Transition of the Oil and Gas Industry to Domestic Software Discussed at the Tatarstan Petrochemical Forum – 2026

As part of the Tatarstan Petrochemical Forum — 2026 and the Kazan Oil, Gas & Chemistry International Petrochemical Exhibition, an industry session titled "Technological Sovereignty in the Oil and Gas Industry: Transition to Domestic Software and Information Security Challenges" was held. The event was organized by the Union of Organizations and Partners of the Gas Industry "Gas Union", the "RUSSOFT" Association of Software Developing Companies, and ANO Kazan Expo.

The discussion centered on the transition of oil and gas companies to domestic software, the integration of new solutions with existing IT infrastructure, work with accumulated data, and information security. Participants highlighted that import substitution in the industry, due by 1 January 2028, involves not just substituting individual foreign products but a comprehensive restructuring of the digital landscape at enterprises.

The session was moderated by Vitaly Sysoev, First Vice President of the Union of Organizations and Partners of the Gas Industry "Gas Union". Experts discussed the practical challenges companies face when moving to a domestic technology stack: from selecting and integrating software to standardizing data and protecting systems that use artificial intelligence.

Aleksey Adlov, Corporate Account Director at RED SOFT, drew attention to the need for a sustainable technology framework and establishing close engagement between developers and customers. In his view, technological sovereignty means creating a compatible and secure digital environment rather than mechanically replacing one software product with another.

Elena Balashova, Vice President of WestLink Group and Director of the Linkage business unit, spoke about the role of digital platforms in enterprise management. Her presentation focused on improving business process efficiency, data utilization, and the application of artificial intelligence tools to support managerial decision-making.

Data management emerged as a separate topic of discussion. Aleksey Shcherbich, Director of Industrial Solutions at Nedra Digital, Candidate of Technical Sciences, pointed out that ensuring seamless interaction between new systems and legacy data remains a critical objective. Data standardization and unified management approaches are becoming a necessary condition for the effective development of domestic digital platforms.

Ilya Shura, Deputy Director for Development at NAUKA, stressed the need to revise established approaches to digitalization. According to him, the transition to domestic software must consider the historical technical and organizational complexities accumulated at enterprises while simultaneously creating new solutions tailored to the current needs of Russian businesses.

Information security was also an important part of the conversation. Igor Morozov, Deputy General Director for Information Security at RED Integration, described the specifics of protecting artificial intelligence systems and new approaches to managing associated risks.

Vasily Zheltonogov, Sales Director at SEDMAX, introduced a platform-based approach to the digitalization of industrial energy infrastructure. Combining disparate systems and data sources into a unified information space improves process transparency, resource management efficiency, and system reliability without requiring the total replacement of existing solutions.

Concluding the discussion, Nikita Kargapolov, Operations Director at BiometricLabs LLC, shared practical aspects of industrial AI deployment. He outlined how large language models can be applied to process documentation and production data, as well as how sensor data can be used for predictive equipment maintenance.

Following the session, experts agreed that the transition of the oil and gas industry to domestic software is a broader task than the import substitution of individual software products. It includes developing the technological base, integrating and standardizing data, training specialists, and strengthening information security.

Thus, technological sovereignty is becoming one of the elements of the long-term digital transformation of the oil and gas industry, aimed at increasing its resilience, manageability, and independence from external technology solutions.