Wired in Russia

Hewlett Packard is known widely as a global leader in the computing industry. This week, The Leader spoke with its general manager here, Lorenz Hilmar, to find out his assessments of the future of information technology in Russia and the prospects for Russian development in this important sector.

You mentioned Russia's intellectual capital as a key factor in the country's economic development. One of the sectors of the Russia's economy that has recently been in the spotlight is the IT sector. In your opinion, what are its prospects for the next few years?

Of course, computers will become much more powerful in the future. But what is most important, in my opinion, is that fundamental changes should occur in attitudes toward information. In the future, we will have intellectual systems and resources that will be available on the Internet and that help solve problems related to the environment, health and other vital issues, including, of course, business tasks. This will happen in the next 10-15 years. Another important thing is that a higher degree of security will be ensured for Internet users, and this not only in the field of data protection but also in protection of personal interests, etc. Of course, this will require more resources.

Hardware is developing at a fast pace, including computational resources, processors, data storage systems, data-recording density and quicker access. But progress in software development appears even more important because it is software that allows use of the Net for business purposes. The problem does not lie in mastering manufacture of microchips with 0.18 mkm or 0.13 mkm element size: The most difficult task is to develop new algorithms and solutions.

The prospects of the Russian market are closely connected with all what I mentioned above. In the last decade, we have fallen behind in the field of hardware and 0.18 mkm and 0.13 mkm technologies. (I say "we" because I have worked here for a long time and associate myself with Russia.). What follows from that? Yes, it is true that we do not produce modern processors, but we have them here. Thanks to the market economy, we have access to hardware. Therefore, our paramount task lies not in developing hardware but in achieving a breakthrough in software. We need a new thinking and new understanding of algorithms and not to follow an already-trodden path, but find a special one of our own.

In my opinion, at this stage Russia is better prepared than other countries. It is much easier to develop new solutions using a computer than sitting and thinking over a blank sheet of paper. Russia still has many strong minds and, looking into the future, I can say our prospects are better than those of our Indian or Chinese friends. The Indians and the Chinese set themselves the practical task of training programmers and they have succeeded. In Russia, science was developed, and in the present situation I place my stakes on Russia. Our company supplies hardware to Russia - computers and printers - and provides technical support. In order to be successful on this market we need to promote its development. In my opinion, we should organize domestic manufacture of products that are in demand here. Why should we ship them in?

The most important task is that of software development - first of all, creating programs adapted to the needs of Russia. After all, Russia has its own legislation and its local requirements. An English-language product would be O.K. in Moscow, but not in the provinces. Now, with powerful processors, it is possible to create very convenient and user-friendly interfaces. I consider this task to be of importance for this market and I plan to work to fulfill it.

Russia is a huge and growing market. This is not only because oil and gas prices are strong, but also because domestic industries are developing. Industrial growth is continuing in Russia, something that is confirmed by the fact that IT solutions are in demand. We should be aware of the fact that this market has a huge po