First Line Software

First Line Software is a provider of software development, implementation and digital transformation services.

The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The staff includes 400 technical experts worldwide. First Line Software serves customers in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia (July 2022 data).

History

2022: Start of independent activities

First Line Software, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, began its independent journey in April 2022.

The Format Code company with its head office in St. Petersburg continued its activities in Russia.

2019: Expanding the geography of export deliveries in South Africa

First Line Software, a developer of software solutions, on August 28, 2019 announced the expansion of the geography of export supplies in South Africa and other countries in the African region. Agreements have been reached with a number of Johannesburg companies. The company will develop information systems for the transport infrastructure and the public sector.

In particular, First Line Software intends to develop IT solutions that automate processes on public transport and transport infrastructure in Johannesburg, as well as develop information systems for the country's public sector. Preliminary agreements have been reached with a number of South African enterprises.

South Africa is implementing a large-scale digitalization program in the public sector and in business. Since 2018, the country has been stabilizing the economic situation. There are many local players who are in demand for a professional service in terms of software engineering and software development. The country's IT infrastructure is well developed, but there are still a limited number of services on this infrastructure. In this part, South Africa's lag behind the Russian market is 7-10 years, "said Alexander Pozdnyakov, CEO of First Line Software.

The advantages of South Africa as an export market for Russian developers of custom IT solutions are the dominance of English as the main language in the business environment of the region and a common time zone with Central Europe, which is an advantage compared to companies from China and India.

Among the deterrents: high levels of corruption and security difficulties. For example, in Johannesburg, there are areas where visiting is actually life-threatening due to the high level of criminality. All business centers and residential areas of the city are fenced with 3-meter fences with barbed wire and security. These two issues have yet to be dealt with by South Africa.

First Line Software has experience working with countries in Africa. The company participated in a project to create the YAPILI telemedicine platform, with which residents of various African countries can access highly qualified medical care, in particular, consult with European doctors.

2016: Solaris Development Purchase

In late May 2016, First Line Software announced the acquisition of Solaris Development, an American developer of medical IT solutions. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

First Line Software noted that the deep expertise of Solaris Development will complement the competence of the Russian company in the field of health care. Read more here.

2009: Founding of the Company

The company was founded in 2009 in St. Petersburg. The founders of First Line Software are Nikolai Puntikov and Alexander Pozdnyakov - one of the pioneers of the Russian custom software development market; they did their first projects back in the 1990s.