By Xin Shi

Software service industry takes a significant strategic position in the overall situation of China's economic and social development. It is a fundamental industry to support the development of national economy, an important support to boost "the integration of informatization and industrialization", and a powerful breakthrough point to cultivate new economic growth point.

Soft service industry is an important carrier and method for all walks of life to upgrade technologies and improve efficiency. It has shortened the cycle of technical innovation, promoted the strategic adjustment of national economic structure and the transformation of social life and is regarded as an important support for the transformation and upgrade of traditional industry. To expedite the development of software service industry is not only an effective measure to cultivate new growth point, expand domestic demand and drive economic growth under the status quo, but also a long-run plan to expedite the adjustment of industrial structure, transform the manner of economic growth, boost the stamina of development and realize the upgrade of the industry.

The innovation and breakthrough of information technology have provided new growth point for software industry. At present, China's information industry is still in a rapid development stage. The information technology continues to develop towards digitalization, integration, intelligentization and networking. Those new technologies, modes and concepts represented by cloud computing and ubiquitous network have emerged increasingly, the practice which will cultivate new industrial growth point.

The integration trend in technical industries has provided wide development space for software industry. The integration and infiltration has been expedited among all kinds of information technologies, network and business, as well as between the information technology and other technologies. Such integration has been embodied in such aspects, firstly, the function integration in terminal products, that is, the integration of individual computing, communication and consumer electronics; secondly, the service integration on operating platform, that is, the integration of services of communication, content and computing; thirdly, the integration of networks of telecom, computer and broadcasting. The new product forms like Iphone and Gphone and new industrial forms like e-business are emerging increasingly, a change which has also driven the industrial change.

"The integration of informatization and industrialization" has provided innovative power for software industry, and the integration between the software-represented information technology and other industries has been deepened further. The function of the information technology is more and more evident in upgrading and improving such traditional industries as important equipments, autos, iron & steel, petrochemical and power; and the capability to control and handle the information technology has become one of the core competencies of those enterprises in traditional industries. In order to promote energy conservation and emission reduction and realize an environmental friendly, low carbon and sustainable development, the information technology is requested to exert more important function, and the application of information technology in such fields as education, medical care, government management and culture has also been furthered increasingly.

At present, China's economy is in a key period of stabilization and recovery. In order to keep stable and rapid development of the industrial, what shall be done is to give more prominence to structural adjustment, optimization and upgrade and fasten the cultivation of new economic growth points. Plan on Adjusting and Revitalizing Electronic Information Industry has definitely put forward that the main task shall boil down to reinforcing the capability of software industry in independent development and fastening the cultivation of new modes and forms of information service; within the 3-year plan period, the proportion of the income from software and information service shall elevate to 15 percent in electronic information industry. Therefore, the software service industry has bright prospect.

In the practice of promoting the rapid development of software service industry, the following three orientations shall be grasped.

Firstly, the keystones shall be grasped. We should seize the opportunity that international manufacturing industry of electronic information products is transferring towards China, and actively promote the development and application of embedded operating system, integrated development environment and embedded application software products. We should master the trend of developing the software service and outsourcing, support software enterprises to improve their capability in undertaking software-outsourcing projects and the quality of delivery, and develop the outsourcing business of software service vigorously. We should seize the urgent demand of transforming and upgrading traditional industries, develop industrial software and solutions energetically, and elevate the capability in servicing the production.

Secondly, the application shall be grasped. We should seize the favorable chance of "the integration of informatization and industrialization", closely combine with the technical transformation to traditional industries, develop vigorously the industrial and embedded software and solutions applied in such links as research, development, design, automatic manufacture and flow management in enterprises, and promote these software and solutions to be applied abundantly in such traditional industries as machinery, chemical engineering, autos and power. Meanwhile, encourage and popularizing the key homemade software, and improve the independent control capability of industries.

Thirdly, the demonstration shall be grasped. We should promote the demonstration work of various pilots in software service field actively, perfect public service system, exert the functions of bases and parks, and guide the enterprises in software service industry to realize cluster and union development towards industrial bases.