Azerbaijan, Baku, May 4 / Trend , S.Babayeva/
Head of Microsoft Azerbaijan Teymur Akhundov spoke with Trend in an exclusive interview.
Trend : How do you assess the current state of the IT market in Azerbaijan? As to you, which of telecommunication markets in the CIS area is the most perspective at the moment?
Teymur Akhundov: This issue is too important for us, because our business is directly connected with development of the IT market. What happens in Azerbaijan? The situation is better than the expected one due to developing global financial crisis. According to our estimates, the information technology field is the most developed in four countries, including Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, and by the way, Microsoft opened its offices in these countries in this order. At present we see that the IT market suffered from crisis more in these countries than in Azerbaijan. For instance, demand for the IT product is decreasing both for people and corporate clients in Russia, but fortunately, we are not observing this situation in Azerbaijan, even on the contrary, the IT field is increasing in this country. I hope the growth will last in future. I cannot say that the crisis does not affect Microsoft's activity in Azerbaijan at all, but this influence is much weaker than in other countries.
Q: Azerbaijan is holding arrangements to create a Regional Innovation Zone (RIZ). How will implementation of this project be beneficial for the country and which role will Microsoft have in the RIZ?
A: We support this project and are deeply confident that it is too important and useful to develop the IT field in Azerbaijan. If you look at its general state, then you will see an unfinished picture which does not clarify what is taking place in the country's IT market: however, there are powerful companies in Azerbaijan which implement the project's interests both for the state and private clients. To form the regional innovation zone will enable to regulate this activity and the project will enable to concentrate in the unified place of the best specialists of Azerbaijan and abroad. Of course, this can be implemented, if special preferable conditions are created for the companies which are interested in participating in this project. As to us, we are fully interested in the project and support this.
Q: Which role does your company have in implementing the Azerbaijani Communications and IT Ministry's project "People's Computer"?
A: I want to mention that the "People's Computer" project has been initiated by Microsoft. At present the project is under a pilot stage which covers teachers of secondary schools and if the pilot stage is successful, the project will be spread on other social groups. Teachers receive an opportunity to purchase computers at preferable conditions - loan without prepayment and for a long period of time without any interests. We provide the licensed software as part of the project, and it is really important fact, because people do not acquire pirated products, as it happens frequently in the country, but the original software. This creates a new class of users who have experience of working with the licensed software, and from this point of view, the project has key importance for us.
Q: You are also included in the consortium of the company which won the tender to create "Electronic Signature" system...
A: Yes, we are engaged in building all software infrastructures. The project was launched in 2008 and it is under a full-scale development at the moment. All this work will finish by late 2009 and then the country's any citizen, any organization which will be applied to a pattern of the electronic-digital signature can sign documents through a digital means. The electronic-digital signature is equivalent to a usual sign both for individuals and corporate clients. There is a great demand for the project and I am sure it will be popular and successful.
Q: How do you assess the level of pirated software in Azerbaijan?
A: According to IDC company's investigations, the level of piracy is 92 percent in Azerbaijan. It is too necessary to reduce this figure, because the further development of the IT sector fully depends on the level of piracy. For example, the government will draw companies to develop software in the RIZ project, but the software program is inextricably connected with issues of copyright. It should be taken into account that any companies engaged in IT examine the level of piracy before entering the market. The figure which reflects the current level of piracy in the country is depressing, although we, first, know that some government agencies, such as the Agency for Intellectual Property Protection, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, understand such a problem exist there is a problem and second, we see their intention to solve this problem.
Q: When can Microsoft and the Azerbaijani government sign a strategic agreement?
A: At present we are working over the document: we hope to sign it by late 2009. It is still being determined how and under what conditions the agreement will be signed and there are several versions which are being examined. We can confidently say that Microsoft and the government are interested in signing the agreement.
Q: At what stage is localization of Microsoft Vista products? When can users purchase the Azerbaijani version of Vista?
A: We have localized Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 in the Azerbaijani language. Now we will begin to localize other versions of our products - Microsoft Windows 7 and new version of Microsoft Office 2010. I want to note that the products will be localized before their official issue, in other words, the Azerbaijani users will receive the localized products: this fact stresses Microsoft's interest to the Azerbaijani market.
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