The new face of Microsoft

In the Russian market, the corporation faces fundamentally new challenges

There are changes at Russian Microsoft. From January 1, Microsoft Rus LLC will be headed by 36-year-old Nikolai Pryanishnikov from VimpelCom instead of Birger Sten . Yesterday he was introduced to journalists and company employees by Microsoft Vice President Vahe Torosyan, who is responsible for the corporation's business in Central and Eastern Europe.

The position of head of the Russian representative office of Microsoft has one peculiarity: it is forever “glued” to a person. In any case, this is exactly the case with Mr. Pryanishnikov's predecessors - Olga Dergunova and Birger Steen. They earned a name in the business community while heading the Russian Microsoft. Mr. Pryanishnikov, however, already has a name, which is made in VimpelCom . He joined this company in 2000 as deputy general director and commercial director. From June 2004 to July 2008, he held the position of executive vice president, then general director. Until recently, he served as executive vice president for international business development. At Microsoft, he faces dangers associated not with the specifics of the software market, in which he has not previously worked, but, first of all, with the economic and political situation that has developed around the corporation in Russia.

Due to the crisis, further growth in sales of Microsoft products (which has not yet stopped, but only slowed down) is problematic, if not impossible. Against the backdrop of the 10-fold growth of Microsoft's business in Russia, which occurred over the four years of Birger Steen's work, this will be especially noticeable. Mr. Sten, however, formulates the task for 2009 as follows: it is important to maintain the company’s partner network in a viable state; there is no talk of increasing sales.

Although the Microsoft Dynamics division (software products for business management) has good prospects even during a crisis. “There are not so many ways for truly operating enterprises to improve efficiency, and the introduction of business software is one of them,” believes Boris Nuraliev, director of the 1C company, who, however, refused to comment on the appointment at Microsoft.

The problem is that the crisis can - and this possibility is already being realized - roll back the piracy situation by years. Microsoft's business is very sensitive to this. But the main thing is that Microsoft under Nikolai Pryanishnikov will face qualitative changes in the way it does business.

The President of Cognitive Technologies, Olga Uskova, notes that Birger Sten is a person who knows and understands the Russian market, the country’s politics, and the rules of local business. He is trying to integrate Microsoft into the Russian business system. Under him, Microsoft “changed its tone” in Russia, and it’s clear why. Russia is extremely important for Microsoft. This is, firstly, a growing (unlike Europe) market for the corporation’s products. Secondly, highly qualified development personnel. Thirdly, a strong financial partner. But Microsoft, according to Ms. Uskova, should behave as a responsible partner, and cooperate much more actively with the government and Russian companies: “It’s not enough to show a beautiful product through the window, we need financial investments, opening up the operating system codes - a whole range of measures.” .

Shortly before the announcement of Nikolai Pryanishnikov’s appointment at the conference “Russian Information Technology and Software Industry” organized by Microsoft. Innovations and Investments”, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technological Development of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications Ilya Ponomarev, in the presence of Vice President for Business Development Strategy at Microsoft Daniel Lewin, announced a project to create a “national operating system” in Russia and invited Microsoft to participate in project. Asked for comment, Mr. Lewin said his company welcomes any software development project. Birger Steen was more specific: “We are ready to take part in this project.”

Apparently, this is indeed one of the primary tasks facing Mr. Pryanishnikov. According to Ms. Uskova, a working group has been created and is operating to work on a “national operating system” (Ms. Uskova is a member of it). The situation is this: either Microsoft will be able to convince its Russian customers from the public sector that Windows is no more expensive, no worse, no more dangerous than an open source operating system, and will take part in the development of fragments of a “national operating system,” or it will lose orders from Russian law enforcement agencies.

Birger Steen will stay in Moscow until the summer. As officially announced, he will assist his successor. “I once doubted whether I should go to Moscow; I wasn’t sure that my family would be happy here. And now I’m not going to leave here right away. And this is also connected with caring for the family, for children - I have four of them. I'm not going to leave Microsoft. I’m thinking of moving to Seattle (the corporate headquarters is located there. - Ed. ), Mr. Stan told a Vremya Novostey correspondent. — There is no desire to go to any other country after Russia. Perhaps an equally interesting job could have been found somewhere else, but I studied Russian, not Chinese.”

Andrey ANNENKOV, iToday.ru, - specially for Vremya Novostei