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Security software vendor Kaspersky Lab says it will make a big impact at UK retail this year following several new partnerships.
Just before Christmas 2014, the firm signed a deal with WHSmith which is now stocking its products, and it has been newly appointed as one of two security partners in the new Argos catalogue.
Kaspersky’s UK consumer sales director Lee Sharrocks told PCR: "Certainly with some of the new significant partnerships we’ve got with big retail, we’ll get a lot more traction from that. We’ve got two extremely strong offerings, we’ve always had Internet Security as the main one, now we’ve got Total Security and I think over time you’ll see that consolidate.
"We launched in WHSmith just prior to Christmas, and we’re doing other stuff with other retailers, so you’ll be seeing a big push from us. Unlike some of our competitors we’ve been in retail all the way through, and we will be in retail all the way through because fundamentally that’s how we grew our consumer business."
A Kaspersky spokesperson added: "Retail continues to be a huge focus for Kaspersky and its current efforts are clearly paying off, as it continues to take market share in major High Street stores such as Argos and WHSmith."
Kaspersky also hinted that it could protect various connected devices in the future as the Internet of Things (IoT) grows in prominence.
"I think as that area grows as a whole, it will always be something that we as a business look at and try and work out where we can be of use, and where we can create something that solves some of the issues that spring up as connectivity grows," added David Emm, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky.
"And while some of the protection of connected devices and the internet of things is going to involve back-end protection, there’s still going to be an end-point element. If it’s an app controlling my door or the locks on my car, there’s still going to be an aspect of people being involved and actually securing that device. Making people aware of the dangers is important too.
Read the full interview with Kaspersky in the upcoming February issue of PCR
