Russian IT Industry in 2025: Part One

— What events and changes in 2025 became pivotal for the IT industry? And which external events had the greatest impact?

GIGANT Computer Systems, Dmitry Pustovalov, Director of Support and Development Department:

"In 2025, the Russian equipment market shifted from emergency import substitution to a calmer and more rigorous 'by-the-book' approach. Major companies and industrial enterprises stopped purchasing equipment simply because of its Russian origin."

Softline Solutions (Softline Group), Alexey Pilipchuk, Chief Technology Officer:

"I would describe 2025 as the year of transition from reactive digitalization to a more economical, managed, and platform-based development model."

IT company Fact, Sergey Mikhailov, Commercial Director and Co-founder:

"It's hard to call 2025 a year of growth for IT — it was more a year of cooling off and recalibrating expectations."

— What challenges did the IT industry face in 2025? How did companies deal with them?

GIGANT Kompyuternye sistemy:

"In 2025, Russia's equipment market didn't face one 'big problem' but several simultaneous challenges — and it was precisely their combination that made the year so tense."

Crosstech Solutions Group, Viktor Eremin, Chief Technology Officer:

"The main challenge in 2025 was budget cuts. While in previous years the industry grew on the back of investment, the situation has now changed."

Softline Resheniya:

"The sobering up around AI and the shift from hype to practical use cases became one of the key challenges of 2025."

IT company Fakt:

"The main challenge of the year is the combination of declining business activity and rising costs."

— What is the main systemic risk you can identify in the industry for 2025?

GIGANT Computer Systems:

"The main systemic risk for the equipment market in Russia in 2025 is the gap between the pace of regulatory requirements and the actual speed of equipment implementation and operation."

Crosstech Solutions Group:

"Limited access to global technologies and reduced IT investment could lead to serious technological lag."

IT company Fakt:

"The main systemic risk is the prolonged uncertainty."

— What are the most important achievements you can highlight from the past year? What can you be truly proud of?

GIGANT Computer Systems:

"Domestic equipment has stopped being a temporary alternative and has become the standard foundation for building infrastructure in mission-critical and high-load segments."

Crosstech Solutions Group:

"The ability to simultaneously improve internal efficiency and bring new products to market — that's something we can be proud of."

Softline Resheniya:

"Import substitution in infrastructure is increasingly ceasing to be a 'project for the sake of replacement' and becoming an engineering-mature modernization."

IT company Fakt:

"IT companies have learned to work not only in growth conditions, but also in stagnation conditions."

— If you had the opportunity to ask Ded Moroz for a gift on behalf of the entire industry for the New Year, what would you wish for?

GIGANT Computer Systems:

"If we allow ourselves a bit of humor, on behalf of the equipment market in Russia we would ask Ded Moroz not for a magic wand or another 'breakthrough,' but for quite practical things. First, a calendar without urgent deadlines and sudden checkpoints — so that engineering solutions could be implemented in a working mode, not in crisis mode. Second, perfect compatibility 'out of the box' — so that servers, storage systems, and networks would immediately understand each other without tests and additional firmware."

Crosstech Solutions Group:

"The greatest gift for the entire industry would be investment. We'd like to see continued confidence in Russia's IT sector in 2026, with major companies supporting the development of interesting and high-quality products, and giving us the opportunity to bring ideas to life."

Softline Solutions:

"If I could ask Santa Claus for one gift on behalf of the entire IT industry, I'd ask for predictability: for technology, expectations, and reality to align more often in the new year. And also for domestic import-substitution technologies to mature faster than the demands placed on them grow."

IT company Fact:

"Probably not growth or tax breaks, but predictability. A clear planning horizon, more stable conditions, and a sense that the rules of the game aren't changing every few months."

2025 became a year of maturation for the IT industry. The market became less emotional and more engineering-focused, less oriented toward speed and more toward results, operations, and accountability. Import substitution ceased to be an end in itself, and AI stopped being a fashionable experiment. Architecture, economics, and the ability to operate within real business environments moved to the forefront.

Continued in part two.

— What events and changes in 2025 became pivotal for the IT industry? And which external events had the greatest impact?

GIGANT Computer Systems, Dmitry Pustovalov, Director of Support and Development Department:

"In 2025, the Russian equipment market shifted from emergency import substitution to a calmer and more rigorous 'by-the-book' approach. Major companies and industrial enterprises stopped purchasing equipment simply because of its Russian origin."

Softline Solutions (Softline Group), Alexey Pilipchuk, Chief Technology Officer:

"I would describe 2025 as the year of transition from reactive digitalization to a more economical, managed, and platform-based development model."

IT company Fact, Sergey Mikhailov, Commercial Director and Co-founder:

"It's hard to call 2025 a year of growth for IT — it was more a year of cooling off and recalibrating expectations."

— What challenges did the IT industry face in 2025? How did companies deal with them?

GIGANT Kompyuternye sistemy:

"In 2025, Russia's equipment market didn't face one 'big problem' but several simultaneous challenges — and it was precisely their combination that made the year so tense."

Crosstech Solutions Group, Viktor Eremin, Chief Technology Officer:

"The main challenge in 2025 was budget cuts. While in previous years the industry grew on the back of investment, the situation has now changed."

Softline Resheniya:

"The sobering up around AI and the shift from hype to practical use cases became one of the key challenges of 2025."

IT company Fakt:

"The main challenge of the year is the combination of declining business activity and rising costs."

— What is the main systemic risk you can identify in the industry for 2025?

GIGANT Computer Systems:

"The main systemic risk for the equipment market in Russia in 2025 is the gap between the pace of regulatory requirements and the actual speed of equipment implementation and operation."

Crosstech Solutions Group:

"Limited access to global technologies and reduced IT investment could lead to serious technological lag."

IT company Fakt:

"The main systemic risk is the prolonged uncertainty."

— What are the most important achievements you can highlight from the past year? What can you be truly proud of?

GIGANT Computer Systems:

"Domestic equipment has stopped being a temporary alternative and has become the standard foundation for building infrastructure in mission-critical and high-load segments."

Crosstech Solutions Group:

"The ability to simultaneously improve internal efficiency and bring new products to market — that's something we can be proud of."

Softline Resheniya:

"Import substitution in infrastructure is increasingly ceasing to be a 'project for the sake of replacement' and becoming an engineering-mature modernization."

IT company Fakt:

"IT companies have learned to work not only in growth conditions, but also in stagnation conditions."

— If you had the opportunity to ask Ded Moroz for a gift on behalf of the entire industry for the New Year, what would you wish for?

GIGANT Computer Systems:

"If we allow ourselves a bit of humor, on behalf of the equipment market in Russia we would ask Ded Moroz not for a magic wand or another 'breakthrough,' but for quite practical things. First, a calendar without urgent deadlines and sudden checkpoints — so that engineering solutions could be implemented in a working mode, not in crisis mode. Second, perfect compatibility 'out of the box' — so that servers, storage systems, and networks would immediately understand each other without tests and additional firmware."

Crosstech Solutions Group:

"The greatest gift for the entire industry would be investment. We'd like to see continued confidence in Russia's IT sector in 2026, with major companies supporting the development of interesting and high-quality products, and giving us the opportunity to bring ideas to life."

Softline Solutions:

"If I could ask Santa Claus for one gift on behalf of the entire IT industry, I'd ask for predictability: for technology, expectations, and reality to align more often in the new year. And also for domestic import-substitution technologies to mature faster than the demands placed on them grow."

IT company Fact:

"Probably not growth or tax breaks, but predictability. A clear planning horizon, more stable conditions, and a sense that the rules of the game aren't changing every few months."

Continued in part two.