Set up way back in 1990, when Russia was still a part of the USSR, Moscow-based Auriga started by targeting the high-value area of remote engineering. It began with a couple of employees developing software for HP. Today, it has in excess of 250 employees, spread over four engineering centers in Russia, including one at Moscow State University campus. A predominant majority — 180 out of 250 — are engineers. The average engineering experience is nine and a half years, a very different profile than what the American clients are used to in their Indian offshoring partners. What is more, 94% of them hold a masters degree or higher.

What separates Auriga from other service providers in the region is the fact that it is successfully running its own training center aimed at providing senior students, graduates and post graduates with an advanced IT training and hands-on experience in top-notch technologies, demanded by Auriga’s customers. It also boasts of specialists who interact with customers fluently in English.

“Thinking strategically, we understand that the future of the Russian IT is in the hands of today’s university students,” says Auriga’s CEO Alexis Sukharev, who was formerly a Professor at Moscow State University.

A hard-core technology company, Auriga’s list of clientele includes Bose, BroadVision, CROC, Drager Medical, HP, IBM, LynuxWorks, Motorola, MTU-Intel, Nortel Networks, Reuters, Siemens, Swiss Post and Toshiba. IBM, for example, chose Auriga for systems-level development including real-time embedded-software development.

Auriga has successfully accomplished multiple projects requiring deep knowledge of kernels of operating systems, both in Linux and Windows. One example is the software part of the AdvancedTCA Shelf Manager, a solution for shelf management by Pigeon Point Systems, a privately held U.S.-based software and hardware development company. Leading AdvancedTCA systems manufacturers, such as Schroff/Pentair, Motorola Computer Group, Elma and CG-Mupac, use the product.

Another project Sukharev is proud of is Draeger Medical Systems. Draeger chose Auriga as its software-outsourcing service provider. “[We got] excellent engineering at an excellent price,” says Sam Cavallaro, Product Line Manager, Head, Deparment of Modular Monitors, Dragger Medical Systems, R&D.

Like most offshring service providers, the lion’s share of 85% of Auriga’s business comes from the U.S.A. Western Europe accounts for eight percent and the home market contributes the rest. Auriga now wants to focus on growing the Western Europe business — by 30% in the next three years. It clocked revenues of $6.4 million in 2005, up from $3.7 million in 2003.