Eugene Kaspersky’s first interview after receiving President’s Award EXCLUSIVE RUSARMINFO

Today, Eugene Kaspersky received from Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan the Presidential Award for contribution to the global development of information technology.

In the RUSARMIFO exclusive interview Eugene Kaspersky talked about his relations with Armenia and shared his vision on the IT future of the country.

— Tell us, please, about your relations with Armenia and the projects implemented there.

— We cooperate with Armenia for a long time and thoroughly, maintaining close links with universities. Back in 2009 we signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Armenia. We are happy to help Armenian students to become professionals in the field of cyber security. For example, the State Engineering University of Armenia is one of the long-term participants in the «Kaspersky Academy» educational program. With this university we work especially closely, on its base currently are functioning our training and certification centers. Regularly we conduct student conferences and seminars for administrators and IT-specialists. Very soon, on November 30 and December 1, in Armenia will lecture Sergey Novikov, head of our Russian Research Center. — According to the head of the presidential administration in Armenia, the choice was difficult. What do you think, which argument was decisive and played in your favor?

— I’m grateful for the choice; it is an honor for me. In general, it is always a combination of factors. I do not want to praise myself too much, but I am convinced that we have at the moment the best technology and products in the field of cyber security in the world, and that’s why we’ve been chosen. We invest in technology and expertise in their field, we have successfully developed a global business, and we are a stable and trustful company. — What was the most difficult in the development of IT-technologies in Armenia? How will you assess the present and future of IT-sphere in Armenia? — Information technology is critical to the successful development of a modern economy. In Armenia, we see that the IT-initiatives receive government support, I believe that it is very good. In our field, in the field of information security, there is a big interest in the best practices and achievements. The country has good specialists. So, I’m sure the IT-sphere in Armenia has good prospects. Note: Eugene Kaspersky is the first Russian IT-specialist to receive the President’s Award in Armenia. The award was established in 2009 and so far has no analogues in the world. Among the winners are: Craig Barrett, chairman of the Board of Directors of «Intel»; Steve Wozniak, co-founder of the corporation «Apple Computer»; Federico Fadzhin, president of the “Synaptics”; Tsugio Makimoto, «Hitachi» former executive director.