Global Services continues to point that Russia is as an offshore destination of choice for many, and is specifically “very attractive for engineering work, as almost 50 percent of the student population in the country majors in technology, science or engineering, which is far more than in China, India, Japan or the U.S. Moreover, Russian science graduates spend between five and six years at university before entering the workforce, ensuring a more thorough training, according to Russoft, the Russian IT association.”
The article points to DataArt as a provider of engineering services in financial, telecom, media and life sciences domains, which differentiates itself with high-end projects. “We do new application development, and software R&D in our chosen verticals. We serve both end users (e.g. investment banks) and third-party software manufacturers (ISVs), primarily in the mid-size sector,” says Alexei Miller, Executive Vice President at DataArt.
“The advantage [of engineering services offshoring] is in the combination of cost and value, which make certain types of high-end, analytical work very relevant to Russia,” says Miller. “While cost is comparable to destinations like India, the quality of easily available R&D talent [in Russia] is higher. Russia has the resources to offer for advanced mathematical research, quantitative analytics, etc.”
CMP Media’s Global Services magazine profiles Russia as an outsourcing destination of choice, based on a comprehensive report of Russian IT sector by IDC Research, and features DataArt as one of its leaders. "Russian IT service companies are now counted amongst the world’s best providers," writes the magazine. Stability in relationships, technical expertise and relatively low staff turnover are the key advantages of Russian software-development companies, according to the study. "Recently, DataArt was amongst Russian companies that were recognized by IAOP (for Employee Management). Global Services, too, recognized DataArt in its annual listing of global service providers in February this year." Companies participating in the study point to the availability of very well-educated engineers, strong technical skills and sound methodologies as the benefits of outsourcing to Russia.
Continuing to grow its R&D capabilities, DataArt announced the opening of a second development center in the Ukraine, in the city of Kharkov. This is the fourth R&D facility for DataArt, with two in Russia (St. Petersburg and Voronezh), and two in the Ukraine (Kherson and Kharkov).
Kharkov R&D center will be focused on projects in the financial vertical. It currently employs 20 engineers, with up to 100 to be hired by the end of the year. "Kharkov has a very strong academic base, and a rather dispersed HR market. The opening of a facility in Kharkov allows DataArt to strengthen its financial software expertise while providing quality employment for local residents," said Michael Zaitsev, CEO of DataArt.
"We are excited that DataArt will bring challenging projects to our local experts in financial software," said Alexander Nikitenko, head of DataArt Kharkov. "Becoming part of a leading European IT provider is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Ukrainian talent and capabilities, and we look forward to do our best in servicing DataArt clients in the U.S. and UK."
DataArt's engineering force has been growing at 40% a year. The office in Kharkov is the third R&D office opened by DataArt in the last year. The main St. Petersburg facility currently employs over 250 people.
