Kaspersky Lab is amalgamating some of its cybersecurity products into a single platform called Kaspersky Threat Management and Defense solution.
In addition to the financial services and healthcare industries, the new product, available now, will appeal to mid to large sized enterprises with 1,000 employees or more, says Rob Cataldo, VP of enterprise sales at Kaspersky Lab North America. But even the smaller organizations will find it useful.
“We have intentionally delivered these solutions and this particular offering to meet the needs of really any sized organization that is concerned with being targeted to any extent,” says Cataldo.
In addition to outsourcing the various functions of the platform, the company is willing to train its customers and IT personnel to better understand the platform and the potential threats their organization faces. Kaspersky Lab’s newest bundle includes Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack, Kaspersky EDR and Kaspersky Cybersecurity Services. Together, they cover attack prevention, detection and response. Lagging behind on these fronts can cost a company a pretty penny. On average, the impact of a targeted attack can cost an enterprise $456,000 if the threat is detected within a day or two, the company says. That total balloons to $1.2 million if it remains hidden for a week.
Targeted attacks were one of the fastest growing threats in 2017, according to a report from Kaspersky, and increased by 11 per cent among enterprises from 2016. More than 40 per cent of respondents said they don’t know how to prepare for cybersecurity threats. There are a few reasons why this is happening, suggested Cataldo.
“I think a part of a company’s inability to be prepared has to do with the lack of investment in the necessary training,” he says. “The other challenge we hear about in the marketplace is a shortage of cybersecurity talent. There are literally thousands of open positions around the globe for cybersecurity personnel that can’t be filled.”
Kaspersky Threat Management and Defense and its combination of outsourced material can fill some of those gaps, says Cataldo.
Channel scene in Canada will grow
There are approximately 2,000 active channel partners in North America, and while Cataldo didn’t specify how many of them were in Canada, he says the channel scene in the country is strong.
“They’re strong from both the large area reseller and the more focused value added reseller fronts,” he says. “We’ve always had great relationships with distributors and small and large channel partners across the country. We expect that will continue.”
Kaspersky is going to increase its personnel and marketing budget in Canada this year as well.