Eugene Kaspersky: The man, the myth, the maverick

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Being the head of one of the biggest data security firms in the world must be no easy task, but Eugene Kaspersky certainly seems relaxed when IT PRO met up with him in Munich.

What is intriguing about Kaspersky is not just his charisma or ebullient mannerisms, but also his mixture of the large and small, the ambitious and the humble.

He is man with a definite direction, far from the mythological preconceptions some may have, given his past associations (he is known to have attended a high-school co-sponsored by the KGB and the Russian department of defence, for whom he later worked for).

What I learn during our conversation in Germany was that he brings this strong personality to the company, understanding the need to mix high aspirations with a sensible business approach.

Dealing with the crisis

In terms of physical attributes, Kaspersky has changed a little since IT PRO spoke with him six months ago. Gone is his beard, as has the long hair he once sported.

Perhaps the financial crisis, while it has certainly not impacted his loquaciousness, has manifested itself into this trimmer look. Indeed, within the first few minutes of talking, Kaspersky admitted it had not been an easy past 12 months.

“It’s been a hard year,” he explained, shifting his beaming smile and welcoming eyes to adopt a more composed visage.

“It’s a much bigger competition now, especially in emerging markets, especially in China where there is huge competition.”

Before the crash hit, the company was seeing growth between 60 and 80 per cent in different parts of the world, he noted, but now the expansion rate has slowed dramatically year-over-year.

“Enterprises started being very conservative, they count every license, they cut budgets,” Kaspersky explained.

Despite these increased pressures, both financially and from more intense industry rivalry, the company has still had some positive signs.

In the US, the firm has seen around 80 per cent growth this year, Kaspersky said without seeming boastful, just stating the facts.

What is more, the firm has launched new products with greater protection. One of the company’s big launches was been Kaspersky Internet Security 2011, which received a five-star review from IT PRO in July.

“We are improving our products by introducing new technologies and new levels of protection,” he said.

A leading light

Mr Kaspersky also has unequivocal confidence in both himself and his business, which he and his ex-wife Natalya Kaspersky set up in 1997. He believes that while the firm is not number one in its market, it is a leading light when it comes to innovation.

“From a technological point of view of end-point security, we are one of the leaders. Others follow our innovations. We introduce these technologies in our products, then others develop the same,” he claimed, this time with an almost palpable sense of pride.

One exciting project is a distributed denial of service attack blocker. Currently it is only in prototype form over in Russia where development is ongoing.

“Once we are happy with this service in Russia we will introduce it in other countries as well,” Kaspersky said. He is still unsure, however, when this time will come, although he estimated one or two years.

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