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History of the Softline Group of Companies

The group of companies was founded in 1993. Since its inception, the group has evolved from a small Russian software reseller with just 10 employees into a leading provider of IT solutions and services in the Russian market, employing 10,800 people.

Over its nearly 30-year history, Softline Group (JSC "Softline") has earned a reputation as a reliable partner, thanks to successful development and continuous growth outpacing the market.

In addition to organic growth, the group has expanded through acquisitions of other solution and value-added service providers. The first merger and acquisition deal took place over ten years ago. Since then, the company has completed over 10 acquisitions and continues to use M&A opportunities in addition to its core organic growth strategy.

Here are the key milestones in the history of Softline Group (JSC "Softline"):

  • 1993 – The Softline Group (JSC "Softline") was founded in Moscow, focusing primarily on licensing scientific software (Wolfram Research, Mathsoft, etc.). The main marketing strategy was direct mail.
  • 1993–1998 – The portfolio of software vendors expanded. In addition to scientific software, the company began offering solutions from key international vendors (Microsoft, Borland, Symantec, IBM, etc.).
  • 1998 – The company became the leader in software licensing in the Russian market. The group launched the Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Direct software catalog-magazine with a circulation of over 150,000 copies per year and invested a significant portion of its budget in marketing campaigns. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") signed an official Microsoft LSP partnership agreement; the company’s focus shifted toward large clients.
  • 1999–2000 – The number of vendors in the portfolio increased to 500, and the group solidified its position as the undisputed market leader in Russia, providing a single point of entry for any software-related issues. The group decided to expand its business beyond Moscow and into the former Soviet Union.
  • 2001 – The first office outside Russia was opened. An educational center and technical support center for clients were established in Minsk, Belarus (details in the Products and Services section).
  • 2002 – The group opened an office in Ukraine and began expanding into Russian regions, opening offices in Khabarovsk and Nizhny Novgorod.
  • In 2003, the distributor company AXOFT was launched, focusing on license sales through partner networks. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") in Belarus became the country’s first authorized Microsoft partner.
  • 2004 – Creation of the "Microsoft Solutions Center" to develop the service business, expansion into new countries (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), continued regional expansion in Russia (offices opened in Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk). Launch of e-commerce division – the online store Allsoft, enabling software vendors to automatically close deals with B2C and SOHO customers. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") launched a universal e-commerce solution for organizing and outsourcing digital sales on software vendors' websites, including customer support, language and currency localization, tax issues, and payment methods.
  • 2005 – The group launched the Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Consulting Services division and began operations in Kyrgyzstan. An audit was initiated with the agency Moore and Stephens. The company received the status of Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
  • 2006 – Offices opened in Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The group’s annual revenue reached approximately $100 million USD.
  • 2007 – The group became the leader in software licensing in Russia and the CIS, entered the markets of Georgia and Mongolia. The decision was made to begin international expansion into developing markets worldwide.
  • 2008 – Softline Group (JSC "Softline") offices opened in Turkey, Vietnam, Venezuela, Armenia, and Turkmenistan. The group’s annual revenue exceeded $350 million USD.
  • 2009 – The group began offering SaaS solutions and conducted its first M&A deals. ActiveCloud and Active Platform, a major Belarusian provider of cloud solutions specializing in brokering cloud services, were acquired.
  • 2010 – Expansion into Argentina, Colombia, Romania, and Moldova; launch of the Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Services department. The number of paid orders in the Allsoft online store exceeded 500,000.
  • 2011 – Expansion into Malaysia and Peru; Softline Group (JSC "Softline") annual revenue exceeded $500 million USD; the group received the Microsoft Global Partner of the Year award in Software Asset Management.
  • 2012 – Softline Group (JSC "Softline") offices opened in Cambodia, Laos, Costa Rica, and Chile. The group received the Microsoft Country Partner of the Year award in Russia.
  • 2013 – Expansion into Brazil and Mexico. Launch of an electronic store for B2B customers to automate sales and provide self-service capabilities.
  • 2014 – Branch opened in India. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") became a Microsoft Global LSP partner. The group invested heavily in cloud business and services, diversifying its product portfolio through partnerships with leading global hardware vendors in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") acquired the Belarusian company Novacom, one of the country’s leading system integrators. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") entered the top five of Russia’s largest IT companies according to RIA Novosti rankings.
  • 2015 – Office opened in Myanmar. The group received Cisco Premier Partner status in 9 countries and Microsoft LSP status in 19 countries across Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The company had representatives in 30 countries and 80 cities.
  • In 2016, the group attracted investment from Da Vinci Capital, a leading independent private equity fund, and acquired Compusoftware (a leader in licensing and infrastructure services from Brazil). Softline Group (JSC "Softline") built the largest data center in Eastern Europe, recognized as the Data Center Project of the Year by the Russian Data Center Awards 2016, and implemented its first IoT projects. Additionally, the group expanded its portfolio with new services: "workspace as a service," "hardware as a service," and managed services. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") in Georgia became Microsoft’s Partner of the Year. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") opened an office in Thailand. Another milestone: 99% of orders on the e-commerce platform were fulfilled within minutes of payment.
