Third Annual Software Outsourcing Summit. Results of a Recent Press Conference
Jun 10, 2003
On the June 4, 2003 in the Golden Ring Hotel in Moscow, a press conference was held on the upcoming Third Annual Software Outsourcing Summit, which will take place in St. Petersburg on June 25-28, 2003. The summit is part of the official program for the city's 300th anniversary celebration. The press conference was organized by FORT-ROSS, RUSSOFT and Intel Corporation.
The Software Outsourcing Summit is the largest event devoted to software development in the entire former Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe. According to the chairman of the organizing committee for the summit, RUSSOFT president Valentin Makarov, about 500 participants from all over the world are expected to attend the summit this year. They will represent leading IT companies from Russia, other CIS countries, Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, the United States, Germany, Finland, France, Sweden and Norway. Valentin Makarov discussed the purposes of the summit, among which: examining the situation in Russia and specifically the role of the Russian outsourcing sector in the global market, considering trends in the export of the Russian IT market, maintaining favorable legal conditions for the IT market in Russia and better understanding of heads of leading world corporations' concerns about the Russian IT industry and of their requirements to potential Russian partners.
This year's summit program includes:
The head of the Russian representative office of Intel Corporation, Steve Chase, talked about why large international corporations support the summit. He noted that the Russian information and communication industry is constantly being monitored by foreign businesses and that Intel studies the market particularly carefully. One of the business activities of his corporation is closely connected to the work of Russian independent suppliers of software. The summit, by uniting representatives from across the sector and initiating discussion of the most vital issues, provides an opportunity to show production and to share experience of software outsourcing with Russian colleagues, he said. Because of these interests, Intel has made the decision to become a Gold Sponsor of the event and also to become a member of RUSSOFT in order to be in greater and more intense contact with the developing sector.
Why is this sector of the economy important for Russia? Chase argued that a strong ICT branch means high competitiveness of the country on the world stage. Russia is developing its own market, system of protecting property rights, licensing of IT and copyright. Russian specialized workers are staying to work in Russia and serious preconditions for the improvement of education at the elementary and high school level are being created.
When discussing the prospects of the software development sector in Russia, Steve Chase referred to recent research from Ernst and Young. The data indicates that the volume of export of software products and services form Russia in 2002 grew 25% over the previous year and is estimated at $300 million.
Intel Corporation is one of about 30 companies serving as sponsors and partners of the Summit, Others include SUN Microsystems (also a Gold sponsor), Sonera-Telia, Borland (Silver sponsors), STAR Software, Exigen, Reksoft, IBA, Arcadia, Inc., EPAM Systems, Beiten Burkhardt, Mercury Interactive and Softjoys.
Other Summit participants will include representatives of the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, the city administration of St. Petersburg as well as Melissa Laird (Intel), Eila Rummukainen (TeliaSonera), Vladimir Kroa (IDC), Jost Hopperman (Forrester/Giga Information), Ian Marriott (Gartner Group), Mika Coles (Nokia), Navyug Mohnot (Quality Assurance Institute, India), Tor Stenstad (General Motors), Berge Ayvazian (the Yankee Group) and many others. At the beginning of June, 400 people from 20 countries were already registered for participation in the summit.
Accreditation of journalists for the summit (deadline is June 15)
by phone/fax in Moscow: +7 (095) 930-8100, or e-mail: [email protected].
Contact person: Tatiana Goryachikh.
The official summit website is at www.soft-outsourcing.com
The Software Outsourcing Summit is the largest event devoted to software development in the entire former Soviet Union and the Eastern Europe. According to the chairman of the organizing committee for the summit, RUSSOFT president Valentin Makarov, about 500 participants from all over the world are expected to attend the summit this year. They will represent leading IT companies from Russia, other CIS countries, Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, the United States, Germany, Finland, France, Sweden and Norway. Valentin Makarov discussed the purposes of the summit, among which: examining the situation in Russia and specifically the role of the Russian outsourcing sector in the global market, considering trends in the export of the Russian IT market, maintaining favorable legal conditions for the IT market in Russia and better understanding of heads of leading world corporations' concerns about the Russian IT industry and of their requirements to potential Russian partners.
