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Russian software in the offices of companies - current realities and prospects, opinions and experience of experts

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Most of the information technology, software development tools and methodologies came to us from the West.



In this regard, Russian programmers and engineers had to go behind the “steam locomotive” for some time. Gradually, however, we have ceased in some way to yield to the original source, and somewhere even came forward. Of course, losing in commercial terms, many Russian developments are undeservedly forgotten or are on the sidelines of the IT industry. But some products still occupied a prominent place in the world.

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Now, with the advent of the concept of import substitution, this injustice can be partially restored, albeit on the scale of only one country. However, not all domestic developments are able to replace foreign analogues. Here there is room for discussion, reasoned criticism, hopes for a bright future.



We talked to representatives of Russian companies and asked them to express their attitude about what is happening with the development of Russian software now. We also found out how much they are ready to use domestic software, and what software they are already using in their work.



We asked the experts the following questions:



• In which categories of software products of the Russian development are already competing, or could compete with foreign software and equipment?



• Does your company currently use some kind of domestic software? In which departments (development, sales, accounting, etc.)? And the equipment of domestic production?



• Is there any direction in which Russian software leads the world market? In the Russian market?



• How is the quality (speed, fault tolerance, usability) of Russian competitive software comparable to foreign?



• How are prices for Russian software comparable to foreign?



• What qualities, in the first place, should a product of domestic development possess in order for your company to consider the possibility of its integration into existing processes?



In which categories of software products of the Russian development are already competing, or could compete with foreign software and equipment?


Alexander Osipov, head of the marketing department of the Pilot group of companies:



Of course, there are no full-fledged Russian analogues of the Microsoft operating system or their office suite. And let's face it, even if they appear, it’s not a fact that they will be in demand: the majority of users are accustomed to Microsoft solutions, and they are unlikely to immediately want to change them.



But if we talk about the application software that is used to solve business problems, then in Russia things are good: for example, AmoCRM, Megaplan, Bitrix24 with numerous modules, KeyCollector. Looking at them, it becomes immediately clear that the domestic software is not only better suited for Russian legislation, business processes and the mentality of the people, but also sometimes more convenient, more functional than its Western counterparts.



And if you draw the circle wider and look at specialized industry solutions, for example, cash software, then Western software here is rather an exception to the rules. Moreover, even foreign retailers entering the Russian market prefer to translate business processes to the decisions of local developers.



Vladimir Levashov, Head of Information Systems, BDO Unicon Outsourcing:



I think I won’t surprise anyone if I mention antiviruses, text recognition and speech recognition programs, dictionaries, data backup systems, search engines, monitoring systems, electronic payment products, legally significant electronic document management systems.



All these products are already on the international market. Unfortunately, in principle there are very few Russian food companies - there are no more than 2-3 dozen significant players. I'd like to believe that their number will actively grow. I hope that the extension of benefits for IT companies until 2023 will contribute to this.



Alexander Belyaev, Head of Import Substitution and Open Source Software at KROK:



In fact, in almost any category, you can find products of domestic development that are somehow competitive in the market. Most often, this is application software that is successfully sold and implemented in Russia (ERP systems, accounting software, project management solutions, and much more). There are successful examples of competition on an equal footing in the international market - this is, first of all, antivirus software, backup, analytics, and others.



Ilya Vislotsky, director of the client solutions architecture center of the Stack Group:



Today there is already Russian software (or software with a large Russian participation), which occupies a leading position not only in Russia. I can distinguish several types (not limited to them):





Russian IT equipment is also about to be categorized: military, for a large project, and the most popular is the modified layouts and assemblies. Of course, the Russian IT equipment is competitive, but so far it cannot meet all the needs of the market. You need to build on the task, somewhere you can use only foreign equipment, and somewhere you can replace it with the best Russian analogue.



Alexey Boldyrev, General Director of Aytonika Company:



In the field of software - this is certainly antivirus. Here Kaspersky has leadership even on a global scale, and Doctor Web is its worthy rival in its native market. In general, in Russia, the absolute majority of any products in the field of information security are Russian.



