Will Big Tech cloud companies cut off Russia?

NEW YORK • Ukraine has urged software and cloud-computing giants including Microsoft and SAP to cut off Russia to stop Moscow’s invasion. Here’s what’s at stake.

WHAT IS UKRAINE DEMANDING?

The Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation wants North American and European technology companies to completely pause any dealings with Russian clients, potentially disrupting the country’s economy and forcing the Kremlin to reconsider what it has called a “special operation” in Ukraine.

Some companies like Microsoft have stopped accepting new customers in Russia since the invasion began last month. But many have not ended deals with existing customers, except for those targeted by new sanctions and export controls.

WHAT ROLE DO WESTERN COMPANIES PLAY IN RUSSIA’S I.T. SYSTEMS?

Russian companies and government agencies long have relied on technology developed by the West as the basis for their owned-and-operated IT systems. Servers from International Business Machines, Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) top the market in Russia.

Also popular are applications from Germany’s SAP, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and Salesforce.com. The tools help organisations send e-mails, analyse data, store records and generally manage their operations.