Microsoft brand doesn't sell security: Kaspersky

Microsoft needs to launch a new brand to handle its security products successfully according to co-founder and CEO of Kaspersky Labs, Eugene Kaspersky.

Eugene Kaspersky(Credit: Luke Hopewell/ZDNet Australia)

The outspoken Russian security executive said at the launch of Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 product in Sydney last night that consumers are unlikely to take a security suite seriously when it bears Microsoft branding, because Microsoft by nature isn't a security company.

"I don't want to say that Microsoft antivirus is a bad product, it's a good enough product ... but it's not enough to be visible in the market. You need to have the right position, the right impression. You have to have the brand which is recognised as a security brand," Kaspersky said.

According to Kaspersky, when Microsoft first entered the security market in 1994, he was too busy running his company and building products to notice. When Microsoft re-entered the market in 2003 with the purchase of GeCAD Software to improve Windows however, he said he was happy.

"I said 'Let Microsoft go buy all antivirus companies except us. Let them eat all of them and destroy them'," he joked.

He recommended Microsoft launch a new brand to focus specifically on security in order to be taken seriously, citing Toyota's foray into luxury cars via Lexus as an example.

"Toyota was known [as] cheap and low quality 30 years back. It was just a small player so it introduced a new brand — Lexus. With the new brand they just kept their original brand, Toyota, [but pushed it] to the top.

"If I were Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer, it will [be] better to have a different brand for the antivirus security and the security of Microsoft. Let anyone know that this brand belongs to Microsoft, but it's not Microsoft," he said.

Despite his criticisms, Kaspersky admitted to being a fan of Microsoft.