The endpoint is fast becoming extremely important in the enterprise security sector. Protecting laptops, mobiles and flashcards has become more important than protecting network points.
In addition, the use of social networking has brought new levels of threats into the corporate network. These combined factors have made endpoint security the primary point of protection for any enterprise.
This is according to Keith Maskell, VP of corporate business at Kaspersky Lab, speaking about the company's enterprise strategy during the New Horizons media tour, in Moscow, last week. “Endpoint security is at the heart of our business, giving us a strong advantage as we are better at this than everyone else.”
In the bigger picture, he says, Kaspersky is not just in the security and malware prevention business, but is driving data loss prevention as a priority. “We assist our enterprise customers to secure their systems to prevent data loss, as well as help them with risk management, damage repair and compliance management, to ensure they are compliant with legislation, as well as company policy.”
He says Kaspersky Lab has a broad solutions strategy, not a niche one, consisting of expertise, products, services and its global partner system.
He says security suites for endpoints and data leakage prevention software are strong points of focus for the company. “Our aim is to be number one in our chosen markets by 2012.
“With this in mind, we realise that open systems platform providers have created opportunities for us, by creating open systems that are very insecure. These providers need to maximise sales through an open systems approach, and as these systems are not secure, IT security business essentially becomes their symbiotic partner. For a company like Microsoft to provide security and support to all its customers would be prohibitively expensive.”
In addition, he says it should be noted that many of Kaspersky's customers don't use only Windows, but other platforms as well. “Even if Microsoft did provide a security solution, it wouldn't cover all platforms. Moreover, many customers want a multi-sourced approach, and do not want a security solution from a platform provider, but from an independent vendor.
“We want to have a clear philosophy of how to protect the enterprise, with a defined list of products to protect this segment,” says Maskell. “Another point in our favour - all Kaspersky software is developed in-house. All growth has been organic, none through acquisition. Our competitors are also established, putting us in a good position to provide a fresh alternative. IT security has become too complicated and expensive, requiring too many resources to run and manage, and this is where Kaspersky Lab can step in.”
He says the company's strong relationships with its partners is another factor that is driving the enterprise business. “Our partners feel part of the Kaspersky Lab family. We want to preserve that culture. Our channel is strong, and we are 100% channel-driven, with no direct business.”
It is also introducing two service level agreements this month, for business and enterprise, allowing Kaspersky to support organisations all over the world. “The model will follow a global support model with regional competency centres.
“We have products aimed at small to enterprise customers, a strong channel, and an enterprise team made up of global experts. These factors will ensure we have products, services, technologies and support to meet our enterprise customers' needs,” concludes Maskell.
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