To succeed in the Internet security business, research and development (R&D) is key. To keep up with the threat landscape, which not only produces more and more malware every day, but increasingly complicated strains, putting R&D into new technologies and means of protection is vital.
This is according to Eugene Buyakin, COO of Kaspersky Lab, who was speaking about the company's strategy and vision at the New Horizons media tour, in Moscow, last week.
Giving some background into the company, Buyakin says Kaspersky Lab has its own way of doing business. Founded in 1997, it is a private, self-funded company, run by its founders and owned by 10 individuals.
“Being a private company allows us to think long-term. We don't have to worry about shareholders and suchlike, and can invest strongly in R&D and new technologies. We are financially successful, and enjoy over 50% year-on-year growth”
He says Kaspersky is recognised as the technological leader in the anti-malware industry. “We are also the fastest growing company in the anti-malware industry and, although a relatively new player, have already captured market leadership in some key market segments and geographies.”
The company employs 1 700 people worldwide, and protects 300 million users across the globe, equating to 20% of the total Internet population. “Fifty thousand new customers buy Kasperky products every day.”
In terms of headcount, he says R&D staff members make up 35% of the total, geographic offices another 35%, and global sales marketing and management 30%.
Fast-growing industry
Speaking of strategy, he says Kaspersky Lab is focused on growth and market leadership. “This includes geographic expansion and organisational maturity. The corporate market is a big focus for us, as is R&D and portfolio diversification.”
The information security market is worth $28 billion, explains Buyakin. Endpoint security makes up 25% of this. Network security follows with 30%, identity and access management 14%, vulnerability management 11%, Web security 6%, messaging security 11%.
“It is a very dynamic, fast-growing industry, driven by the exponential proliferation of malware and other Internet threats,” he notes. Along with this, he says the increasing diversity of customer needs surprisingly leads to industry fragmentation and de-consolidation. “The specific requirements of the customers are creating a lot of niche markets, giving newcomers opportunities to create new products and succeed in this market.”
According to him, classic anti-virus is not enough anymore; it is inefficient, and is now complemented by a new generation of protection methods, providing opportunities and fast growth to a new generation of independent security vendors.
Speaking of general trends, Buyakin says, despite industry efforts, awareness on recent information security trends is still very poor. “It is very much part of our mission to educate the public. In terms of the economic climate, the impact was much less significant than the industry expected. IT security is the last budget to be cut.
“Our focus on the R&D process, a strong team and solid relationships with our channel put us in a unique position to develop technologies to counteract the fast growing threats out there. We foresee further growth and dynamic development of the security industry, and Kaspersky Lab is entering a new era by becoming one of the market leaders in its core business.”
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