9-th Annual Survey of the Software Development Export Industry of Russia

Dear colleagues!

Let me introduce results of the latest (the 9th in a row) industry survey on the export of software and of software development services from Russia.

The survey was conducted by RUSSOFT (non-profit partnership of software development companies) in February – April 2012 where more than 120 market players took part.

As RUSSOFT conducts the research annually using the same methodology, we can track the dynamics of industry development and evaluate its positions in the global market. We can also identify long-term and medium-term tendencies and make forecast for the further course of events.

The core of respondents is composed of RUSSOFT members who represent practically all Russian cities with large concentration of software development business, but also include a number of leading Ukrainian and Belorussian companies.

Altogether they represent the most active part of the IT community which is on the edge of the world competition. This allows to make the most adequate evaluation of the situation in Russia in terms of the Global IT market, to compare business conditions in our country and abroad, to identify key problems in the industry development and to offer solutions corresponding to the world best practices.

During the last year there were no critical changes in the world economy. That allowed the Russian software development industry to increase export up to 22% and to reach 4 billion dollars in sales of software and of software development services abroad. The competences and the experience in the sphere of high technologies, the ability to find non-standard solutions are the industry strengths. It is pleasant to see that business skills are added to the technical competences. It is reflected in consecutive strengthening positions of the industry leaders in the international ratings.

Russia remains a country with a huge human potential in the sphere of information technologies. The consequences of the difficult demographic situation in the country during the 1990-ies are observed now and they create additional problems for recruiting qualified personnel to the growing industry. Nevertheless, the results of the survey testify positive expectations of the market players which allows to predict continuing growth by 20%–25% in the next two years.

Taking the opportunity, I would like to express profound thanks to Dmitry Zhelvitsky from Open Systems Publications who has done great analytical work; to Confirmit, Toy-Opinion and Fort M which assisted the survey as well as to prof. Andrey Terekhov from the St. Petersburg State University who has strongly assisted in the report editing.

We are very grateful to the Association of Computer and Information Technology Companies (APKIT) and to our sponsors without whom it would be impossible to perform such a large-scale project.

Many thanks to all participants of the survey that provided information on their respective companies. Altogether we took one more step on the way of promoting the relevant information on the Russian software development industry which makes it more open for the Russian and for the Global market.

With my highest estimations,
Publishing Editor
RUSSOFT Association President
Valentin Makarov