IT Business leap barriers

As the autumn - normal season intensifying IT-business. But this year, all waiting for the autumn with some nastorozhennostyu. It shows one important thing: how the global financial crisis - Enhanced oil, falling dollar and the recession in the U.S. - will affect (and will affect whether) to the computer and telecommunications industries.


Search Engines: Evolution

In anticipation of the issuance of shares of the company «Yandex» Russian journalists asked for financial analysts to calculate cost-effectiveness of the Internet companies. Was a figure in the 54,7-55,8%. Illustrative time: «Yandex» released only one option for fiscal year 2007 - revenue. According to the company, this figure compared with the 2006-meters rose «roughly double», ie can make $ 167 million According to reporting Ltd. «Yandex», published in «SPARK-Interfax», company revenue in 2007 - $ 172.9 million (4.4 billion rubles.) net profit - $ 64.2 million (1.6 billion rubles.). Let me remind you that this autumn «Yandex» plans to place a high-tech stock exchange Nasdaq 15-20% of its shares. Organizers IPO - Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and «Renaissance Capital». Preliminary assessment of the entire company at $ 5 billion buying the same shares in «Yandex» interests of Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.


Help "IT SECTOR":

«Yandex»: Internet company. He speaks portal Yandex.ru with a daily audience of about 6 million people (to TNS Gallup). Shareholders: 30% - the founders, about 20% - managers, more than 30% - Funds Internet Search Investments and Baring Vostok Capital Partners, 15% - Tiger Global Management, 5% reserved under the stock options. For information: in 2006 profitability «Yandex» was 59.4%, that is, for the year it fell by about 3%. This may be due to the increasing number of partners, and thus contributions, analysts say. However, representatives of «Yandex» far refused any comment.

A competitor «Yandex» - the company Mail.ru - profitability above: 64.5%. This is due to the fact that he Mail.ru 68% of revenue comes from sales of banner advertising. «Yandex» is shared with partners, revenues from contextual advertising, which brings it to 80% of the proceeds. The profitability of the Rambler in 2007 was 11% in I quarter of 2008 th - 18-20%. Do Google - 35,9%.

By the way, about «Rambler». Holding Rambler Media withdrew financial director Artur Akopyan. This is when it has become a profitable company, but at the same time, and rid itself of its two major assets - Rambler TV channel and contextual advertising «Begun». Already aware that Akopyan become one of the top managers of Global Technology Fund (GTF), close to Eventis Telecom. Akopyan, who had worked since 2005 in «Sinterre», became findirektorom Rambler year and a half ago. He came in the Rambler with a new management team of Mark Opzumera, who replaced Irina Gofman's director. In 2007 the first Rambler finished the first 12 months, with net profit (largely due to the sale of Rambler TV for $ 23 million in the first half). The yield holding at 4.75 times increased to $ 7.6 million, $ 7.1 million of which was received in the II half of the year. But we can not say that the improved financial situation Rambler relates only to Akopyanom - this whole team credit, analysts emphasize. Over the past year, Rambler also received control over «runners», and at the end of July to agree on the resale of Google. Operating profit from the transaction will be approximately $ 50 million, that 2.7 times that invested in «Begun» amount. From a financial point of view of selling «Begun» benefit, but so far unclear how it will affect the revenue Rambler in the future - the system works in the growing market of contextual advertising reduplicative is not the first year in a row. According to the consulting agency Mindshare Interaction, in 2007, this market in Russia has doubled and increased to $ 210 million Rambler Revenues from contextual advertising will «grow faster», said after the deal Akopyan, the company «will specialize in a vertical or topical search».


Corporations and figures

According to data provided in the financial report of Hewlett-Packard for the III quarter of 2008 (ended on 31 July), the overall HP revenue grew by 10% compared to last year's indicators and a $ 28 billion net profit also increased by 14% and reached $ 2 billion These financial results exceeded expectations of analysts, forecast earnings at only $ 27.4 billion because of the possible impact of the economic crisis on the sale of the company. According to HP, repay negative from lower purchasing activity in the United States and Western Europe succeeded thanks to the growth of revenue from activities in developing markets, increase sales of laptops and the constant improvement of business solutions and products to be scanned and printed. Indeed, sales of notebook companies for the quarter increased by 26%, while desktops - only 6%. Income from operations for the same markets of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) increased by 24% compared with last year. In their forecasts for IV quarter of fiscal year (ending 31 October) analysts the company is also optimistic laid plans of $ 30.2 to $ 30.3 billion of revenue. Mark Hurd, chairman of the board of Hewlett-Packard, told reporters: «Our global situation, a wide range of products and services and growing opportunities to reduce cost of production give us confidence in the continuation of significant revenue growth in the future».

The market for memory ICs emerged a paradoxical situation: the flash memory market for NAND-type susceptible to a significant decline because of overproduction. But over time there is a need for ten new giant factories to the production could keep up with the growing demand for NAND - well, at least, argues SanDisk CEO Eli Harari. Quote: «Our industry is experiencing a time of testing. Industry is not healthy ». Indeed, the production and marketing of flash memory has been about two and a half years have experienced a rapid drop in prices. The situation resulted from a significant excess of production over consumption. It is estimated that the proposal exceeds demand by about 10%, which prints the majority of suppliers in the «red zone». For comparison: suppliers of DRAM, which are also experiencing is not the best of times, faced with an excess of supply over demand at only 1-2%. According to Harari, the market is waiting for the applications that will raise the demand. Examples of areas of potential growth is the expansion cards, mobile devices, solid state drives. For the industry to respond to the expected transition to the ascending part of the curve and meet the needs of new applications, to assess Harare, will take another ten «megafabrik» to produce NAND.

