Kaspersky Lab to open Dubai office

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Garry Kondakov, managing director of EEMEA division for Kaspersky Lab said that the company sees a need for local presence.

Russia-based security vendor Kaspersky Lab is planning to open an office in Dubai and Turkey before the end of the year to address the Middle East region better. The company, which will continue to work with its distributors, is opening the offices to support partners and customers across the region.

"We divide the region into Turkey, Middle East and sub-saharan Africa. Within these sub-divisions, we have our own strategies aimed at boosting our presence, supporting partners, improving technical support and increasing marketing activities. By the end of this year, we are going to open a Dubai office to handle the Middle East, and one in Turkey for that country alone," said Maxim Shirokov, regional director of Middle East and Africa at Kaspersky Lab, speaking exclusively to NME.

According to him, around five to six people will be hired to staff each office and they will perform functions including marketing, channel management and technical support.

Though unwilling to put a specific number to the investment, Shirokov says that a significant budget has been allocated not only for opening the offices but also for marketing and relevant support from Moscow.

The move to open offices in the Middle East is part of Kaspersky's global push to increase its presence in growing territories and to conduct business with local, focused strategy.

"Business is conducted locally and therefore there is a need for local people, local support for partners and local participation. Apart from the two offices in Dubai and Turkey, our current R&D setup in Romania will be expanded to include sales and marketing staff. Next year we are going to penetrate more globally and open more local offices in territories which are important to our business," stated Garry Kondakov, managing director of EEMEA division for Kaspersky Lab.

The EEMEA region contributes 25% of Kaspersky's global revenues, which increased by well over 130% last year. According to Kondakov, over 80% of the EEMEA revenue comes from the company's domestic market of Russia alone. However, with the MEA growing in the next two years, he expects Russia's contribution to decline, though he does not see it slipping below 70% in the near future.

The company, which has been participating in Gitex Technology Week since 2005, plans on doubling its stall space this year in keeping with the growth it expects from the region.

"We will be present at the show with our partners and we will be exhibiting at Gitex Shopper as well this year. We consider our presence at Gitex as an important brand building exercise and this is the main focus for us. We also want to meet our partners during the show and deliver our message clearly, especially considering the changes that are happening to the company structure with rapid growth. Of course, we will also work to generate leads from the exhibition," said Shirokov.

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