Kaspersky is constantly increasing its market share in the consumer and SMB security space. The company has witnessed a robust growth and plans to continue the momentum in the coming year with a host of launches in the pipeline. Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Labs, South Asia.
DT: What have been the key highlights for Kaspersky in 2016?
A: A few years back, Kaspersky was known for its home solutions. While we continued the leadership position, we established ourselves in the SMB segment. In 2016 we made positive inroads in the enterprise and government business / segment. With our enterprise solutions and services, we have become a strong force to reckon with in the enterprise segment. Our Threat Intelligence Services are being sought after by enterprises across the board. We have also seen the BFSI segment turning into a big contributor for our business.
DT: What is the central force which keeps partners and consumers loyal to your brand?
A: Our business model is 100% channel focused. We do not do any business directly. Majority of our activities are focused on enabling channels to sell more including marketing initiatives, training etc. In that sense, you can say that we attribute a significant portion of our investments into strengthening the channel network and increasing our engagement with channels.
One of the biggest contributor to the success of Kaspersky has been our partners. It is because of partners like VR Infotech that we’ve been able to build a strong network across the region. They have been with us over these years and have helped us grow in this exciting, dynamic marketplace like India. Kaspersky Lab’s customers are primarily driven by product features. A clear trend shows that Functionality, Usability and Flexibility are key Kaspersky Lab strengths.”
DT: Do you think that Government of India’s ‘Make-in-India’ and ‘Digital India’ programs are seeing the light of day? At what levels are you supporting these programs?
A: Digital India, a 1.13-lakh crore Government initiative that seeks to transform India into a connected economy can be successful only when security of the connected devices is assured. The concept involves so many different technologies communicating with each other in so many ways, that the only way to predict and eliminate all possible security issues is: from planning through to the actual implementation of digital technologies. With Digital India initiative, a lot of data will be collected by different bodies and this needs to be protected. We surely believe that ‘Digital India’ presents a tremendous opportunity for growth, sustainability, and social improvement.
DT: What’s your roadmap or strategy for the year 2017?
A: While we continue to maintain our leadership position in the consumer and SMB business, we are very confident of higher growth in the Enterprise segment for our :
DT: Is your company engaged in any Govt. projects specifically under the Digital India program?
A: Yes, we do work with various departments in central and state governments. But, as this is a security related issue, we are not in a position to give out more details.
