Astra Linux

Russian Organizations Allocate 4.5 Trillion Rubles to Innovation Spending in 2025

Large and medium-sized Russian organizations directed a total of 4.5 trillion rubles toward innovation activities during 2025. Nearly half of the expenditure originated from the services sector, while information technology and telecommunications accounted for 860.9 billion rubles. The Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge at HSE University published the figures based on Rosstat data, showing an innovation intensity rate of 2.7 percent. Services companies alone contributed approximately 2.3 trillion rubles, including 882.7 billion rubles for research and development. Astra Group IR Director Vladislav Anshakov outlined major spending areas such as product development, cloud and AI hardware, and acquisitions of technologies and teams. The group expanded its portfolio with the Perseus DBMS and a 26 percent stake in AI developer AIB. More than one-third of organizations cited high costs and insufficient internal funds as key barriers to further innovation.

Testing Sinonix Controlled Data Exchange System with VEGMAN R220 G3 Servers and TATLIN.BACKUP.M Storage

YADRO and IT Bastion conducted extensive performance testing of the Sinonix information exchange control system using high-capacity VEGMAN R220 G3 servers and TATLIN.BACKUP.M storage arrays. The tests simulated one-way data transfer scenarios for disaster recovery and air-gapped backup environments required by Russian presidential decree No. 604 on critical infrastructure protection. Multiple fio workloads were run for up to five hours under both light and heavy queue-depth profiles with MTU sizes of 1500 and 9000. Results showed that Sinonix introduced minimal overhead in moderate workloads and up to 27 percent reduction under heavy parallel loads when using jumbo frames. The setup replicated multi-tier protective perimeters including synchronous replication, one-way safe zones, and remote immutable storage. The testing confirmed stable long-term operation without degradation or failures across all configurations.

Astra Group Unveils Astra AI Ecosystem for Air-Gapped Corporate Networks

Astra Group has introduced its Astra AI ecosystem designed for secure, on-premises deployment in closed corporate environments. The solution enables organizations to run AI models locally without transmitting data to external services, targeting critical infrastructure operators, government agencies, and regulated industries. Built on Astra Linux and the Botsman containerization platform, the ecosystem includes five integrated components for code automation, office assistants, low-code agent development, model management, and implementation methodology. The company claims productivity gains exceeding 50 percent for development tasks and up to fourfold performance improvements with its certified hardware-software complexes. While emphasizing data sovereignty and regulatory compliance, Astra Group notes that local deployment alone does not eliminate risks related to agent permissions, output quality, and integration security.

Entering Cybersecurity Without a Specialized Degree: Sector Rules and Practical Entry Points

The article examines whether a specialized higher education diploma is necessary to start a career in information security. It breaks down three main industry segments—state security structures, regulated government organizations, and private business—and explains the differing formal and practical requirements in each. In government-related roles, candidates must meet strict regulatory standards for education and approved programs. Private companies instead focus on demonstrable technical skills in networks, Windows Server, Linux, and security tools. The piece also covers typical junior engineer expectations, real-world career paths from unrelated backgrounds, and four key ways to prove competence without a diploma. It concludes with advice on building home labs, troubleshooting skills, and accessing open training resources like the CyberED course.

InfoWatch Acquires Web Control DC Team and Rebrands sPACE PAM as InfoWatch Privilege Control

InfoWatch has expanded its product portfolio by incorporating the Web Control DC development team and rebranding its flagship sPACE PAM solution. The new product, InfoWatch Privilege Control, is designed to manage and monitor privileged accounts belonging to system administrators, contractors, external specialists, and business users. These accounts provide access to servers, databases, network equipment, and critical applications, making them high-value targets for attackers. According to InfoWatch data, approximately 40% of critical information security incidents in Russia in 2025 were linked to the leakage or misuse of privileged credentials, while another 30% of confirmed cyberattacks occurred through compromised IT contractors. The solution enables time-limited privilege issuance, connection management, and detailed activity logging to prevent unauthorized actions. The original sPACE PAM product remains listed in the Russian software registry and holds FSTEC Russia certification at the fourth trust level, with compatibility for Astra Linux, Alt, and RED OS operating systems.

WebDesktopGL Framework Turns Web Sites into Desktop Apps on Astra Linux via Chromium

WebDesktopGL is an open-source framework that converts web applications into standalone desktop programs using a local Chromium engine. It was developed specifically for Astra Linux to meet strict licensing requirements that prohibit unlicensed software. The solution supports both X11 and Wayland sessions and has been tested on Ubuntu 24.04 KDE, Ubuntu 22.04 KDE, and Astra Linux 1.8. Key technical components include a modified VirtualGL build for GPU acceleration inside Xephyr or Xvfb virtual displays, custom clipboard synchronization via xclip, and a lightweight xdotool_xseticon utility for window management. Two launch scripts are provided: InfoDoc.sh for full isolation on a virtual X server and InfoDoc_light.sh for simpler direct execution suitable for remote deployment. The project aims to serve as a lightweight, license-compliant alternative to Electron for Linux environments.

Oxygen Cloud Platform Deploys Russian VDI Solution for Heavy 3D CAD Work in One Month

Oxygen Cloud Platform completed a rapid deployment of a domestic VDI infrastructure supporting demanding 3D graphics workloads for an unnamed Russian engineering company. The project replaced six months of prior R&D testing with a one-month rollout using Russian operating systems, hypervisors, and connection protocols. Engineers addressed GPU sharing via Forsite vGate, optimized NVIDIA A40 cards for Siemens NX and Kompas-3D, and resolved multi-monitor detection issues through firmware updates. Network latency was mitigated by tuning the Loudplay protocol and updating Astra Linux, Termidesk, and client components. Automatic resource brokering was configured in Termidesk with separate Active Directory pools to handle varying user profiles across remote sites 1500 km away. The solution delivers protected access to a secure data center over a dedicated channel while meeting strict import-substitution requirements.