As well as why Kaspersky became Kaspersky. Unique photos
Article about the person brand Evgeny Kaspersky TAdviser opens a cycle of the materials under the general name "Programmist-millioner-zvezda" devoted to the biography of the famous Russian IT entrepreneurs. This text is prepared on the basis of a long personal interview with Evgeny Kaspersky.
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Computer child
The native of Novorossiysk Evgeny Kaspersky moved to the Moscow region in the early childhood together with parents. In the village of Hlebnikovo he went to study to the first class. Its school at number 3 bore a name of the famous pilot, war hero Nikolay Gastello. Having become more senior, Evgeny came to a fizmatshkolu-nursing home of A.N. Kolmogorov at Moscow State University (now - SUNTs at MSU). Exactly there, in the 80th year, Kaspersky for the first time faced the computer.
"The machine was called "WORLD", and the Almir programming language", Evgeny remembers.
The same device costs in Polytechnical Museum now. Its size – as two desks. On the one hand perfolentny input, and with another – the list device. On computing power it was weaker, than the calculator, but for those times for a fizmatshkola it was very decent.
"On it rather trivial problems were solved. The first that I calculated, it a trajectory of descent of the aircraft to the earth (gravitation, etc.). To me was years, probably, fourteen, I became the computer child at once".
The school was graduated, and time to select university came. Kaspersky remembers himself as very ambitious young man. He studied well and understood that he can come to any physical and mathematical institution of the capital. Went to the Moscow university on Mekhmat, in Physics and Technology faculty, but saw the "slovenliness and student's outlaws" which was created there.
"I was very strong goof and understood that it, probably, will be bad. I solved, and perfectly decided that the outlaws will be less useful to me, than army discipline. On himself dressed shoulder straps and went to academy of cryptography".
Unfortunate cryptographer
Training in academy strongly differed from normal institute, Kaspersky remembers. In the morning creation, in the evening creation, discharge for the weekend. Students wear a uniform. If you do not take examinations, then you go to normal army. In the diploma instead of traditional objects some special disciplines: SD1, SD2, SD3, SD4, history of the CPSU.
"It was so confidential that I remember nothing any more".
Nevertheless, generally from academy Kaspersky had positive impressions.
"I am very grateful to this educational institution, me taught to work there".
But the cryptographer from him did not turn out, and it turned out, by own recognition, the poorish programmer.
"Guys, when pick my code … there is no it left any more, of course, but when they it picked, they sometimes laughed".
In 1989 Evgeny Kaspersky caught the first virus. For those times it was the uncommon virus, it was implemented into operating system kernel of MS DOS and infected files. The virus was the advanced system program which was periodically shown by the fact that "showered" letters on the screen. The people ran with monitors in repair, spoke "small letters fall". The virus came crawling to Kaspersky himself, he says. No Internet then existed. Networks were in embryo. Computer viruses then were transferred on diskettes.
"It was time when bits were big, and Microsoft company small. Here then all this also happened".
Kaspersky then worked at Multi-profile research institute of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR as the cryptographer. But this specialty did not seduce Evgeny, and in 1991 he decided to leave a state institution. Approximately for half a year before he understood that professional officer activity and catching of viruses – things incompatible. Besides its began to publish and invite to performances with reports. Then the first versions of an anti-virus software were written.
"At some point I understood that it is time to make the choice – either one or another. Sometimes I joke about it, I speak – here, would not write then the official report, would be the general now, would live quietly, would go by black Volga".
Hungry programmer
The next several years of life of Evgeny Kaspersky were inseparably linked with STC of "KAMI". It characterizes own status in the company of that time as self-sustaining division:
"It was not always self-sufficient, of course, but I think that we were quits because "KAMI" used us as a flag: here we have Kaspersky, all know him".
In "KAMI", since spring of 1991, he developed an antivirus under the name - V. Minus – that in the file list was above. Several years later Kaspersky reunited with the schoolmate Alexey De-Monderic, and Vadim Bogdanov adjoined to them. Three together young people wrote the new version where some innovation anti-virus ideas were entered, and called it AntiViral Toolkit Pro.
