Kaspersky Lab inaugurates first Middle East regional office in Dubai

The new office, headed by Tarek Kuzbari, will provide operational management and sales support for Kaspersky Lab products in the region.

The move is part of Kaspersky Lab's international expansion strategy to establish its "footprint" across the emerging Middle East region, which has shown the strongest regional growth globally in terms of IT competitiveness, according to a recent World Economic Forum study published this year.

"The opening of our first Middle East entity will be a pivotal milestone for the Kaspersky Lab brand and help fuel further awareness of our internationally acknowledged products and services in 20 markets across the region," said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO & Co-Founder of Kaspersky Lab. "Our Dubai base will be instrumental in our ambitious Middle East growth strategy as we aspire to be among the top three antivirus companies in the market in terms of revenue by 2010, whilst improving our presence in both consumer and corporate segments."

Speaking at a press conference in Dubai to unveil the company's regional plans, Kaspersky said that the Middle East is still well positioned for economic growth, despite a global downturn and that the need for investment in IT infrastructure is essential for the region to obtain a competitive edge over the West as the world's financial gravity shifts eastwards.

"Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure is crucial for the Middle East and the growing projected investment in the sector, particularly in governmental organizations, will help us grow our regional business," he said.

"With an impeccable reputation for top of the line quality products, and a growth rate of 400 per cent in the Middle East compared to 2007, Kaspersky Lab is well positioned to consolidate its business in areas of slow economic outlook while maximising revenues in the burgeoning GCC markets."

A total of 10 people will be employed in Kaspersky Lab's regional office in Dubai by 2009 including marketing, sales specialists and technical experts. Led by Tarek Kuzbari, head of Kaspersky Lab's regional office in the Middle East, the team will oversee a pan-Arab marketplace across the GCC, the Levant and North Africa.

"Further development and cementing of our channel partnerships across the region is the key to unlocking the tremendous potential for our products in the Middle East," said Kuzbari. "We selected the UAE as our regional hub for its leadership in IT infrastructure and ICT readiness as well as for the Emirates' appeal in attracting and retaining a mix of sophisticated workers and young promising talent from around the world," said Kuzbari.