  • 2017 – Softline Group (JSC "Softline") reached annual revenue of over $1 billion USD. The group acquired Enaza (a proprietary managed platform allowing telecom clients to sell software subscriptions). The company also opened offices in the Philippines, Paraguay, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Ecuador. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") received the Microsoft Country Partner of the Year 2017 award simultaneously in Chile, Cambodia, and Kazakhstan. E-commerce launched in several countries in Western Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The first year when more than 50% of the group’s Microsoft sales revenue was generated outside Russia.
  • 2018 – Softline Group (JSC "Softline") acquired a minority stake in Crayon, a Norwegian IT consulting company specializing in software licensing, software asset management, and consulting services. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") representatives opened offices in Bolivia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia. The group received a credit rating from Standard and Poor's and successfully issued its first public bonds. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") received the Microsoft Country Partner of the Year 2018 award in Cambodia for the second consecutive year. The group launched Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Digital Lab, a specialized team for providing digital transformation services to corporate clients using cutting-edge technologies (IoT, Big Data, ML, VR, etc.). Launch of the Softline Group (JSC "Softline") digital platform for automated billing and delivery of cloud services (Microsoft Office 365, Azure, etc.), subscription software, and other popular services. The group’s e-commerce team received the Best Customer Experience Team award from CX World Awards.
  • 2019 – Softline Group (JSC "Softline") acquired the High Technologies Center, a company specializing in custom software development, including design, development, quality assurance, testing, maintenance, support, and requirement analytics. The group also acquired Cloudmaster (a cloud service for managing multi-cloud client infrastructure). The Softline Group (JSC "Softline") e-commerce platform had processed 17 million orders since its inception. Orders for over 200 vendors were processed automatically. The company successfully issued public bonds for the second time. Offices opened in Egypt, Czech Republic, Poland, South Korea, and Sri Lanka. Received global status as a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP), confirming the group’s world-class level in providing a wide range of project and managed services on the Microsoft Azure platform. The group launched Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Premier Services, aimed at increasing the stability, performance, and security of Microsoft-based infrastructures. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Premier Services ensures stable infrastructure performance, eliminates risks, maximizes return on investment in IT products, and provides assistance from dedicated experts with on-site support year-round.
  • 2020 – Softline Group (JSC "Softline") opened a new headquarters in London, UK, successfully issued two public bond offerings, and improved its S&P credit rating to B-Stable. The company also launched Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Finance – a financial service allowing clients to receive payment deferrals for products and services purchased from the group. The group successfully acquired 3 companies: Embee – one of India's leading IT market players (holder of the Microsoft Country Partner of the Year 2018 award in India), Aplana – a Russian software outsourcing company with a large portfolio of international projects, and Softline Group (JSC "Softline") AG – an IT consulting group headquartered in Germany with subsidiaries in Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK. The group’s annual revenue exceeded $1.8 billion USD.
  • In 2021, the group continued moving toward its goal of becoming a leading provider of digital transformation and information security services with maximum presence in developing markets:
    • Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Ecommerce employed over 120 staff, operated in more than 30 countries, and processed 10,000 orders daily. The support team responded to requests from 1,500 clients daily, the platform supported over 25 payment methods and 30 currencies.
    • Enaza worked with more than 40 telecommunications companies across various countries.
    • The Softline Group (JSC "Softline") custom development team numbered over 500 employees.
    • Analytics firm IDC featured the Softline Group (JSC "Softline") Ecommerce platform in its Vendor Spotlight 2021 report.
    • The company received several extended Microsoft specializations in Azure Kubernetes services, Linux, and open-source database migration to Azure and Windows Virtual Desktop.
    • Softline Group (JSC "Softline") representatives in Bulgaria, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Vietnam were awarded Microsoft Partner of the Year.
  • In 2022, the group divided its business into an international entity under the Noventiq brand and a Russian entity under the Softline Group (JSC "Softline") brand. Softline Group (JSC "Softline") began preparing to list on the Moscow Exchange.
  • 2023 – Softline Group conducted several M&A deals, incorporating several new companies: Bell Integrator, AKB "Barier," "Inversum," GC "Borlas" (50.1% share). After acquisition, "Cytros," "Preferentum," and Robin became part of the dedicated company SL Soft, expanding its product portfolio of business applications for government and corporate clients. These acquisitions became another step in implementing one of the company's strategic goals – increasing the share of revenue from proprietary software and integrated industry IT solutions. The company once again confirmed its leadership position in the IT market, securing key places in Russian annual rankings and awards. The company’s turnover in 2023 reached 91 billion rubles. Gross profit reached 23.6 billion rubles, showing an almost twofold increase year-on-year. As a result of the SPO, the group attracted over 6,500 investors into its shareholding structure. Igor Borovikov fully sold the Softline business in 2023 and focused on businesses outside Russia.
  • In 2024, JSC "Softline" completed 7 acquisitions through M&A deals. In February, a stake in the IT business of R.Partner Group was acquired. In May, the SL Soft subsidiary acquired 100% of VISITECH developer and a controlling stake in Citeck, a BPM (Business Process Management) system developer. In June, "MD Audit" – a developer of retail trade solutions – joined the group. In August, "OMZ-Information Technologies" was acquired, and in September – the scientific and technical association "IRE-Polus" (renamed to VPG Laserone), a Russian developer of the Test IT testing management system and fintech company SUBTOTAL. In 2024, the company began re-expanding internationally and opened offices in Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia.