InfoBusiness, No. 42, November 6, 2001

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree recently obliging every ministry to have its own website. The decree sparked heated debates and exchange of experience, and it seems that the implementation of the Electronic Russia federal program will start soon.

However, it is not enough just to acquire a website. The decree also obliges officials to regularly update information posted on the site. Certainly, this will be the most difficult part of the project. A website can be built in one day, but it is much more difficult to make it really work. RBC says it can help ministries update information on their websites. "It would be too expensive to create an Internet department in every ministry," says Yuri Rovensky. "In addition, many ministries will not be able to keep Internet specialists busy full time, because there are ups and downs in the information activity of any organization," he added. That's why RBC offers its services - it is much easier for a news agency to update information. Yuri Rovensky noted that this was not a special feature of the product but an advantage of RBC as a company. Yuri Rovensky did not give the price of Info Government, but he said that the product would not be expensive. "When we offer a ready-made solution, it means that the price will not be high, because this is a complex and standardized product," he said. In his estimation, Info Government will allow for a 60 per cent reduction of expenses on building and maintaining a website.

RBC specialists are convinced that there will be a demand for Info Government. "The number of Internet users in Russia has increased two and half times over the past two years. The most active Internet users are media sources, advertising agencies, financial specialists, as well as telecoms sector employees and businessmen. And they will be the most active consumers of information posted on websites of state agencies," Yuri Rovensky believes. "This would also help solve personal problems, such as making an inquiry, extending a passport, reserving a car etc. People should have the possibility to get information first hand, and not rely exclusively on media reports, which are not always adequate. The government should have its own mouthpiece. The creation of governmental sites would be a solution," Yuri Rovensky concluded.

Yuri Sakun.