"We wanted to light as soon as possible this utility even if it is free as it was not possible to sell it at that time yet. When I uploaded the file on some western FTP server for testing, was mistaken, and instead of atp.zip wrote avp.zip. So the name AVP is a typo which we did not notice. And it took and got accustomed".
Still being an employee of "KAMI" Kaspersky as is recognized itself, bungled on other Russian anti-virus company which exists still. Evgeny does not open its name. The developer typed bases not only in the antivirus, but also in one stranger. Payment was for record.
"I had already a family and two children, three more chaps worked in the project, - he explains. - It was necessary to buy new computers. There was not enough money".
Besides, once a month Kaspersky wrote articles to the Virus Bulletin magazine. They paid about $300 for article. Then it was the good fee. The working day of Evgeny Kaspersky at that time lasted 14 hours a day.
Natalya convinced that time has come
The decision on opening of home company to Evgeny Kaspersky's group came not suddenly. It was preceded by at least several years of reflections, discussions and preparatory work.
"Long before opening of firm I asked a question to the mentors about whether it is necessary to create separate company. Alexey Borisovich Remizov, the head of computer division of "KAMI", spoke to me: "Zhenya, is not necessary, will be ruined". And, probably, somewhere in the first half of the 90th it was the truth. But as a result we just understood that we need to open the company".
Software and hardverny business, according to Kaspersky, hardly get on with each other. As confirmation to this thesis serves not only the example of "KAMI". In due time were in a similar situation also Arkady Volozh who selected "Yandex" from distribution company CompTek (Komptek), and Sergey Belousov who separated software projects and sale of computers.
"Probably, the only example when the company successfully develops programs and computers - it is Apple. More or less successful example. IBM – does "iron", and all its attempts to make some software were not successful".
Since 1995th year "KAMI" got rid of the software projects. The anti-virus division remained to the last. Natalya Kasperskaya – at that time Evgeny's spouse was an initiator of the decision on selection in independent business: "She convinced us that it is time, time has come. At that moment it validly was already obvious". As a result from "KAMI" the anti-virus command as a part of 15 people was selected.
The problem with copyright of the antivirus developed in "KAMI" did not arise. It were the 90th years. The relations, on Evgeny's memoirs, were issued "not harmoniously" and in practice were not regulated in any way. For the first time developers began to register intellectual property only in 1996.
Enter the market from scratch, without having marketing budgets, teams of sellers, experience of independent work – it is almost useless. Kaspersky Lab understood it. The company could not place a box with the product on the shelf in the shop since nobody knew it. Serious partners were not going to represent its products in the European retail networks.
"We, of course, dreamed to come to some networks, but it were only dreams", - Evgeny Kaspersky remembers.
But there was one more option - to leave with technologies which are resold to other suppliers. It was much simpler.
It as Boeing which flies on engines of "Rolls-Royce"
"I think that this model is applicable also to others Russian software, and, maybe, not only to the software companies, - Kaspersky argues. - If the product is not taken and it is obvious that it will not be taken because it is absolutely unknown, begin with technologies because to gain fame in the industry, in a party where all know each other, much more simply. Here all know who has what quality".
Kaspersky Lab entered the market with the anti-virus engine, having in parallel signed the first corporate contracts in Russia. And if mass market for them was closed, then much narrower market of the industry gave to the company chance at once. In 1996-97 "happened" the two first the significant agreement - to the Finnish company F-Secure and the German G Data. They took the engine created by Russians and built in the products. Own developments were not necessary to them and were contracted.
"It as Boeing which flies on engines of "Rolls-Royce". From these technology contracts we also gained a basic income in the years ahead. On it also lived".
For several years of F-Secure and G Data remained the only partners of the company, but soon also other firms began to show interest in licensing of anti-virus solutions of Kaspersky. At the beginning of new century the number of such partners began to grow steadily. Annually contracts were signed with several companies, and in their 2003 there were already about ten, and by 2007 – about 90.