In other segments of the market there are local leaders: absolute, like “1C” in accounting, “1C-Bitrix” in site management systems, or relative - for example, equipment manufacturers (PC and medium servers) “Aquarius” and “Kraftway”, and powerful servers - the Russian company "Yadro". We expect in 2017 a breakthrough from the “MoiOffice” team in office software, they have a strong update package, and we hope that “Basalt” in the field of operating systems will also show itself!



Vyacheslav Medvedev, leading analyst at Doctor Web, development department:



Security systems, banking software, software related to ensuring workflow. In particular, Russian anti-virus systems are selling well in Europe and beyond.



Sergey Kozlov, CEO of the company "Megaplan":



On the antivirus market, Kaspersky Lab is an excellent example of a company that first won the market with us and then entered the international arena.



In our own field (CRM and task managers), Russian products successfully compete with foreign systems. Among the accounting programs is, of course, "1C".



Mikhail Yepikhin, leading marketer of backend platform for developing mobile applications Scorocode:



Two types of solutions compete with foreign software - traditional business represented by domestic IT giants like ABBYY with text recognition solutions, Kaspersky Lab with information security solutions, as well as innovative startups in e-commerce, mobile analytics, CRM, PaaS and MBaaS platforms. Separately, it is worth mentioning mobile applications - Prisma and MSQRD were the best on the version of Appstore.



With our platform for developing mobile, hybrid and web applications, Scorocode also plans to scale to the international market in 2017, now the trend for digital transformation of companies is growing, according to Forbes research - 2/3 of executives from Forbes 500 companies in 2017 take digital strategy as a major development.



Sergey Eltsov, LiveTex CTO:



Russian software today is quite successfully competing with Western software in the field of telecom, antiviruses, computer-aided design systems, and information security tools.



But I would like to make a reservation that the main thing in this matter is to define the criteria of “domesticity”: there are foreign companies on the market that offer Russian-made products. Such solutions do not fall into the register of domestic software, but are Russian in their ideology.



Does your company currently use some kind of domestic software? In which departments (development, sales, accounting, etc.)? And the equipment of domestic production?


Alexander Osipov, head of the marketing department of the Pilot group of companies:



At the moment, we only use 1C from the Russian application software. But I will reveal the secret, at the moment “Pilot” is migrating from “1C” to SAP. This step is associated with increased requirements for transparency and streamlined business processes of the enterprise.



Vladimir Levashov, Head of Information Systems, BDO Unicon Outsourcing:



Yes, we use Kaspersky products for virus protection, for backup we use Acronis systems. Almost all accounting records are kept on the 1C system. In recent years, the company has been actively developing the services of personnel records and payroll at Boss-Kadrovik. Taxcom and SKB-Kontur are used for the exchange of legally relevant electronic documents and submission of reports. To manage the sales and customer service cycle, systems based on 1C-Bitrix and 1C are used, we use 7-ZIP for archiving.



Ilya Vislotsky, director of the client solutions architecture center of the Stack Group:



We use Russian security products, billing, accounting, proprietary improvements and a number of other Russian software, including developing software for our needs. Domestic equipment is not used.



Vyacheslav Medvedev, leading analyst at Doctor Web, development department:



As software developers, which should protect everyone and always, when testing antivirus, we use a very large amount of software and hardware. We ensure compatibility with Russian products and, in the case of using it by our customers, we ensure the protection of the corresponding systems. Alas, whatever software is used - viruses, Trojans and vulnerabilities are everywhere, and it is impossible to believe that switching to other programs will solve security problems. The trend of the second half of 2016 is attacks on operating systems other than Windows.



Mikhail Yepikhin, leading marketer of backend platform for developing mobile applications Scorocode:



We use our own Scorocode platform for development, for accounting we use "1C".



Sergey Eltsov, LiveTex CTO:



We use our own solution - the LiveTex platform for customer support and sales, Kaspersky antivirus and 1C (which is pretty standard for Russia).



