Kaspersky Closes UK Office Amidst Strategic Reorientation

• Cybersecurity company Kaspersky has backed down from the U.K. after its recent exit from the U.S. market.
• The antivirus software company closed its London office and fired approximately 50 employees.
• Partner channels will become the focus of the company’s business strategy in the U.K. 

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky announced the closure of its United Kingdom office, resulting in the layoff of close to 50 employees in London. This strategic decision follows Kaspersky's recent exit from the U.S. market following the U.S. government's directive banning the sale of Kaspersky products.

The ban was instated over alleged ties to the Russian government – allegations the company has consistently refuted.

A Kaspersky spokesperson said that the company is shifting its business strategy in the U.K. towards leveraging its partner channels. "This step will enable our company to harness available business opportunities in the U.K. market more efficiently, strengthening overall business prosperity," stated the spokesperson. 

Despite the operational wind-down in the U.K., Kaspersky assures that its local customer base will continue to have access to its robust European team and established partner network for ongoing support and distribution of its cybersecurity solutions.

This move forms part of a broader reorganization within Kaspersky. It follows similar actions in the U.S., where the company transitioned its customer base to a newly created antivirus entity after ceasing operations stateside: UltraAV. 

American subscribers were surprised to find an unknown antivirus on their computers instead of Kaspersky software and, in some cases, a new VPN solution, making this event controversial. 

The process started on July 20, and the software no longer gets updates after September 30.

This transition was defended by Kaspersky, who cited adequate notification to its customers.