to users and helps to form a product development plan, sales division, marketing. Read more here.

Participation in TAdviser SummIT

At the IT in the public sector section of TAdviser SummIT on November 28, 2024, Dmitry Starovoitov, General Director of Secure Communications System JSC, spoke about the prospects for using the Communigate Pro universal communications platform to ensure the activities of state organizations. Read more here.

Ex-President of NCC Alexander Kalinin invested in SBK

On July 19, 2024, it became known that the former president of the National Computer Corporation (NCC) Alexander Kalinin invested in the IT company "Secure Communications System" (SBK). It owns the rights to the CommuniGate Pro corporate mail platform - this is the Russian analogue of Microsoft Exchange.

According to the Kommersant newspaper, under the terms of the deal, Kalinin will become a member of the SBK shareholders and will head the board of directors of this company. The general director of the SBK, as of July 2024, is Dmitry Starovoitov, who worked at the Voskhod Research Institute from 2004 to 2020, and previously held positions in the Ministry of Digital Development and Rostelecom structures.

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A. Kalinin's personal archive

The SBK company was established by Anna Butenko, daughter of the creator of the Russian communication server CommuniGate Pro (includes a mail service, an IP telephony service, a contact center, an internal chat, etc.), as stated on the project website. The Board of Directors of the SBK was formed on July 16, 2024: in addition to Kalinin, Starovoitov entered it. The Management Board will deal with the company and product development strategy, communication with customers, coordination of budget and personnel decisions, as well as cooperation with other market participants. Kalinin does not disclose the volume of investments in the project, but notes that the funds "will go to expand the development team and develop and update the key IT product."

Daria Nosova, partner at O2 Consulting Law Firm, considers investments in CommuniGate Pro justified against the background of active import substitution of foreign software, especially "when it comes to complex products with high commercialization potential." Market participants believe that financial support from Kalinin will help the CommuniGate Pro server to increase its market share.^[1]

Stalkersoft complaint in CommuniGate Pro rights case not upheld

The Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction announced the decision on the cassation appeals of StalkerSoft JSC and a group of society programmers on the decisions of the courts of the two previous instances, which were previously recognized by Anna Butenko, daughter of the creator of the Russian communication server CommuniGate Pro Vladimir Butenko, the legal heiress of the CommuniGate Pro program.

As the representative of Anna Butenko and the exclusive rights company created by her to the communication server CommuniGate Pro of SBK JSC Anna Bolshakova told TAdviser on February 9, 2024, the court decided to leave without satisfying the complaint of StalkerSoft JSC and programmers.

During the life of Vladimir Butenko, StalkerSoft distributed the product he created, and its employees provided technical support to Communigate Pro users, according to the terms of the agreements signed with Butenko.

In court, StalkerSoft and its employees tried to prove that they allegedly recognized the creator of CommuniGate Pro as co-authors and co-owners of the product. StalkerSoft and its programmers simultaneously declared demands for recognition of rights to the same versions of CommuniGate Pro against each other, as well as against Anna Butenko.

2023

Postponement of the date of consideration of the cassation appeal "Staltersoft" in the case of rights to CommuniGate Pro

On December 14, 2023, the Second Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction postponed the consideration of the cassation appeal of Stalkersoft against the decisions of the courts of the two previous instances, which had previously recognized Anna Butenko, daughter of the creator of the Russian communication server CommuniGate ProVladimir Butenko, the legal heiress of her father. The next hearing will take place on January 18, 2024. This was announced on December 14, 2023 by a representative of SBK JSC.

"15 volumes of the case indicate that until the death of Vladimir Butenko there was no doubt that he is the sole author and creator of all programs. This is evidenced by the registration in Rospatent, and the contracts concluded by the cashiers themselves with Vladimir Butenko on the provision of services, licensing agreements, according to which JSC Staltersoft took the right to sell this program from Vladimir until the death of Vladimir Butenko. And the Cassators, including Dmitry Akindinov (one of the authors of the cassation - ed.) Personally participated in the preparation of materials for the Ministry of Digital Development. And these materials say that Butenko is the sole creator and owner of CommuniGate Pro. All disputes began solely because of the reluctance of the cashiers to do business with the heiress of Vladimir Butenko, "commented Anna Bolshakova, lawyer of SBK JSC (Secure Communications System).

Dmitry Starovoitov, General Director of SBK JSC, told how Communigate Pro is developing. As of mid-December 2023, the company's development team is preparing to launch the next release of Communigate Pro, which should be released by the end of 2023.

"Communigate Pro is sold through a number of partners. These are the largest integrators, ecosystems. OCS Distribution also offered CommuniGate Pro to its partners. We have technology partners. For example, data backup from Communigate Pro will be carried out through the "Cyberprotect" solution, "Starovoitov shared.

TAdviser interview with CEO Dmitry Starovoitov

In the summer of 2023, a dispute over the rights to the CommuniGate Pro computer program was completed between the daughter of the product developer Vladimir Butenko, who died in 2018, and the team of the Staltersoft company, which has been promoting and selling this product in Russia in recent years. The dispute was completed in favor of Anna Butenko, who became the sole legal owner of this product. For its development, Anna organized the SBK company and transferred the rights to CommuniGate Pro to it. Headed by SBK Dmitry Starovoitov. In an interview with TAdviser in October 2023, he spoke about the current situation in the company's business and further plans for the development of the product. Read more here.

Obtaining exclusive rights to the computer program CommuniGate Pro

On October 23, 2023, SBK JSC (Secure Communications System) announced that the Federal Intellectual Property Service (Rospatent) had completed re-registration of exclusive rights to the product and version here.

Creation of the company and appointment of the CEO

In October 2023, Anna Butenko, who, by the decision of the appellate instance of the Moscow City Court on July 10, 2023, was recognized as the sole legal owner of the Russian communication server CommuniGate Pro, told TAdviser about the completion of negotiations with StalkerSoft regarding who will continue to develop the CommuniGate Pro product.

After my father's death , I planned to continue his work, keep the company and develop the product in the way that was done during his lifetime. I respected people who worked side by side with him and developed CommuniGate Pro. But in response, she met a sharp confrontation from the management of StalkerSoft, which denied my right as an heiress to participate in business. I had to prove this right in court, and for the further development of the business and product, I initiated the creation of a new SBK company. The court confirmed that I am the legal copyright holder of CommuniGate Pro, and now I am conducting large-scale work to restore my father's business together with the management of SBK. I appreciate the contribution of every employee who worked with him, and I would be glad to see these professionals in the new SBK company, which will legally develop the product, said Anna Butenko.

Dmitry Starovoitov became the general director of the SBK, from 2004 to 2020 he worked at the Voskhod Research Institute - first as the head of the software development department, then as deputy director for technical development of the Voskhod Research Institute and first deputy director for innovative development. After Voskhod, Starovoitov worked at the Ministry of Digital Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation and Rostelecom.

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