Russia is Open to Open Protocols

Golovin (Executive Director BIG-RU -- BACnet Interest Group Russia):
"I started with BACnet in 2005 when the BIG-RU (BACnet Interest Group
Russia) association was founded. Before then I was familiar with the
BACnet movement in the US. In my opinion, the Russian market is more
similar to the USA market, than the European. The main idea was to
bring the latest achievements in open standards to the Russian market
and BACnet was the best choice. During the last 2 years the BIG-RU has
familiarized an estimated 80% of building owners in Russia with BACnet
benefits. In 2007 the KNX Association (ex-EIB protocol) invited me to
manage their association in Russia while working with BIG-RU. It is a
great experience, because we can say that BACnet grew from HVAC systems,
and EIB/KNX grew from lighting and low-voltage systems. Both protocols
are relative and part of ISO standard 16484-5. We can now support our
customers with a wider field of open building standards applications.
Let's say that the joining of BACnet and KNX promotion work is a process
of globalization of the market of open standards in Russia... Nobody
wants to be locked into a single brand system. The situation is that
every open protocol should be implemented where it is practical.
Traditionally BACnet is more suitable for integration of large systems,
multi-vendor projects and systems which could be expanded in the future.
LonWorks is more often applicable in the field level (for products
integration) and in middle sized projects. Very often both protocols
exist in the same project: BACnet at the management level and automation
level, and LonWorks on the field level. A good example of such a system
is the 'Federation' Tower project in Moscow..."