IBA Group

Infobox_Company
company_name = International Business Alliance
company_
company_type = Joint-stock company, privately held
foundation = 1993, incorporated 2005
location_city = Prague
location_country = Czech Republic
slogan = Best Solutions for Your Business
key_people = Sergei Levteev, President & CEO
industry = Computer hardware
Computer software
Consulting
IT Services
num_employees = 2000+ (2008)

[http://ibagroup.eu/about/fact-sheet/ Employees] | homepage = [http://www.ibagroup.eu/ www.ibagroup.eu]
footnotes =

IBA Group is an alliance of IT companies that perform offshore, near-shore and on-shore projects with more than 2,000 IT and business professionals.

IBA (International Business Alliance) was founded in 1993 as a joint venture between IBM and two Belarusian IT enterprises, namely the Computer Research Institute [http://www.niievm.by/eng_home.htm NIIEVM] and the Minsk Computer Production Association [http://www.mpovt.iba.by/english/index_e.html MPOVT] . The company was designed to complement software development skills of local professionals with advanced technologies provided by IBM. In 1999, IBM withdrew as a part owner of IBA, however, remains a strategic business partner.

To date, IBA has offices in the U.S., Germany, Russia, Cyprus, and Bulgaria and development centers in Belarus and the Czech Republic. In 2005, after the Czech Republic became a member of the European Union, IBA Group relocated its headquarters to Prague, Czech Republic.

IBA Group is engaged in bespoke software development, system integration, and [http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid183_gci953429,00.html# product development] , and provides distribution services. The IBA international clients are companies that outsource their software development to offshore or near-shore IT service providers, while its local clients are mostly banks, manufacturing, and transport enterprises that want to streamline their business processes. Therefore, the company in engaged in B2B relations. Globally, it operates as an outsourcing service provider and locally as a system integrator, value-added reseller, and original equipment manufacturer.

IBA Group serves clients in more than 30 countries across diverse markets and industries, including banking, railway, telecommunication, manufacturing, healthcare, trade, and public. With staff of over 2,000 professionals, IBA Group is one of the largest IT service providers in Central and Eastern Europe.

IBA holds DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 Certificates, and is at SEI CMMI Level 4 for Systems Engineering and Software Engineering as judged by Gartner and TeraQuest.

Mission

The IBA Group mission is to effect change and improve business performance for its clients through the use of advanced information technologies.IBA Group leverages innovative technologies to assist businesses in their effective development. For many of IBA Group clients, IT becomes a transformation vehicle allowing them to address new opportunities.

Vision

IBA Group vision extends into the future where IBA seeks to become the world's most trusted provider of IT services. IBA Group is committed to working in partnership with its clients, where each shares common interests, values, and goals. IBA Group is also striving to be a workplace of choice for the best IT professionals who enjoy and care about their job at IBA Group. IBA Group will be recognized as a well–managed and financially strong company dedicated to the success of its clients and employees.

Focus Areas

* Mainframe systems and applications
* Enterprise applications and web solutions
* SAP solutions and other ERP systems
* Lotus technologies
* Business Process Outsourcing
* Offshore outsourcing

kills

IBA employs over 2,000 IT and business professionals. Most of them are university-educated programmers with around 30 holding a PhD in computer science. The IBA specialists are qualified in a variety of programming platforms, systems, products, and tools, including:

Operating Systems

z/OS, OS/390, Linux on System z; MVS, VSE; z/VM, VM/ESA; IBM I (i5/OS and Os/400), AIX, Linux on POWER Systems; Solaris, HP-UX, other Unix; Windows Family, NetWare, Linux on Intel-architecture, Mac OS, OS/2, DOS, Palm OS

Compilers & Programming Languages

C/C++/VC++, C#, Java, PHP, X++, Cobol, PL/1, PL/X, RPG/400, ABAP, ABAP/4, Fortran, Forth, Lisp, Pascal, Smalltalk, Assembler for different platforms, ADA, Prolog, REXX, Natural, Visual Basic, HTML, Perl, JCL, Modula, Lotus/Java/VB Script, Unix Shell, Python

Database Software

DB2, IMS, Oracle, MS SQL Server, mySQL, Informix, Sybase, Interbase, CA Datacom, Open Road, ADABAS, Focus, TM1, Btrieve, Clarion, Clipper, dBase, FoxBase, MS Access, FoxPro, CA IDMS, MS Exchange

Object Oriented Methodology, E–Business

OO Modeling (Rational), OO Programming (C++, Java), J2EE, EJB, CORBA, JSP/ASP, JSTL, JDBC, XML/XSL, WAP, SWING, IBM e–Business Framework, IBM WebSphere, WebLogic

Tools and Technologies

Lotus, Internet, Team Connection, Rational Rose, Visual Age (for Java, for C++), other Visual Compilers, X–windows, Motif, RACF, CICS, CSP, ISPF, ADF, UNIFACE, Power Builder, Delphi, ANT, JUnit, Cactus, TopLink, Eclipse, Visual Works, Toad, CVS, VSS

Business Applications

SAP Systems, Microsoft Dynamics AX/Axapta, Pro/ENGINEER and Windchill, ICMS, Terrasoft CRM

Communications & Networking

WAN, Token Ring/Ethernet LAN, Integrated Network Solutions, Transaction Systems: CICS and MQ Series

System Integration

Foreign Language Proficiency

Most of our employees are proficient in English or German. In addition, about one tenth has a working knowledge of French, Polish, Italian or Spanish

History

IBA’s traditions go back to the days when first IBM mainframes came to life (read more about Minsk family of computers). IBA was founded in 1993 as a software development company by IBM Corp. and the two leading Belarusian IT enterprises: the Computer Research Institute (NIIEVM) and the Minsk Computer Production Association (MPOVT). In 1999, IBM withdrew as a part owner of IBA, however, remains a strategic business partner. Migration of legacy systems to advanced computer platforms became a key area of focus for the company. The company experienced a rapid growth and now belongs to largest IT service providers in Eastern Europe.

