No.15 Tech Hotspots 2008

, Russia

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What's so special about Moscow?
Moscow is Russia's tech powerhouse, responsible for a major slice of the country's $2.3bn annual share of the global IT services market - a figure growing at 10 per cent per year.

The advantages of Russia, and Moscow in particular, are plentiful but one of its major strengths is the large pool of computer science and mathematics PhD students.

But this isn't about low-cost offshore commodity IT work - even if the salary of an entry-level programmer here is only around $500 per month. The tech graduates here are creative, analytical and problem solvers, not just programmers and low-level tech support.

Moscow's other advantages include pretty good English language skills and a more favourable time difference - just three hours with the UK - than further flung locations such as India.

But Moscow is still fighting the negative global perception of Russia as a difficult and sometimes dangerous place to do business - especially in relation to things like industrial intellectual property protection - but that barrier is slowly being dismantled.

Key tech companies Epam Systems, Exigen Services, IBA Group, Luxoft, Reksoft.

Key institutions Moscow State University - the University's faculty of computational mathematics and cybernetics takes in 500 new students per year and turns out 450 graduates annually.

Local salaries $500 per month for an entry-level software programmer.

Famous faces Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and founder of Moscow-based antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab and Sergey Brin, Google co-founder, were both born in Moscow - but then brought up and educated in the US.

Population 13 million - the largest city in Europe.

iPod cost $220 Source: CommSec, Apple.

Time zone GMT +3 hours.

Voltage and plugs 220V.

How to get there Moscow has four airports but the main one for international flights is Domodedovo. The Sheremetyevo airport mainly handles domestic flights.

Watch out for Snow and the cold in the depths of winter around February when temperatures can dip below -15C.

Places to stay, eat or drink Any of the big name top-end hotels, such as the Hyatt, Golden Ring, Marriott, National or the Ritz Carlton, are suitable for business travellers. Despite the stereotypical image of Russian cuisine - think borsch soup, cabbage and beef stroganoff - Muscovites are spoilt for choice when it comes to great places to eat out. Pushkin is a famous restaurant in a replica mansion close to the statue of Pushkin, with waiters dressed in 19th century outfits. A good Russian restaurant is Oblomov and if you want very fancy and expensive try Gorki with its grand Soviet-style décor.

What you might not know If you're in Moscow in winter and likely to be walking around the streets, watch out for the chemicals used to clear the snow. They can rapidly dissolve the soles of your shoes.