Natalya Pauli, PR director of Obuv Rossii:



Yes, in our company, we use the “1C 8: Manufacturing Enterprise Management” program as an ERP system. It currently automates the main units of the accounting and management cycle - accounting and reporting both in Russian and international standards, financial management and budgeting, retail and wholesale trade management, human resources management, logistics, management accounting, electronic document management.



In addition, also on the basis of "1C" we have developed software modules to manage such projects of the company as the sale of shoes in installments and the issuance of cash loans. The whole process of registration and maintenance of installment contracts and loans is automated on the basis of "1C". Moreover, we also launch all new projects on the 1C base.



Is there any direction in which Russian software leads the world market? In the Russian market?


Vladimir Levashov, Head of Information Systems, BDO Unicon Outsourcing:



It is difficult to attribute Russian software to market leaders, although in a number of niches our developers succeed - the same Kaspersky, Veam, Parallels, OpenWay.



Among the leaders of the global software market, you probably should not include software, but outsourced custom development. Despite political tensions, our positions in this area are still strong.



Without a doubt, no foreign ERP or accounting system will be able to compete with 1C [on the Russian market] in the coming decades: foreign vendors simply do not have time to adapt to the requirements of Russian legislation as fast as the brainchild of Mr. Nuraliev.



Out of competition and Russian systems for electronic reporting (Taxcom, "SKB-Kontur" and others). The reason for their success is again a detailed knowledge of the requirements of the local market and its regulators and the rapid adaptation to any changes in the accounting, labor and tax laws.



Alexander Belyaev, Head of Import Substitution and Open Source Software at KROK:



It will be too loud to talk about some kind of unconditional leadership, but there are domestic products, which, undoubtedly, can be called the most popular in a certain direction all over the world. These are, for example, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, Veeam and Acronis backup systems, Parallels virtualization solutions. In Russia, such a leader can be called "1C", as well as the ABS market (automated banking systems) and information security tools.



Ilya Vislotsky, director of the client solutions architecture center of the Stack Group:



I think everyone in the world knows the brands Acronis, Kaspersky, ABBYY - almost every inhabitant is familiar with their products. Among Russian commercial organizations, the names EPAM, R-Style, Diasoft, FORS, 1C, Parallels and many others are certainly familiar.



Sergey Kozlov, CEO of the company "Megaplan":



ABBYY, the Russian developer of text recognition solutions, is the undisputed global leader. In the field of prevention and investigation of cybercrime, Group-IB loudly announces itself today. The company has created the largest forensic laboratory in Eastern Europe and is actively entering international markets.



How is the quality (speed, fault tolerance, usability) of Russian competitive software comparable to foreign?


Alexander Osipov, head of the marketing department of the Pilot group of companies:



Russian software has one peculiarity - it is usability that is not developed from a user point of view. Often the reason for this is the fact that programmers start writing programs for programmers, and then the resulting solutions go on a mass market.



To illustrate this example, I suggest you compare two CRM systems of different eras: “1C CRM” and AmoCRM. Which is more convenient to use? I think you will answer that it is the second one. And all because the guys from AmoCRM paid special attention to developing user stories, analyzing competitors' solutions and designing their own software interface. This is a pleasant exception to the rule.



So, “Pilot” has something to learn from them - our cash solution, Profi-T, unfortunately, does not differ in terms of usability from competitors' offers. But next year we are going to release a new version of the cash register software with an updated and redesigned interface.



Alexander Belyaev, Head of Import Substitution and Open Source Software at KROK:



If the software is competitive, then it is obvious that its quality indicators are comparable with other offers on the market. Otherwise, these solutions would simply not be bought. And all the examples of Russian software, which is sold on the foreign market, are a clear confirmation of this.



Ilya Vislotsky, director of the client solutions architecture center of the Stack Group:



We received an equally good level of support from Russian developers, and from foreign, and sometimes we were equally poorly served. Doing business in Russia makes it easier and faster for Russian companies to find a common language and achieve the necessary changes.



