CW+ Premium Content/CW EMEA

Russia could become the world’s largest market for illegal IT technologies and equipment following the country’s recent decision to allow parallel imports and encourage local businesses to use systems even without proper permission. The recent exodus of many global IT companies from Russia, prompted by the country’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent international sanctions, resulted in local companies only being able to continue to use technology from these companies until the expiration of their licence period. As Russian companies often purchase licences for just one year, and less often for two or three years, they may soon face serious problems in using their IT system. The situation is complicated by the fact that most Russian companies, primarily large and medium-sized ones, have traditionally used IT products from Western suppliers as a basis for their IT architecture. But in recent weeks, some Russian corporate users have faced the problem of renewing their licences for foreign IT products. Perhaps the most complex ...