Kaspersky Lab consolidates LatAm operations
Security firm Kaspersky Lab has consolidated its Latin America operation and turned it into an autonomous commercial unit.
According to the Russian company, the newly-created division will be able to "establish a corporate structure and implement strategies to benefit clients, partners and channels according to local and cultural needs."
Kaspersky's Latin American region - where, until recently, Brazil operated separately to its neighboring markets - will now have autonomy to define business and channel strategies, as in the other regions where the security firm operates.
With the recent changes, former Brazil head Claudio Martinelli now leads the Latin America unit and the search for a replacement to lead the Brazilian market is underway.
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The recent strategy shift makes Latin America - accountable for 7 percent of Kaspersky's total revenue - the seventh commercial region for the firm, in addition to Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Russia, Japan and META (Middle East, Turkey and Africa).
When it comes to specifics for the region, Martinelli previously stated that it made sense for Kaspersky to have separate divisions for what it calls "Spanish Latin America" and "Portuguese Latin America" -- both culturally and from a business point of view.
"The common practice of companies to put Latin America under the same geographic division in organizational terms has been our reality over time, given the similarity that exists between the Latin American countries," Martinelli said at the time.
"However, there's a certain point of maturity where the company has already developed a significant presence and adaptation to the local market that it becomes necessary to be more specific and aligned to the needs of each region," he added.
It is unclear whether the company still maintains the view that having subdivisions within Latin America remains valid.