Kaspersky teams up with Smart for on-demand antivirus rollout

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab AO on Tuesday announced its partnership with Smart Communications Inc. to roll out on-demand antivirus products for subscribers of the local telecommunications company.

In a press conference in Makati City, Kaspersky launched its on-demand service which allows internet users in the Philippines to secure their devices on a weekly basis with prices as low as P10 to P30, or on a monthly basis.

"We're excited to pilot this program in the Philippines which offers a very straightforward solution to the seemingly universal issue of not securing internet-connected devices because the process appears bothersome and security software is expensive," said Daewan Ku, head of APAC xSP Project Development.

NOW: Kaspersky holds presser to discuss the company’s latest developments in the Philippines || @gmanews pic.twitter.com/vyWlGZkczt

— Jon Viktor Cabuenas (@ViktorCabuenas) March 12, 2019

The company in September 2018 said it was already in talks with a local telecom for several months, but declined to identify which one.

Under the partnership, subscribers of Smart will be able to purchase anti-virus products for their devices—cellular phones, tablets, and laptops, among others—through their load.

For weekly subscriptions, subscribers will be given the option to buy the Kaspersky Anti-Virus for PC at P10.00; the Kaspersky Internet Security for PC, Mac, and Android at P15.00; and P30.00 for Total Security which covers PC and Mac.

For prepaid subscribers, the charges will be automatically be deducted from the load, while it will reflect at the monthly bill for postpaid subscribers.

"Kaspersky Lab is offering the xSP service in the Philippines so that Filipinos, who are known to be highly active internet users, can enjoy the perks of staying plugged to the internet while keeping what matters most to them safe and secure," said Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager at Kaspersky Lab Southeast Asia.

Kaspersky says over a quarter of Filipino users attacked by mobile malware in 2018, PHL in the top 10 most attacked countries || @gmanews pic.twitter.com/Av5SmhRn4X

— Jon Viktor Cabuenas (@ViktorCabuenas) March 12, 2019

Looking ahead, Ku said the company is in talks with other telecommunications companies, but is likely to be exclusive with Smart for at least six months.

"We are thrilled that we started with Smart first, and as long as our partnership will start to generate a meaningful result in terms of business and a strong message to the country, probably we will stick to Smart for the time being," he said.

Ku noted, however, that the company is now in talks with local service providers for more possible partnerships.

"In all the countries [we're in], we talk to all the service providers—not only mobile providers, but also internet service providers," he said.

"We're talking to and we're open to discuss different options with all different service providers wherever we are," added Ku. — BM, GMA News