According to projections organization SEMI - «sectoral trade union» of companies - manufacturers of semiconductors - updated every six months, sales of equipment for semiconductor manufacturing in Europe on the basis of 2008 will grow to $ 2.53 billion in the next year, the market should grow another 3.6 % To reach $ 2.62 billion market for materials for the production of semiconductors will grow and will reach close to this year's $ 4 billion will recall that the main drivers of growth in world semiconductor market experts believe the development of technology in emerging markets and growth in output PCs and mobile phones.

British online advertising in 2007 surpassed the volume television (broadcasting), capturing 19% of the market. According to the telecommunications regulatory body Ofcom, last year in the UK spending on online advertising grew by 40% - up to 2.8 billion pounds. The percentage of cable television is declining is not the first year. If in 2002 it accounted for 83% of advertising expenditure, the 2007-meters - just 67%. Thus, last year on advertising in television lasted a little more than 2.3 billion pounds. In general, for all types of television in Britain spent 3.5 billion pounds, as in the year before last. This amount includes a digital TV channels, which account for up to one third of the advertising revenue. From 2002 to 2007 being conducted by the British before a computer screen, grew by 4 times - up to 24 minutes a day. A mobile phone Britons said twice more.


AMD Restructuring

Sensation came the news that the company AMD is exploring the possibility of split into two companies. If that happens, the first part will develop chips and the second - their production. It is anticipated that this will revert to the profits that the manufacturer does not receive from the end of 2006. The official separation announcement is expected in the current September. No easy task to split into two companies AMD, according to some data, charged the former director of AMD Hector Ruiz, in July lost their position, but nevertheless remaining in the position of chairman of the board of directors. According to the «informed sources», the company will be divided into two parts: first, the main part, led by new CEO Dirk Meijer, nominated for a seat Ruiz, will develop semiconductor technologies, the second focus in the production of processors. Both companies are closely linked. It is stated that all the most important decisions on this issue have already been taken. Dividing the company will be implemented in strategies Asset Light and Asset Smart, led by Ruiz. But, nevertheless, the future role of Hector Ruiz, AMD, prorated for eight years, remains unclear. Perhaps it will take a decision-making positions - for example, will be CEO of productive units. The marketing team is trying to focus the company on merit Ruiz and get rid of possible associations, that supposedly he led the company to the situation in which it currently is. According to the company Lehman Brothers analyst Tim Luke, the strategy of Asset Smart companies have already yielded significant results. This he described himself a former CEO. Perhaps the manufacturer of microchips able to get the restructuring scheme without the involvement of additional capital - for example, through the sale of equipment. We know that AMD has already rid itself of equipment from its plant in Germany, selling its Russian concern «Angstrom», which has attracted for this purpose loan of 815 million euros. According to the research agency iSuppli in 2007, the company AMD took a 11 th place in the ranking of the largest manufacturers of chips. Its share in the world market for microprocessors is 13% - this is 6 times less than the shares of Intel. Net losses AMD in the II quarter of this year totaled $ 1.19 billion in revenues the company increased by $ 40 million compared to the year 2007 and totaled $ 1.35 billion


Cases game

At the end of the review, as usual, talk about the market of computer games. The Corporation Electronic Arts has not renew its offer to buy the company Take-Two. Now the company will not publicly discuss the merger, and during private talks. I recall that Electronic Arts offered for Take-Two $ 2 billion of Electronic Arts said that was no longer believe in the beneficial integration of Take-Two before the festive season. Following the decision of EA shares of Take-Two fell to $ 23.38 apiece. Leadership Take-Two Electronic Arts intends to submit a timetable for release of new products and financial projections for three years in advance. Earlier, Take-Two has repeatedly rejected the proposal by Electronic Arts, saying that she appreciated the company too low. The first public offer to purchase the creators of Grand Theft Auto Corporation Electronic Arts has made at the end of February 2007, after which several times extended the offer.

The company Flagship Studios, created action / RPG called Hellgate: London, is closed. Chief Operating Officer and one of the founders of the company Max Scheffer said that at the moment of any formulation of speech is not. Flagship Studios is now practically not functioning - only to have the leadership to bring up unfinished business. Scheffer also added that earlier, none of the leaders are not confronted with the need to close the company. This may explain the fact that, until the very last moment the situation with Flagship Studios has remained unclear. I'll add that in early August Max Sheffer and Travis Baldri announced a reorganization of units Flagship Seattle, after which a new independent company Runic Games. Flagship Studio was founded in 2003 by former members of Blizzard Entertainment, who worked on the series Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo. The post of President of the new company took Bill Roper. Information that Flagship Studios have begun to leave the staff, appeared in early June this year. Leadership has long denied these rumors, but in July the company confirmed them. Soon it was closed beta testing multiplayer online game Mythos, and Hellgate: London has disappeared opportunity to register new subscribers. Above Mythos worked developers of the unit Flagship Seattle, but Travis Baldri noted that the studio, renamed the Runic Games, is unlikely to continue to work on this project.