Kaspersky Lab Names New North American Sales, Marketing Leader

Kaspersky Lab has tasked its global sales leader with driving more enterprise sales and business with top-selling channel partners in North America.

The Moscow-based security vendor said Maxim Frolov has gained the additional responsibilities of leading North American sales, marketing and business development functions as a managing director in the region. Frolov joined Kaspersky in 2014, served as vice president of global sales since March of the year, and will continue in that role even as he takes on more duties in North America.

"Through the appointment of my role, the company is adding a more detailed focus to the region to build out the business," Frolov told CRN in an email.

[Related: Kaspersky Examines Allowing Partners To White-Label Products As Managed Services Gain Traction]

The rest of Kaspersky Lab's existing North American leadership will remain the same, Frolov said, with members of the region's sales and marketing teams now reporting into Frolov. Frolov, meanwhile, will report into Alexander Moiseev, Kaspersky's chief business officer.

Frolov plans to encourage partners in the region to expand their Kaspersky-based offerings beyond the endpoint and take advantage of the large-scale, enterprise-based tools the company has built out over the past half-decade. Specifically, Frolov said Kaspersky will be introducing new products and services that will complement the existing portfolio of channel partners as well as their client needs.

"The enterprise solution is the fastest-growing line of business for the company globally, while in North America we haven't fully addressed this opportunity yet," Frolov said.

Frolov intends to build on the foundation the North American channel team has already established by gaining a better understanding of the wants and needs of partners in the region. In particularly, he plans to focus on accelerating the success of Kaspersky's top-selling and most driven partners in the region by working closely with them.

"We are always aiming to invest in those who invest in us," Frolov said.

Kaspersky Lab has faced challenges in North America since allegations surfaced in early 2017 around ties to the Russian government, which the company has vehemently denied. Best Buy said in September 2017 that they would no longer sell Kaspersky's software in their retail stores, and a permanent ban on selling Kaspersky into the U.S. government was signed by President Trump in December 2017.

The company challenged the government sales prohibition in court, but a federal district court judge dismissed Kaspersky's lawsuit in May, while a federal appeals court judge upheld the ruling and ban on Nov. 30.

Frolov said Kaspersky will continue offering its cybersecurity products to consumers through its website as well as through other retailers. The company expects to re-evaluate previous partnerships as well as establish new retailer relationships going forward, according to Frolov.

"[I] have a firm grasp on the needs and areas we can grow as a company, including continuing the success of our digital consumer sales and building on our channel partners' success," Frolov said.

Frolov should help with bringing enterprise-level products and services to North America that Kaspersky has enjoyed success with in other parts of the world, according to Michael Knight, president and CTO of Greenville, S.C.-based Encore Technology Group.

Significant opportunities exist for Kaspersky to grow its cloud, threat hunting, and critical infrastructure services business in North America, Knight said, as well as drive more interest in its KATA (Kaspersky Anti Targeted Attack) platform. Stronger messaging and a focus on use cases in verticals such as utilities and manufacturing would help customers better understanding Kaspersky's value proposition, Knight said.

Knight said he's heard from others in the industry that Frolov is a strong leader with a dynamic vision. And from a partnership standpoint, Knight said he'd like to see Frolov focus on rebuilding the channel community with an increased focus on value-added partners that are delivering cybersecurity services.

"I think it's a very appropriate move," Knight said. "It'll provide a global perspective for the North American market."