DataArt: We believe we’ll feel good in Armenia

Software developer for finance, healthcare, tourism, media and the internet of things (IoT) DataArt is going to open an office in Armenia in June 2019.

With over 20 years of experience in the field, DataArt has offices in more than 20 countries, including U.S., U.K., Russia, Ukraine and Argentina.

Itel.an has talked about the Yerevan office and the company’s expectations of Armenia with DataArt General Manager Mikhail Zavileysky and Head of Global HRM Julia Zavileyskaya, as well as Head of DataArt Armenia Arsen Baghdasaryan.

Your first visit to Armenia took place in January, and you mentioned opening an office in Armenia at that time. You are back in Yerevan a month and a half later with a confirmed decision to open the office. How did you come to make that decision?

Mikhail: We actually met Arsen [Baghdasaryan] a year and a half ago and exchanged business cards. We really wanted to create a partnership, but we had to wait for a more convenient time. It came in early January 2019.

Mikhail Zavileysky
photo © Mediamax

Our company was preparing for a new wave of development, and a new office became a possibility. At the same time, recent political events in Armenia made the country much more attractive for investors. The circumstances were as favorable as they get, so we decided to seize the moment.

Several large IT companies opened offices in Armenia in 2018. Was that another reason for you to consider a branch here?

Mikhail: DataArt actually follows people, Arsen in this case. All attractive markets are going through development now, and there are opportunities to enter into them. We can see similar chances in Romania, Serbia and Spain as well.

DataArt doesn’t have an office in Asia. Do you intend to use the one in Yerevan as a platform for entering into the Asian market?

Mikhail: We are looking for bridge markets and regularly considering new opportunities. If networking and business ties lead us to Asia, we can view the Yerevan office as a platform for going there. However, at the moment we don’t have a certain plan for that market.

What type of experts are you searching for in Armenia?

Julia: The office here will be our first non-traditional one, so to say, and it will focus on Quality Assurance and business development.

Mikhail: In this stage we need senior specialists to kickstart the process, but we also aim to hire beginners and recent graduates and give them opportunities.

How can these specialists apply for vacancies in the newly-opened office?

Julia: We are working on the infrastructure and some procedures are managed remotely, because the activities in DataArt are deeply interconnected regardless of the office location.

Julia Zavileyskaya
photo © Mediamax

We are going to assign an expert to meeting with candidates and then consulting the company about their skills.

Mikhail: DataArt has two methods of work in this regard. One is to post job advertisements for specific positions. Nevertheless, we also like to meet new people and discuss with them possibilities of cooperation. The experts who want to work for our company can simply contact our Armenian partners. The office is still small and both options I mentioned can be used.

How many specialists do you plan to hire in Armenia until the year-end?

Julia: A staff of 30 is the most convenient option for an office in the early stage of development. It is more difficult with bigger offices, because they have integration and networking-related issues.

Mikhail: We plan to have over a hundred employees in the Armenian office in three years. For us, a good office has a staff of 120.

Arsen Baghdasaryan
photo © Mediamax

Arsen: I can assure that people will enjoy working for DataArt. I will do everything possible for the Armenian office to develop, meet all expectations, and remain highly rated by the quality of job offers.

How much support do you get from the Armenian government?

Julia: The hospitality, transparency and desire to help we saw from the government is very encouraging. I hope our office in Yerevan will develop quickly, because we have already met a lot of interesting people here and it is a great foundation for filling the ranks of DataArt staff with experienced professionals, who will bring their own national color to our global family.

Arsen: My hope is that our cooperation with the new government of Armenia will take the form of mutual support. I would like to see the government adopt the draft law giving benefits to IT companies, which is now in discussion. Similar benefits led to a twofold growth of the number of IT companies in Armenia over the last four years.

Narine Daneghyan talks to DataArt representatives
photo © Mediamax

Mikhail: The government supported us by inviting DataArt to Armenia. The government’s plans to optimize the business environment and reduce taxes are very attractive for investors, because we see the opposite going on in other countries.

DataArt is a company where people work from an office, not in an office. For us, people come first, and I believe we will feel great in Armenia in this regard.

Narine Daneghyan talked to DataArt representatives