The Russian state-owned corporation responsible for investing in strategically important companies, especially in the defense sector, has banned its employees from using American applications such as Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp.
Employees of the Rostec conglomerate are prohibited from installing foreign messengers on corporate laptops and computers, its press service said on Thursday.
Instead, the company has developed its own system called IVA AVES S, designed to be a secure means for intra-company communications. Fully developed in Russia, and adapted to the particular security requirements of various government agencies, it has been used extensively during the Covid-19 pandemic while employees work from home.
“Rostec is a major industrial company that operates in the defense sector and develops high-tech civilian areas in aviation, engine construction, electronics, medicine, pharma, and other fields. This dictates very serious requirements for information security. It is forbidden to install foreign applications on company equipment,” a company statement said.
According to an anonymous source cited by Russian publication Daily Storm, a ban has always existed on paper, but it was ignored by many employees who chose to use Zoom and Skype for online meetings. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the higher-ups have cracked down.
Forsided, 12.03.2021
Source: RT