“Ride this highly profitable Russian technology boom and don’t miss the train,” advises Dr. Andrey Gidaspov in Riding the Russian Technology Boom, his original, thought-provoking, comprehensive and highly readable guide to the Russian IT and telecommunication (ICT) market. The book, published by Futuretext of London, just hit European and American bookstores and also is available on Amazon.com. The author shares his insights into how Western and Asian companies can make it big in the Russian high-tech sector, despite current political tensions.

On January 24, 2008, Gidaspov will promote his book at “The Changing Face of Russia” Seminar Series organized by the Mid-Atlantic – Russia Business Council (MARBC), the World Trade Center of Greater Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

“All the talk is of a new Cold War,” Gidaspov says, “but the reality is that plenty of American businesses, including CISCO, IBM, Intel, Sun Microsystems, are cashing in on the Russian corporate and government technology infrastructure upgrades. Last year the Russian ICT market totaled $60 billion and it’s set to grow during the next decade. Over $67 billion in foreign investments poured into Russia just in the first half of 2007! Everything is moving fast -- broadband, mobile, Internet and satellite, you name it. If you have an excellent product or service and want to sell it in Russia, you can do it. But your success will depend on your partnerships. Choosing the right partner is crucial in Russia.”

In Riding the Russian Technology Boom, Dr. Gidaspov helps his readers develop their market strategy, find partners and avoid common pitfalls in investing in Russia.

“Don’t get me wrong,” warns Gidaspov. “I don’t have my head in the clouds. Russia still has a long way to go to reach the level of developed global economies. But nowhere in Europe can you make the same profit that you can in Russia, so there are bound to be bumps along the way.”

In his book Gidaspov explores how you can avoid corruption and fight against spiraling piracy. He also takes you into the depths of Russian history, finds traces of Russia’s first pirates and investigates the mysterious K-Men attacking U.S. mobile companies in Moscow.

Not only will you gain great insights from interviews with top Russian and Western IT elite, but you’ll also learn who the movers and shakers are in the Russian IT and telecom sectors. Riding the Russian Technology Boom provides 150+ valuable and otherwise not available contacts in Russian regulatory agencies and major IT system integrators.

“I am sure that you will find the contributions by the expert author in this book of significant importance in giving insight into challenges offered by Russia’s dynamic ICT sector,” adds Andrew Somers, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia.

Dr. Gidaspov honed his business consulting experience working at the American Embassies in Tashkent and Moscow from 1995 to 2004. Covering the IT and telecom portfolio for the U.S. Commercial Service, he helped hundreds of American companies find successful partnerships in Russia and Central Asia. In 2004 Gidaspov started his own consulting company in Hong Kong, and in 2005 launched his web-portal GidaByte (www.gidabyte.com) to provide foreign businesses with updated information on Russian and Asian technology markets. He is currently managing the U.S.-China Bilateral Trade Internship Program and Russian-related projects at The Washington Center (www.twc.edu) and maintains GidaByte web portal from the Washington, D.C. area.