This year's summit program includes:
- Greetings by officials from the Russian government and the city administration of St. Petersburg;
- Plenary session with representatives of leading IT analytical agencies such as Gartner Group, IDC, Forrester/Giga Information Group;
- Five sessions and five roundtables devoted to the basic problems of outsourcing (project management, quality management, intercultural differences, legislation, marketing of software development products and services) which will include high-ranking representatives of leading world corporations such as Intel, Siemens, General Motors, TeliaSonera, IBM, Nokia and many others as well as the largest software development companies from Russia and other CIS countries;
- A number of presentations of international projects and programs of cooperation being undertaken by Russian software development companies;
- An exhibition of software development companies, their products and services;
- The traditional "Virtual Contact Exchange", which gives everyone an opportunity to meet the other summit participants via fixed meetings on the Internet.
- the fourth RUSSOFT "press club" meeting. During the press club meeting the RUSSOFT prize for journalists will be awarded. Founded this year, the annual prize will honor journalists writing on the themes: " Information technology - Software development - The offshore programming and outsourcing market in Russia and abroad";
- presentation and press conference of the Nokia Forum;
- press conference of the organizers of the summit with the participation of several VIP guests, including Eila Rummukainen, senior vice-president of TeliaSonera, Melissa Laird, vice-president of Intel Corporation, Berge Ayvazian, president of Yankee Group, Adrian Devitt, the head of the project of Agency FORFAS (Ireland) and Tor Stenstad, vice-president of the AC-RFC branch of General Motors;
- presentation of the project "Russia ICT Connector" (financed by the International Financial Corporation and the Government of Finland);
- press conference of the US-Russia Trade Chamber of New England and RUSSOFT, devoted to signing of an Agreement of Cooperation between RUSSOFT and four IT associations in New England;
- press conferences of Russian companies over recent achievements in the sphere of QA: Telma - becoming the first CMM Level 5 certified service provider in Russia and Digital Design - first Russian software company awarded with the prize of the Russian Government.
The head of the Russian representative office of Intel Corporation, Steve Chase, talked about why large international corporations support the summit. He noted that the Russian information and communication industry is constantly being monitored by foreign businesses and that Intel studies the market particularly carefully. One of the business activities of his corporation is closely connected to the work of Russian independent suppliers of software. The summit, by uniting representatives from across the sector and initiating discussion of the most vital issues, provides an opportunity to show production and to share experience of software outsourcing with Russian colleagues, he said. Because of these interests, Intel has made the decision to become a Gold Sponsor of the event and also to become a member of RUSSOFT in order to be in greater and more intense contact with the developing sector.
Why is this sector of the economy important for Russia? Chase argued that a strong ICT branch means high competitiveness of the country on the world stage. Russia is developing its own market, system of protecting property rights, licensing of IT and copyright. Russian specialized workers are staying to work in Russia and serious preconditions for the improvement of education at the elementary and high school level are being created.
When discussing the prospects of the software development sector in Russia, Steve Chase referred to recent research from Ernst and Young. The data indicates that the volume of export of software products and services form Russia in 2002 grew 25% over the previous year and is estimated at $300 million.
Intel Corporation is one of about 30 companies serving as sponsors and partners of the Summit, Others include SUN Microsystems (also a Gold sponsor), Sonera-Telia, Borland (Silver sponsors), STAR Software, Exigen, Reksoft, IBA, Arcadia, Inc., EPAM Systems, Beiten Burkhardt, Mercury Interactive and Softjoys.
Other Summit participants will include representatives of the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Industry, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, the city administration of St. Petersburg as well as Melissa Laird (Intel), Eila Rummukainen (TeliaSonera), Vladimir Kroa (IDC), Jost Hopperman (Forrester/Giga Information), Ian Marriott (Gartner Group), Mika Coles (Nokia), Navyug Mohnot (Quality Assurance Institute, India), Tor Stenstad (General Motors), Berge Ayvazian (the Yankee Group) and many others. At the beginning of June, 400 people from 20 countries were already registered for participation in the summit.
Accreditation of journalists for the summit (deadline is June 15)
by phone/fax in Moscow: +7 (095) 930-8100, or e-mail: [email protected].
Contact person: Tatiana Goryachikh.
The official summit website is at www.soft-outsourcing.com