IT-industry is prepared for a single voyage?

November 24, 2014 18:46

Discussions on the prohibition of the western software may soon find the real shape. From July 01, 2015 state customers who plan to upgrade IT-systems, will be obliged to consult the register of the domestic software. If there are Russian counterparts to foreign IT-solutions, there will be no question about any update. It is expected that the formation of the register will start in April.

In the past few months, the profile market was highly unstable. According to some sources, in the late summer, total value of tenders for the purchase of foreign software accounted for 400 million rubles, but by mid-September the volume of purchases declined sharply and was estimated to be only at the rate of 40 million rubles, and in October, the figures rose again — up to 148 million, largely due to the purchase of multiple systems of American engineering company AVEVA by the Ministry of Industry and trade.

Fluctuations in the market raised concerns of industry professionals. Commenting on the situation, they note that the complete rejection of Western software will harm the Russian economy, moreover, a 100% import substitution is not possible. For several decades, foreign software was used by many companies as a platform on which to build domestic program, a kind of foundation without which the entire IT-system could be destroyed.

Sanctions can not be interpreted solely as inhibitory factor, believe some specialists. Potential of the Russian IT-domain is huge, but not disclosed up to the end, it lacks an additional incentive. Rejection of foreign software is the best preference for domestic developers and the most effective tool for creating a competitive environment, they say. They predicted that in case of total import rejection, Russian IT- market will be divided between such leading companies as research and technology company "Truboprovod", "ASCON" and "NIP-Informatika".

But it is not worth waiting for organizations to move to the Russian software on a massive scale, believe some experts. In particular, this view is shared by Andrei Trofimov, director of strategic planning at CSD. Software change will cost millions of dollars, besides the country lacks a wide range of vertical solutions, and therefore companies will considerably shift the period of transition to the Russian software argues the expert.

Is Russian IT-industry ready for a full transition to self-sufficiency? It is hoped that in the search for the answer to this question all the nuances will be taken into account, and the decision would be correct.