*1993 - IBA founded in Minsk, Belarus
*1998 - IBA USA office set up in Melbourne, FL
*1999 - IBA CZ office set up in Prague, Czech Republic
*2000 - IBA IT office set up in Dusseldorf, Germany
*2001 - IBA Gomel office set up in Gomel, Belarus
*2005 - IBA Group office set up in Prague
*2005 - IBA office set up in Brno
*2006 - IBA RUS office set up in Moscow, Russia
*2007 - IBA Group acquires a 50% stake in Bulgarian [http://www.stone.bg/ Stone Computers]
*2008 - IBA Group opens office in Varna, Bulgaria

Training and Education

IBA Group specialists are educated in the IBM Training Centers in the US, Germany, Great Britain, Slovenia, and Russia; the Sun Microsystems Training Center in the South African Republic; and the training centers of Lotus, SAP, SAS, Sun, Microsoft, Novell, and 1C. IBA’s IT specialists receive training from IBM, Sun Microsystems, Novell and Microsoft. All programmers are trained at the IBA Training Center. A testing center authorized by Thomson Prometric, a recognized leader in professional licensing and IT certification examinations, functions in the IBA Training Center. In addition, IBA offers classes to its employees in QA programs and foreign languages. Most of IBA specialists are fluent in English, German, French, Italian or Spanish.

A regional Cisco Network Academy opened at the IBA Training Center. As a result, the IBA Training Center is authorized to train and certify IT specialists and teachers, as well as set up local Cisco academies. Attendees at the Cisco Network Academy can take a 280–hour course in CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate).

In April 2008, Sun Microsystems authorized the IBA Training Center to provide courses on Sun technologies and software products. Trainees can undergo training on a variety of subjects in Java and Solaris. One more course became available after the authorization, namely OO–226 "Object–Oriented Analysis and Design Using UML". The course is intended for designers and developers of object–oriented software using UML programming language.

In addition, a testing center authorized by Prometric and Pearson VUE is functioning at the IBA Training Center. Therefore, the IBA Training Center provides a full cycle of education, from authorized training to testing and certification.

University Relations

IBA Group maintains close relationships with leading Belarusian and Czech universities through joint laboratories, programming contests, and summer conferences. As the largest IT services provider in Belarus, IBA Minsk is a logical destination for Belarusian graduates.

IBA is the general sponsor of the student team of the Belarusian State University that won gold medals at the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest in 2004 and [http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/Finals/v2/default.asp?page=results bronze medals in 2008] .

Quality Management

Underscoring its commitment to the highest quality products and services, IBA was among the first in Europe to achieve SEI CMMI Level 4 for Systems Engineering and Software Engineering.In addition, IBA holds Certificate of Conformance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 issued by TGA, a world known German appraisal agency.

Information Security

To protect the privacy and confidentiality of information of IBA Group customers, suppliers, business partners, and employees, IBA uses state-of-the-art technologies, as well as first-class proprietary and third-party products and solutions. IBA takes adequate actions to protect information, including physical access control, logical access control, inter-enterprise control, data transfer security, filing media security, and audit of processing. We keep corporate network security under continuous control and check organization’s activities against the company’s regulatory acts.

Awards

Belarusian Government awards for achievements in quality assurance in 1999, 2002, and 2005.11th European Quality Award (1997). Javaworld Editors' Choice Award (1998). The best provider of IBM solutions in Belarus in 2004 and 2000. Diploma for significant contribution in the IBM business in 2002. The best contributor to IBM business development on the CIS territory in 2001. The best entrepreneur of Minsk in the best workplace category in 2005. IBM Award for Most Impressive BP Deal in 2006. IBM Award for Outstanding Achievements in 2006. Top Business Partner in IBM Technologies Promotion on the CIS territory in 2006. Best SAP Partner in Most Significant Projects of the Year in the CIS countries in 2006.

ee also

*Outsourcing
*Information technology
*Information technology consulting
*Offshore outsourcing
*Offshoring
*Software development process
*Offshore software development

External links

* [http://www.outsourcing-journal.com/mar2005-belarus.html Belarus Attempts to Become the Eastern European Bangalore]
* [http://www.globalservicesmedia.com/Content/general20070521184.asp From a Group of Software Developers to an International Group]
* [http://www.globalservicesmedia.com/Content/destinations-trends200706151992.asp Russian IT Outsourcing Market on a Roll]
* [http://www.timeinc.net/fortune/services/sections/customprojects/sections/060403_GlobalOutsourcing.pdf IBA Group: Migration to The Future]
* [http://www.betanews.com/article/Eastern_Europe_The_next_silicon_valley/1206735106 Eastern Europe: The Next Silicon Valley?]
* [http://www.globalservicesmedia.com/Content/destinations-trends200706252074.asp Add Russia to IT Favourites]
* [http://www.globalservicesmedia.com/Content/destinations-europe200709292945.asp Minsk: The Untamed IT Valley]

References and footnotes