A Time of Change: Bauman Moscow State Technical University Moves to GitFlic
Future information security professionals will learn to use GitFlic, a Russian DevOps platform being introduced by Astra Group.
Training future information security professionals requires a careful approach. After all, cybersecurity is about protecting more than networks and servers – it also means building a secure development culture and helping students develop the right habits while they are still in college.
The tools should be domestic rather than foreign alternatives that are expected to give way to Russian products in the near future. The IU10 Information Security Department at Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) offers a clear example of the shift to Russian software, moving away from Gitea, the platform it previously used.
Botsman Will Bring the Pieces Together
BMSTU already had a positive experience with Astra Group’s ecosystem, particularly its Astra Linux operating system. That experience showed that the company’s Russian products met the university’s needs in both functionality and support. Now, during the pilot phase, students are learning GitFlic through software development lab assignments, but the university’s plans go further. The program is expected to expand with hands-on containerization training built around another Russian platform, Botsman (Boatswain). This will create an environment that covers more than writing code, extending into packaging and deployment as well.
Russian Code Enters the Classroom
BMSTU is not the first university to make this kind of transition. A precedent was set at the National University of Science and Technology MISIS, where GitFlic became a required part of the curriculum for students in relevant IT programs in September 2022. Notably, students and graduates of the university helped develop the service itself.
The effort continued to expand. By 2024, Astra Group had begun opening specialized Astra-laboratorii (Astra Laboratories) at leading technical universities across Russia. One of the first opened at MITU-MASI, followed by RTU MIREA, Sirius University, SibADI and NSTU. Students at these universities gained the opportunity to go beyond theory, earning certifications and tackling practical assignments using the same equipment deployed in industry.
In 2025, GitFlic was integrated with security analysis tools from Positive Technologies. That turned it from a conventional repository into a full-fledged DevSecOps environment. The project also, in effect, reached an international audience. A laboratory launched jointly with ICL Techno and RUDN University offered training that included international students. That same year, another laboratory opened at Kuban State Technological University with 26 automated workstations running Astra Linux.
“More Than Providing Licenses”
What is happening now at BMSTU and other leading Russian universities is more than another stage in the digitization of education. It marks a shift in import substitution from a measure driven by necessity toward a standard part of professional training.
“Our collaboration with Bauman Moscow State Technical University is about more than providing licenses. It is an investment in training professionals who will build secure software development practices at Russian companies tomorrow. We know the university has already worked with Astra Group products based on Astra Linux, so the natural next step for us is to give students in the department the opportunity to learn modern secure development practices on a domestic platform rather than foreign alternatives that are set to be replaced in the job market,” says Maksim Kozlov, CTO of GitFlic.
Astra Group is already actively involved in educational projects run by Mintsifry (Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media) and organizes large-scale events such as IT CAMP, attracting talent from across Russia. The approach is producing tangible results. According to Alexandra Aleshkova, director of Astra Group’s education department, about 20% of participants in the Astra-stipendiya (Astra Scholarship) program join the company each year: “That means they have an opportunity to continue working on their projects and develop them into finished products.”
