How come a world class network security software product coming from Russia?

Yes, I do agree that Russia could not be an active player on software product front the way USA, and Germany have become.
But, let me tell you one thing that Russia has never been naïve to software. The induction of automation, using software, has been one of the hallmarks of Russia as a nation since the very middle of 20th century. Let me remind you that way back in 1957, Russia launched its first artificial satellite (Sputnik-1), something USA did much later. In 1961 itself, under the command of Yuri Gagarin, Russia sent its manned spacecraft (Vostok) into ‘deep space’, using sophisticated software applications available then. An impressive community of world-class software developers had lived and developed amazing applications, and that tradition still continues. Historically, most of the software developed in Russia has mainly been used for esoteric purposes (say military or other tactical purposes). Thus, the commercilization of software products has been a soft belly of the country. However, things are changing now. Today’s Russia is much different from the erstwhile USSR. Now, people are exercising their full entrepreneurial genius, and an aura of innovation is getting pervasive into the software enclaves of the country. The thrust is more towards top class software product development. Today, the country teems with world-class software engineers, who are propelling the nation to a new horizon. I feel happy that Kaspersky Lab has pioneered a successful software tradition in Russia that inspires large segments of entrepreneurs who want to come out with internationally recognized software products.

What prompted you to start an anti-virus software company?

Quite early, I fell in love with mathematics. In the last leg of my high school education, I attended extracurricular classes in physics and mathematics at a dedicated program organized by the ‘Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology’. In fact, one of my hobbies was to solve problems published in mathematical journals. In 1987, I graduated from the Institute of Cryptography, Telecommunications and Computer Science, where I studied mathematics, cryptography and computer technology. After finishing off my graduation, I worked at a multidisciplinary research institute. It was there when I first began studying computer viruses after the ‘Cascade’ virus was detected on my computer in 1989. I analyzed the virus and developed a disinfection utility for it, the first such utility I developed.
Then I started collecting malicious programs and disinfection modules for their treatment. This exotic collection later formed the foundation of the famous antivirus database in Kaspersky Anti-Virus. In 1991, I joined the KAMI Information Technologies Center, where me and a group of colleagues developed the AVP antivirus project, which later became the prototype for Kaspersky Anti-Virus.
In 1997, we decided to establish an independent company called Kaspersky Lab. It took us just two years for taking over the Russian market. In a shorter span of time, the company’s market share grew from a mere 5 per cent to the present 60 per cent. Our international foray got started in 1999, when we opened up first overseas office in England. Soon, we could take Kaspersky anti-virus solutions.

How are you putting Kaspersky security software in the Indian context? Do you have separate pricing structure for the Indian markets?

By now, Kasperksy anti-virus products have traversed from classes to masses. We maintain direct operations in more than 100 countries across the globe. We’ve been quite successful in many geographies of the world. While, EMEA region (comprising of East Europe, CIS, Middle East, and Africa) is pretty vibrant for us, South-East-Asia is becoming very important to Kaspersky Lab. Like China, Indian has also got our intense attention. By 2010, we target at least $ 50 million worth business coming in from the Indian operations. However, the potential attached with the Indian market is huge. Moreover, we’re very conscious of the price sensitivity of the Indian market, and accordingly have lowered the license fee substantially. In fact, in US and other western countries, Kaspersky products are very expensive. But for India, we’ve introduced highly rationalized pricing model. These ‘price differentials’ are mainly to tap the burgeoning upcountry markets. Hyderabad-based national distributor of ours (Zoom Group) has done fine work for Kaspersky. By now, Kaspersky products are available in most of the parts of the country. I’m happy to see the exuberance of channel partners around Kaspersky products in India.

Who are your role models in your entrepreneurial life?

I’m deeply influenced by the bright vision of Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin, who served as the Prime Minister of Russia-from 1906 to 1911. His stint was notable for the institution of commendable ‘agrarian reforms’. Stolypin hoped to stem peasant unrest by creating a class of ‘market-oriented’ smallholding landowners. However, repugnant terrorists assassinated him; but the impact of his thoughts still reverberates in Russia. I’m deeply impacted by his advanced vision in those times. Peter the Great is another persona who draws my admiration. In the present context, we’re respected by the duo of ‘Medvedev-Putin’ who is appreciative of our entrepreneurial zeal. The ‘opened-up’ Russian economy has rendered new vista of opportunities to the entire generation. The Russian government is establishing numerous cyber farms and cyber villages where numerous software firms are thriving. The aura is electrifying, and a new exuberance has infused into the psyches of the nation. A new focus has been shed on making Russia into a software powerhouse. And here comes the big moment when Russia and India can work together in terms of tapping the software products market of the world. I look forward to collaborating with Indian companies so that we jointly cater to the growing software markets in many parts of the world.

What are the vertical you focus on with Kaspersky products and services in India?

In India, we offer the entire product and services portfolio to the customers. For homo, and SOHO segments, we’ve top rung products like ‘Internet Security 2009’; ‘Anti-Virus 2009’, and ‘Mobile Security’. For enterprises, we offer products like ‘Open Source Security’, and ‘Targeted Security’. Working with our national distributor in Zoom Group, we’ve reached out to wider channel base in the country. The growing retail culture is also being tapped by us in making the Kaspersky products easily available in the market. However, our online buying mechanism (eStore) has been a big success for us. It is handy for people to buy security products online. While, Kaspersky Hosted Security Services provide managed, integrated protection from IT threats for corporate networks of any size. The services are designed to ensure that company’s e-mails, Internet users, and IM communications remain free from Malware and Spam which jeopardize the integrity of your data and reduce employee productivity.