Olga Kitova
Software AG is well known in Russia, and its Adabas database has been used by many companies and organisations for a long time. The company’s position still further consolidated after development of such products as EntireX (intermediate layer solution), bolero (object-oriented Java-based environment for application development and integration) and Tamino (database using XML technology formultimedia data management). Software AG quickly gained the lead in software solutions supporting e-commerce and is going to retain the leadership.
Olga Kitova
The new products - EntireX, bolero and Tamino together form a complete set of tools for creating sophisticated systems of e-commerce with the highest level of reliability. All the products will be demonstrated at the biggest in Russia computer show Comtek’99, which will take place this April in Moscow.
In promoting new products Software AG widely relies on its partners’ assistance and is going to continue this strategy. EntireX, bolero and Tamino are destined for advanced users so Software AG pays special attention to the biggest private companies of the Russian computer market. Regular conferences are conducted for them in order to demonstrate that sophisticated e-commerce systems can be based only on powerful and reliable components and Software AG products fully meet such requirements. Software AG takes particular interest in dynamic companies building their business on high-technology basis. Electronic market in Russia has great prospects.
Another direction of Software AG’s strategy is supporting clients that use Adabas and Natural-based systems, for instance Information Resources Office of Federal Agency of Government Communications and Information, which services Administration of the President of Russian Federation, the Government and the both chambers of Federal Assembly. Among Software AG customers one can see the biggest organisations such as Rosvooruzhenie state company, Gazprom stock company, Aeroflot and many others. Relationship with them varies little from standard schemes used in the Western countries because the companies modernize their hardware at a regular basis and Software AG supplies them with the latest versions of its software products.
but there is another category of Adabas and Natural users in Russia including many industrial and transport enterprises that could be termed “illegals willy-nilly”. Their story throws back to the Soviet period of Russian history when computers were cloned and software illegally copied through the whole country. At that time state technological policy completely ignored international legal rights and all enterprises belonging to the state were given cloned products without any knowledge about who owns their respective trademarks. In the frameworks of that system the enterprises has been absolutely law-abiding but now they can’t be recognized as legal users.
Taking into account the complexity of this situation, Software AG met these users halfway, for example, when they came up against Y2K problem. The company developed a special marketing anti-crisis program ADAbASic offering big discounts for some software. Paying a low price for such products enterprises get a chance to become legal users and get certified assistance in solving Y2K problem (though certainly the company can’t fully guarantee working efficacy if the products are used with obsolete operation systems). The program already bears fruits. This January only contracts with three big industrial enterprises were signed for a total amount of $200,000.
In Russia and the CIS there are some 800 companies that can take advantage of the ADAbASic anti-crisis program. Substantial support in implementing ADAbASic program comes from Software AG’s partners which is of great importance in the complicated conditions of the contemporary Russian economic system.
Even the crisis of 1998 couldn’t hamper successful business of Software AG in Russia. From the company’s headquarters in Darmstadt the Russian subsidiary is now supervised by vice president Gerhard Joerg. The Moscow mission is now headed by Sergei Sigaryov whereas Claus-Dieter Kirst is appointed to a position of Director of business Development in Russia and the CIS. Designation of a special highly qualified manager not only simplifies activities of the Software AG office in Russia and the CIS but also emphasises great attention the company pays to the region and its high business prospects.
Olga Kitova is director of marketing and relationship with partners at Software AG mission in Russia and the CIS.