Vyacheslav Medvedev, leading analyst at Doctor Web, development department:



If you look at software already recognized abroad, it is competitive in all the listed items. For the rest of the software problem is a small number of customers. In fact, it is a vicious circle. No customers - no money to hire developers. No staff - no functionality required by customers. There is no functionality - there are no customers who buy the product because of its high quality.



Sergey Kozlov, CEO of the company "Megaplan":



If we talk about cloud technologies, the quality of Russian software is quite comparable with foreign developments. In this sector, we are definitely at the forefront of progress. In particular, this applies to domestic CRM-systems.



The Megaplan system was the first to enter the market and was developed as a more affordable Russian-language counterpart to Western systems. This was in 2006–2007. Now domestic CRM in Russia is much more popular than foreign counterparts. Russian products have almost supplanted foreign software.



Five years ago, customers compared Russian CRM systems with foreign counterparts, such as Salesforce, Highrise, SugarCRM. Today, they choose between Russian services, while foreign products no longer occupy a significant market share.



And it's not just the quality of the product. Russian software today is not inferior in terms of stability of work and quality of interface development to foreign analogues.



By the way, in Microsoft, Google, Amazon and many other major IT companies in the world there are a lot of developers from Russia.



Sergey Eltsov, LiveTex CTO:



It is difficult to give an unequivocal answer to this question: everything depends on concrete decisions. I can say that the domestic software is often "lame" documentation. In addition, a large community grows around Western products, and, in addition to official documentation, users have access to well-developed forums and so on. In Russia, such a community is not enough.



How are prices for Russian software comparable to foreign?


Alexander Osipov, head of the marketing department of the Pilot group of companies:



Prices for Russian software are much more profitable than for solutions of foreign developers. And it's not just at the end user price. Calculate the follow-up support, solution updates, and improvements that may unexpectedly arise. For example, the Russian retail and wholesale market this year has shaken twice: EGAIS first came, and then the FZ-54 was updated. And retailers who used western software for cash registers were forced to overpay for improvements and wait for patches and updates that were not very priority for western developers.



Alexander Belyaev, Head of Import Substitution and Open Source Software at KROK:



I think in this case, domestic software should be divided into two categories. To the first one we can attribute those Russian products that have already proven themselves well all over the world for a long time, and, accordingly, have long and hard worked on quality and functionality. Their prices will be on par with foreign competitors.



But with the Russian software, which began to be developed relatively recently, and often because of the need for import substitution, the situation is somewhat different. It is in most cases cheaper than foreign analogues and does not always have competitive functionality. But it is only a matter of time.



Alexey Boldyrev, General Director of Aytonika Company:



It may be surprising or upset, but in the products-leaders of its segment, both prices and quality are comparable with foreign competitors. Probably, only “1C” can “kill” its market also by price, but this is understandable - in our market they are a phenomenon of a huge scale.



Vyacheslav Medvedev, leading analyst at Doctor Web, development department:



Differently. You need to understand that large volumes of sales of foreign software can reduce the cost for end customers. For developers of short-run software, just entering the market, such prices can become a noose around the neck.



The problem is that at the moment the threshold for entering the software market is very high. Yes, most use a small part of the capabilities of each product, but each uses a different functionality. Therefore, to enter the market it is not enough to have low prices - in fact you need to have a complete analog of the competitors' software, unless without some insignificant functionality.



Sergey Kozlov, CEO of the company "Megaplan":



Prices for domestic software have always been lower, which is beneficial to users. And after the dollar and the euro rose against the ruble, prices for the domestic product became doubly profitable. If you look at the CRM market and take the cost of the same SalesForce, the most popular CRM system in the world, the average package will cost $ 150 per month per user. In Russian systems, this will be only 500–1500 rubles per month per user.



Mikhail Yepikhin, leading marketer of backend platform for developing mobile applications Scorocode:



Plus, a number of restrictions are now being imposed on the work of foreign companies. This allows you to compete on price with foreign solutions.



