Named foreign software, which will soon be replaced by Russian counterparts

VLADIVOSTOK, 6 Sep — PRIME. In recent months, the leaders in terms of import substitution in the field of software (SW) in Russia have become anti-virus products, ERP systems, accounting and personnel systems. This was largely due to a good understanding of Russian specifics and the creation of information systems “to order”, Pavel Teplov, director of innovation at Mercator Holding, told Prime agency on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

“Western manufacturers in the 90s and 2000s were extremely reluctant to customize their solutions, which allowed Russian companies to confidently stay on the market. And problems with the supply of software for companies and organizations that fell under sanctions in 2014 only increased the market share domestic solutions,” he explained.

The most difficult places in import substitution are specialized industry solutions, for example, in the field of creating design documentation. An alternative to solutions from Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Autodesk, of course, can be open and free software (open source), which Russian companies should develop, but here another negative factor is manifested – the complexity and high cost of the transition.

“And only in 2022, when access to foreign software is actually closed, there was an awareness of the critical dependence on foreign software of the need and complexity of switching to Russian counterparts. For example, Microsoft created a real ecosystem of various application solutions around its operating system. And migration to the open Linux OS (including Russian developers) is hampered by the fact that software developers often cannot port their solutions to this OS,” Teplov explained.

In his opinion, a systematic approach to import substitution is needed, including in terms of state support. It is important to support Russian developers who initially create domestic products, then the very problem of import substitution will eventually disappear.

The VII Eastern Economic Forum will be held on September 5-8 in Vladivostok on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russky Island. The business program of the event is published on the forum website.