Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 24
By Huseyn Veliyev – Trend:
Azerbaijan is an essential market for “Kaspersky Lab”, Anton Shingaryov, the company's vice president for state relations told Trend.
"Last year we agreed upon a new series of meetings in Baku. The authorities with whom meetings are to be held are the same. It is SOCAR [Azerbaijani state company], which we will be happy to enhance partnership with," he said.
Along with that, Shingaryov said meetings are to be held with ministries. He added that the company sees the Azerbaijani market as an important one for the company.
“This is a very interesting market. On one hand, it is technologically advanced, there is a developed industrial sector. Further, it has human capacity. Baku has a very good mathematical school, since the time of the former union," Shingaryov stated.
"Kaspersky Lab", as Shingaryov stated, also cooperates with law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan.
"We were part of several investigations. We are protecting the banks, the financial system of Azerbaijan, because it suffers exactly from the same threats as the Russian one. For example, we helped several large banks, helped the police with the investigation of threats. Cyber-threat is an international problem. This obviously does not mean that cybercriminals acting in Azerbaijan attack the country citizens and cash out in the same place. Normally, it is a trans-boundary crime, the threats are the same," Shingaryov stated.
He went on to add that the most important and key industry is energy sector. He believes it requires thoroughness to ensure reliable protection against cyber threats. According to Shingaryov, its crash paralyzes activity of almost every other sphere.
"Further, almost equally, follow telecommunication and financial sectors. For example, an ATM won't work without a telecom. Today, for example, in Baku, more and more people use cards to pay, carry out cash-free payments. Telecommunication sector is vulnerable in all countries and Azerbaijan is no exception. However, situation in Azerbaijan is better than in many developing countries, because there is human capital, financial capacity and political will, which allows all of the above to develop," he said.
---
Twitter: @h_veliyev