UPDATE: Switching to local soft crucial for cyber sovereignty

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MOSCOW, Dec 17 (PRIME) -- Russia is unlikely to replace foreign software with national products fully so far, but it is important from the point of view of cyber sovereignty, the president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

“In the first place, this is a question of cybersecurity, and, I’d say, cyber sovereignty. You see, we live in the time when cutting-out or threats to cut out whole global services are voiced to service politics. It’s certainly unacceptable, and so that we could calmly live in such a hostile environment, naturally, we should stay self-sustainable in the key fields. This is why we should switch to local software,” Peskov told reporters.

“Can local software fully replace foreign products? I don’t think so. Although, we should ask experts, especially in the government that deals with the matter.”

Media reported earlier that state companies must schedule a transition to local software by 2021. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov signed a directive on a gradual move of state companies to local software.

A spokesperson for state-owned Russian Railways said earlier on Monday that the national carrier is replacing foreign information technologies with local ones and intends to raise the share of Russian software even more.

“The company set up a project office on transfer to local software of the single register of Russian programs for computers and databases…Already now, a significant part of the IT landscape of Russian Railways consists of local solutions,” the spokesperson said.

“Basic technological processes of the company related to carriage and its security are done on the basis of own solutions and are a national product.”

A spokesperson for state-controlled telecom operator Rostelecom said the company had received a directive from the government on a gradual transfer of state companies to local software. “Convocation of a meeting of the board of directors will be additionally announced,” the spokesperson said.

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