OVERVIEW

IT MARKET

STATE SUPPORT

Belarusian IT Industry

As a part of the global offshore business, the Belarusian software services sector has been developing at a rapid pace. The country's reputation for scientific and IT excellence complemented by the competitive labor market has attracted the interest of numerous IT–intensive companies. Many experts express the view that Minsk is one of the largest centers of offshore programming in the former USSR, adding that the city is comparable with Moscow in respect of offshore programming. The growth rates for offshore programming in Belarus are difficult to calculate, but according to some estimates, the annual growth accounts for at least 50-55% (The Belarusian Industry of Software Solutions, Products and Services, Infopark, 2008 ).

Historically, Minsk was among the main USSR IT centers because of the computer production facilities and design institutes that were concentrated here. In Soviet times, Belarus supplied 60% of the USSR demand for computer production. At independence, the country inherited one of the highest standards of scientific and technical potential in the former Soviet Union.

Belarus has well–established higher educational institutions and old traditions that are sufficient to train qualified programmers. Roughly 3,900 IT–related specialists graduate from Belarusian universities every year. The Belarusian educational system stands out because of its focus on fundamentals, science, and logical thinking, giving our graduates the ability to develop creative solutions. Leading corporations in the IT area (e.g. Philips, the Netherlands) establish direct contacts with Belarusian universities and select the best senior students who are later employed by European companies.

Approximately 650 companies and organizations operate on the ICT market of Belarus. The estimated number of software developers, web designers, network administrators, and other technical personnel working in the IT sector is 16,000 (The Belarusian Industry of Software Solutions, Products and Services, Infopark, 2008 ).

A typical Belarusian IT service provider is a small dedicated team of less than 100 employees. However, there are large–scale enterprises that employ several hundred people, such as IBA Group (more than 2,000 employees), EPAM Systems, and SaM–Solutions. As the local IT market is developed insufficiently, Belarusian companies mainly aim at Western customers' orders, the local clients being state institutions, financial enterprises, banks, and corporate customers.

Belarusian IT companies are committed to providing high quality services and solutions and seek to comply with the latest international standards. In October 2003, the two largest Belarusian enterprises, IBA Group and EPAM Systems, were the first in Europe to achieve the SEI CMMI^® (Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration) Level 4 Rating. CMMI is a business model that is used to improve an organization's ability to manage project activities towards success. A CMMI rating provides for organization's worldwide recognition as a quality provider of systems engineering, software engineering, and IT services. In December 2008, IBA became the first IT company in Belarus to certify its labor safety management system for the production of IBA PCs, servers, and information and payment terminals, as well as for the maintenance and support of hardware and banking systems to the international standard OHSAS 18001.

The Belarusian IT industry is generally engaged in custom development and high–end software services for clients that require low cost but highly skilled technology resources. Belarusian companies offer the same core development languages, platforms and technologies as their counterparts in other countries. In addition, our engineers and developers are known for their accuracy and have a reputation for being creative and able to solve complex problems.