What qualities, first of all, should have a product of domestic development in order for your company to consider the possibility of its integration into existing processes?


Alexander Belyaev, Head of Import Substitution and Open Source Software at KROK:



Since we are a system integrator, then, accordingly, at the head of the corner for us is always the question of whether the customer needs the functionality that the software has.



Another important parameter is the quality of technical support from a vendor / manufacturer, its proximity to the customer and to the integrator. It is also necessary that the product meets a range of regulatory, organizational requirements, which is especially important for state-owned companies and for information security projects.



Of course, we pay attention to the country of the developer. Therefore, in each case, we decide on the choice of software based on the characteristics of the project.



If we talk in more detail, I would highlight the following characteristics: the possibility of functional refinement and adaptation to the company's features, management automation and a high degree of fault tolerance.



Ilya Vislotsky, director of the client solutions architecture center of the Stack Group:



Requirements for products do not differ from their territorial affiliation. As I said above, we use Russian software, it fully meets the requirements for it.



If we briefly formulate the requirements for software, they are as follows: it must solve the problem posed, be reliable, easily customized for changing business requirements, have good technical support, adequate purchase and support costs.



Alexey Boldyrev, General Director of Aytonika Company:



We, as an integrator, look, unlike customers, not only and not so much on value for money: then we also support this solution, usually for several years! So we also need an understanding that the vendor from the market will not go anywhere, will not go bankrupt, that he has sane commercial and technical policies - that is, we look not only at the product itself, but also at those who make and sell it , on the organization as a structure.



Vyacheslav Medvedev, leading analyst at Doctor Web, development department:



It should give those opportunities that are absent from competitors, or at a competitive price and comparable quality to perform those actions that are in the software of competitors and are used by us.



Sergey Kozlov, CEO of the company "Megaplan":



We ourselves are a Russian software developer and are already using domestic products in our work. We do not have any "allergies" to the word "Russian". We are always ready to consider the possibility of using such products, as long as it is useful for the services and customers of Megaplan.



The second question is the price. Since the Russian counterparts benefit by price, with the same quality, we often make a choice in favor of domestic software, since it is simpler to buy it.



If earlier the concept of “American service” was associated with a quality mark, today it is lost among worthy Russian products that we actively use.



Sergey Eltsov, LiveTex CTO:



First of all, I will mention the relevance. Very often, Russian products "lag behind" foreign developments and appear "in hindsight."



Natalya Pauli, PR director of Obuv Rossii:



The software should have the ability to modify and adapt to the needs of the company. As mentioned above, we do not just sell shoes, but also provide a number of non-standard services for the market. And we were able on the basis of "1C" to develop software modules to support these projects.



Another important point: ease of learning to work with software. Each store in our company is a part of a single IT system, all sellers are financial managers. All the work of the store and the provision of financial services to our customers are automated. Therefore, retail personnel need to work with programs that should be clear and easy to learn. In addition, it is important that there are specialists who can accompany this software.



In the case of 1C, there are quite a few such programmers. Of course, an important point is the cost of software, which should be adequate to the opportunities provided. It should also be mentioned that in the current conditions, working with domestic software can reduce the risks associated with the possible deterioration of the foreign policy situation and the imposition of sanctions. These risks also need to be considered when it comes to the long-term development strategy of the company.





As it turned out, the picture looks pretty optimistic. We know what we want from IT products, and we understand that “tomorrow” will not succeed in shifting foreign competitors. Moreover, it is not always necessary.



If Russian software, for example, is cheaper than American, the choice will not always be made in favor of the domestic manufacturer.Indeed, such criteria as quality and functionality, well-thought usability, adequate technical support, ecosystem development and, after all, habit or accumulated credit of trust, often come to the fore.



Perhaps competent feedback from all those who are not indifferent, open discussion and other processes that resonate with the ideas of import substitution will serve as a motivation for the Russian players in the domestic IT market.

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/317718/

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