Kaspersky eyes Sri Lankan growth through B2B2C and new eSIM initiative

By Nishel Fernando
Global cybersecurity giant Kaspersky is sharpening its focus on Sri Lanka, championing a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model to broaden its reach and introducing a new eSIM service poised to benefit the nation’s vital tourism sector. 
In an interview with Mirror Business in Da Nang, Vietnam, during Kaspersky APAC Cyber Security Weekend held last week, Kaspersky Head of Consumer Channel for APAC Chee Choon Hong detailed the company’s strategy to navigate the island’s evolving digital landscape and address the growing cybersecurity threats.
Kaspersky’s approach is a response to a landscape where a large portion of consumers are not proactively paying for software, often due to a lack of awareness about threats like malware and phishing. 
“If you don’t know what’s a malware, what’s fishing and all these, how are you going to find a solution to protect yourself?” Chee remarked, highlighting the challenge of technical jargon for the average user. 
The B2B2C model aims to bridge this gap by partnering with large corporations such as telecommunication companies, banks and e-wallet providers, to offer cybersecurity solutions directly to their extensive customer bases.
“We look at B2B2C as a route for us to reach out to this broader group of consumers,” Chee explained. 
This strategy allows Kaspersky to leverage the existing customer relationships and trust established by these large businesses. For the partner companies, this offers a way to add value, strengthen brand loyalty and build “digital trust”, without significant additional investment in new infrastructure or hiring.
In Sri Lanka, Kaspersky operates through a well-established partner-led model. The company works with distributors like Techno City for its retail business and a Consumer Business Alliance partner, ICT, to drive its B2B2C initiatives.
“They help us because they understand the market pattern right; they know the reseller. They know the IT shop stops, IT reseller, so it can help us to cover the market better,” said Chee.
The company is already in talks with potential B2B2C partners in Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on the telecommunications sector. 
“My team just visited Sri Lanka last week,” Chee revealed, underscoring the active pursuit of such collaborations. 
One of Kaspersky’s key offerings for this segment is the Mobile Security Software Development Kit, which allows partners to embed Kaspersky’s protection directly into their own service applications, simplifying the user experience.
A significant new initiative is Kaspersky eSIM Store, launched just weeks ago and available in over 150 countries, including Sri Lanka. This service is particularly relevant for Sri Lanka’s tourism-dependent economy. Chee pointed out the security risks the travellers face when connecting to free public Wi-Fi or purchasing local SIM cards, which often requires sharing sensitive personal data like passport information.
“With the eSIM, obviously, you know, you can before even go ... you can activate, right? And you can use it anytime, anywhere you want, without having all this exposure,” he stated.
The Kaspersky eSIM store is designed with the travellers in mind, offering global coverage in over 150 countries and regions at local rates. It prioritises user privacy by not requiring a passport or ID for activation. The users benefit from flexible data plans, including options for non-expiring data and transparent pricing, with real-time balance updates in the intuitive app, to prevent unexpected charges.
While acknowledging that Sri Lanka is a smaller market compared to neighbours like India, Chee asserted its importance. 
“I would say it’s not really that small ... for South Asia itself. Sri Lanka basically is quite an important market for us.”
The focus remains on raising cybersecurity awareness among the public, an effort Chee believes requires a multi-stakeholder approach involving Kaspersky, its partners and the government. The ultimate goal, he concluded, is to empower consumers to protect themselves in an increasingly complex digital world. 
“Besides education, my personal belief is that it will be better if they have a tool to protect themselves because you never know when it’s going to happen.”