Licenses are delivered in the form of SDK (software development kit). In fact, it is a set of libraries, without any interface, but with necessary documentation, specified TAdviser in Laboratory. In other words, SDK are a set of development tools which allows specialists to create the finished applications.
In 2007 Kaspersky Lab changed approaches to a license policy. Business of the company by this moment considerably increased, moreover, Laboratory began to master the markets of other countries as the independent supplier, and some of yesterday's partners in programs of licensing turned into direct competitors. Therefore contracts with such companies were stopped: for 2007 - 2008 license contracts about 10 firms lost everything.
In Kaspersky Lab simple and accurate strategy appeared: sign contracts with those firms with which there will be no direct competition. Besides, the minimum annual contract amount was appointed.
Such conditions are profitable to a number of the companies. It is simpler to pay for the license, than most to spend forces and funds for creation of the software product. As of the middle of 2015 licenses to use of solutions of Kaspersky Lab were obtained by about 1820 partners, representatives of the company reported TAdviser. Among them there are Juniper, Check Point, Microsoft, Parallels, Cisco, WatchGuard, Blue Coat, LANDesk, etc.
Three turning points
In process of growth Kaspersky Lab endured three crises. The first happened in 1996-97 - while there were levels of management and the director. "We terribly were upset that we any more small cooperative, and we already had a management", - the founder remembers. The subsequent growth of number of employees led to a next crisis. In 2001-02 the number of employees passed for one hundred. Then there was an average management, and the director did not remember any more how call all subordinates.
"Not everyone can pass through this line, - Kaspersky tells. - I know people who at this moment sold business. They just could not get used that they do not know employees on names and surnames. We endured it".
Then crisis burst again. The company had a Board of Directors and the structure was updated. But it was born not at once.
"We spent a lot of time in heated arguments, walking in the park before office. Thinking as it is correct to reorganize the company in order that it worked more effectively. Not everyone was happy, we lost couple of managers with the conflicts. But the others 90 remained".
The modern structure of Kaspersky Lab reminds structure of other global corporations: management board, business divisions. "There are different options of the organization: tough pyramid, matrix different of implementation. But essence approximately same", - Evgeny considers.
Kaspersky does not expect managerial crises any more: "Other, more adult models of the organization of the companies therefore can be are not known to me, it was our last crisis". But in so dynamically changing and young industry completely it is impossible to avoid difficulties. For example, the company decided to carry out reorganization of division of development. Her Kaspersky calls very painful, explaining it with congenital conservatism of people.
"We insufficiently quickly implemented new methods of development. And I want to try always something brand new, in a different way it is better to make, make. As a result we came to a conclusion that it is necessary to reorganize development so that the newest methods of development of anti-virus software created and patented by us were used".
Transnational monster
Evgeny Kaspersky became one of those people whose name is associated with the product created by it more, than with him. From Russians in this row it is possible to deliver unless some creators of airplanes. For it Kaspersky was nicknamed the person brand. Inhabitants occasionally do not even know about its existence, being surprised to similarity of a surname in the passport with the name of an antivirus which houses use.
Characterizing development of the company, Kaspersky says: "We everywhere pry, everywhere figachy as tractor". The staff of Laboratory as of the middle of 2015 makes more than 3000 specialists, its representations are open in 31 countries on 5 continents.
Dmitry Medvedev, being the President of Russia, twice itself initiated a meeting with Kaspersky – the first time in the Kremlin when awarded him with a state award, the second time – at office "Laboratorii" where it was decided to hold a meeting of the state commission on upgrade of economy.
Our appointment with Evgeny Kaspersky was rescheduled several times. He was not so simple to be caught in Russia. In a year Kaspersky can make up to 100 flights and to spend hundreds of hours in air. It was late for an interview for about thirty minutes.
"Packed things, - he explained, having shown on densely packed bag lying about an office door small. – Today I depart to Beijing".
Having covered with the offices and partners more than 200 countries and territories, Kaspersky promptly moves between them all the year round. For scales of activity of the colleague from Russia nicknamed him the transnational monster.
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