Kaspersky Lab: Channel Updates, Expansion Plans, Company Insights

Kaspersky Lab has no plans to expand into the backup and disaster recovery market. That’s according to Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, who told MSPmentor on Monday that his company “will always be a cybersecurity company.” 

Here’s a an update on what else Kaspersky said, plus details about the company’s channel program plans, gathered follwing its North American Partner Conference in Miami last week.

There are currently 3,500 Kaspersky Lab channel partners worldwide, and the cybersecurity company added 500 channel partners last year.

So what are Kaspersky Lab’s channel plans? Here are five Kaspersky Lab news stories that MSPs and other channel partners need to know about:

1. Kaspersky Lab updates its North American partner program

Kaspersky Lab has revamped its North American partner program. Jon Whitlock, Kaspersky Lab’s senior director of channel marketing, outlined the new program in a prepared statement: “Under the new program, Kaspersky Lab partners will be even more successful and reap even more benefits: from tools to help them close deals, incentives for driving sales and support for overcoming potential challenges, we truly offer a program that is best in class.”

2. Beware the “Internet of Threats”

The “Internet of Things” (IoT) could provide many opportunities to the channel. Conversely, Kaspersky described the “Internet of Threats,” which consists of cybercrime, espionage and sabotage, as a serious problem that his company is trying to address. “We need to protect all those devices (in the IoT),” he said.

3. Kaspersky Lab wants to expand its U.S. presence

Kaspersky noted that Europe is currently the top market for Kaspersky Lab, but his company’s U.S. presence is growing. “The United States is the fastest-growing market for us,” Kaspersky said. “We have a lot of very happy customers, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

4. Kaspersky Lab has no plans to go public

Kaspersky told MSPmentor that there have been multiple attempts to acquire Kaspersky Lab over the past few years. He said his company has no plans to go public but also pointed out that he would “never rule it out entirely.”

5. Expect the cybersecurity market to grow

Should MSPs search for ways to take advantage of the cybersecurity market? Chris Doggett, Kaspersky Lab’s managing director, pointed out that the cybersecurity sector currently is worth more than $73 million, and this space could offer additional revenue opportunities to the channel.

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