(Source: http://rus.tvnet.lv/hi_tech)

Microsoft, Oracle, Symantec and HP joined the U.S. sanctions against Russian companies.

As it became known to Gazeta.ru, American IT-companies, including Microsoft, Oracle, Symantec and Hewlett-Packard (HP) cease cooperation with banks and companies, against which the U.S. authorities have imposed sanctions. It was reported by sources in IT-departments of two banks that previously fell under U.S. sanctions.

A source in one of the American companies confirmed there is a possibility of forthcoming imposition of restrictions on companies and banks from the U.S. sanctions list. American IT companies have joined the sanctions against a number of Russian banks of their structures, Executive Secretary of the State Duma Commission on strategic information systems Andrey Chernogorov told Gazeta.ru. Members of American companies warned banks about the problems with system integration.

Microsoft and Oracle met with a representative of one of the penalized banks, but have not disconnected the bank from their products yet. Though, Oracle representatives "were very interested in the continuation of cooperation," a source in one of the banks says. Rossiya Bank could not provide any comment during the day; Sobinbank refused to comment; InvestCapitalBank reported that they had not received official letters from Microsoft, Oracle and Symantec corporations with refusal to cooperate. Microsoft declined to comment; Oracle and HP did not respond to the request of Gazeta.Ru.

A source close to Rossiya Bank says the bank expects disabling of some foreign software "any day." Hewlett-Packard also associated itself with sanctions. "HP stopped supplying us with the necessary equipment, and now we are urgently looking for a replacement," a source at one of the banks said, not defining what specific equipment is in question. One of the American information technology companies specifies that companies do not have the right to continue cooperation with businesses, in respect of which the U.S. imposed sanctions. Yet, it was not completely decided in what way the disconnection from their products to be proceeded. This situation will result in creation of Russia's own software and hardware. For the present, 92% of software and information technologies in Russian companies come from abroad, experts say.