With R & D centers in Russia, Moldova and Belarus we give our clients an opportunity to benefit from traditionally high level of education, advantageous location and cultural environment.

ELITE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Russia, as well as its nearest neighbors, has one of the highest literacy rates in the world (~99%).  More than 40% of university degrees in our countries are in technology and science.  According to research¹ 77.4% of Russian software companies employ PhDs, while in 45.8% of those companies' PhDs make up 10% or more of their staff .  Mastery in quantitative disciplines, coupled with English proficiency has resulted in a skill-set that has enabled Eastern European countries to take advantage of the current international demand for IT services.

HIGHLY SKILLED IT SPECIALISTS

Eastern European elite university system produces an ample supply of skilled workers for the country's rapidly expanding IT outsourcing industry.  In 2003-4, universities in Russia produced 203,418 appropriately qualified graduates and, in 2004-5, the number rose to 225,831. Today only in Belarus 48-50% of the graduates have a degree in IT or another computer-related subject, that is over 23 thousand new IT and technical specialists annually.  According to Gartner Research,² "Russia has a good supply of highly skilled IT workers and an array of specialized expertise capable of solving large-scale, complex technical problems".

"Russia has up to 40% more scientists per capita than Germany, France or the UK and 20 times more scientists per capita than India" - Forrester Research

"The Russian education system is modelled on the Western system and is based on a model of theory and philosophy; a programmer likes to get deep into philosophy and principles of a system" - Chief operating officer of technology, global banking.

"There is a lot of resource there - Java, C++, Linux and database skills - and staff are highly motivated, at a quarter of the price" - Technical director of Cable & Wireless about Moldova’s human resources.

EUROPEAN WORK ETHIC & PRODUCTIVITY

Russia, Belarus and Moldova are geographically part of - and share cultural ties with - Europe.  The countries benefit from a disciplined education system, conservative values and an old-fashioned work ethic.  Eastern European workers generally are loyal to their employers, are committed to their jobs and have pride in their work.  As a result, staff attrition or 'employee churn' is much lower than in most other off-shoring destinations and productivity is generally high.

Hedging Clients' Geo-Political Risk

Geo-political risk is a major concern for all clients who send work offshore and this problem is particularly acute in countries which are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as major earthquakes or flooding, or which are subject to the risk of political disturbance, which can range from aggressive labor unions to regional nuclear conflict. 

Eastern Europe represents a good hedge against these risks, which mainly affect countries in the Pacific Rim and the Indian subcontinent.

¹ - Research paper by Market-Vision / EDC
² - Gartner Research, 2004: Russia is Building Up its Offshore Services Credibility by Fieman & Marriot