Pilot of group of companies (Astrakhan) (Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA))

The IT park which founder is the Pilot Group integrates the leading IT companies of the Astrakhan region on the platform including all necessary for comfortable work: from versatile offices, conference rooms and educational classes to dining rooms and the gym. Pilot Group gives also to clients an opportunity to rent workstations and servers with software products of Microsoft that is provided with the SPLA program with assistance of Softline company.

Taking active part in the innovation projects, regional and federal target programs, Pilot Group started the IT park in March, 2012. For last months leading companies of the sphere of high technologies and also the organizations (banks, insurance, law firms, etc.) servicing them became project participants.

In many respects success of the IT park is caused by convenience of the offered work format: the resident can rent not only the physical platform, actually office spaces, but also the equipment, necessary for work (both personal computers, and servers). And these appliances are equipped with the software depending on requirements of the specific resident and according to his current tasks. If, for example, the client needs to increase or reduce sharply number of the employees working with Microsoft Project it is enough to it to announce the lessor the planned increase/reduction of number of users. Respectively, the client pays only actually the used software of Microsoft without overpayment for the "idle", not used at present products.

The similar format of work with solutions of Microsoft for residents of the Astrakhan IT park is possible that Pilot Group is a participant of the SPLA program. This program allows the company to provide to the clients services of access to software of Microsoft in different options: unrolling private, public and hybrid clouds, offering access to own IT developments based on software of Microsoft and also leasing the PC and servers with software products of corporation. In all these options the client gets access to the software without acquisition it in property. Pilot Group joined the SPLA program with assistance of the largest Microsoft partner, the owner of the status SPLA Reseller, Softline company in December, 2010.

Along with providing workstations and servers with software of Microsoft Pilot Group offers tenants within the project of the regional IT park services of access to economic software (1C) to budget organizations in a private cloud based on products of Microsoft. Also on the SPLA company leases the corporate information platform placed on own servers (using the products Exchange, SharePoint, SQL Server, TMG).

Among clients there are companies not only residents of the Astrakhan IT park, but also many other organizations of area: local government authorities and executive power of the Astrakhan region, educational institutions for children of preschool age of the city of Astrakhan, Regional public institution of culture "Financial and legal center" and others.

"In addition to successful functioning of the IT park created by us it should be noted also that thanks to work on the SPLA program we increased the sales volume of services of IT outsourcing by 20%, – the head of sales department of IT department of Pilot Group Marina Kolesnikova says. – Besides, on SPLA we started the project on outsourcing of accounting services – "Professional accounting", enjoying popularity at clients and positively affected financial performance of our company. Relying on our experience, one may say, that cloud computing and an opportunity to provide services of access to software products, certainly, are one of the most profitable and perspective directions for the IT company for today".

"Options of work on the SPLA program are really diverse: the experienced service provider thanks to SPLA can expand a line of the offered services, and a startup company – to begin new business with minimum risks (i.e. without initial investments and obligations for a minimum of sales). The Pilot group tried several formats of work at once, having unrolled private clouds and having offered clients lease of the equipment with software of Microsoft. Both formats were successful, promoted involvement of new clients and strengthened the status of the company in the IT market. In return we as the reseller of the SPLA program giving full support of the company in cloud licensing are sure that experience of Pilot Group will be good motivation for the companies which did not make yet the decision to begin business in clouds: thanks to SPLA it is very simple and very effective", – Igor Balashov, the director of business development of Softline says.