Dr. Alexis Sukharev outlines the Russian solution

Dr. Alexis Sukharev, President of Auriga, Inc., is on a global mission to promote Russia as a viable alternative for offshore development. His main obstacle: to overcome the misperception that offshore development should be performed in one country.

According to Sukharev, IT managers equate offshore development with India. Since offshore companies already have centers in India and their executives know the ins and outs of doing business there, they may not have considered other options, he said.

"For many people, offshore equals India. India is not a bad solution, and is far ahead of the pack," said Sukharev, a scientist by trade. "When I talk to customers (IT managers), I try to speak to them as a representative of Russia, not of Auriga, Inc. I try to tell them, 'Look at other markets including Russia. There are good and bad things about any market - what can you find there?'"

Sukharev cites Motorola as a good example of a very active and diverse offshore developer. The company has a huge center in India, but also has expanded its offshore facilities to Poland and other countries, he said.

In 1990, Sukharev co-founded Infort, Co., in Moscow that later became the Auriga Software Development Center. In 1993, Sukharev started Auriga, Inc., a U.S.-based affiliate. Today, the two Aurigas specialize in software development and staff augmentation.

"Both branches of the business are supposed to connect," he said. "Some of our on-site IT consultants work with our Moscow teams. In some cases, they are doing on-site consulting and contract staffing separately."

Sukharev said that the Moscow-based center is applying for CMM Level 3 certification by mid 2002, although American offshore buyers tend to place little emphasis on the assessment process.

"Within the offshore community, the importance of CMM is certainly growing," said Sukharev, a 20-year professor of Operations Research and Numerical Analysis at Moscow State University. "The certification is very relevant and we are working hard to get there. I think it's a matter of time before buyers realize that CMM is at least one of the important criteria for choosing an offshore developer."