Pune-based Quick Heal Technologies is a fast-growing IT security solutions company. It delivers security solutions to individuals through the brand ‘Quick Heal’; it claims to have more than 30%
market share in the consumer/retail segment. With Seqrite, the company’s enterprise-facing security brand, it has made deeper inroads in the enterprise and government segments. “Today, we have more than 25,000 active channel partners across the country. This is one of the largest partner networks selling security products in India,” Sanjay Katkar, joint MD and CTO, Quick Heal Technologies, tells Sudhir Chowdhary in an interview. Excerpts:
How do you see the IT security space evolving in India?
The frequency of sophisticated attacks such as data breaches, cryptojacking, and ransomware is increasing at a rapid pace. In the last one year alone, we have seen the emergence of advanced ransomware attacks such as Grandcrab, evolution of banking Trojan turned threat distributor ‘Emotet’ as well as the growing trend of cryptojacking.
What is your current market share?
We hold more than 30% of the total market share in the retail segment. We have been growing our presence in the enterprise and government through Seqrite. We are securing millions of endpoints for 32,500-plus customers across industries such as education, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, gems & jewellery, automotive, IT/ITES, BFSI, etc.
With the emergence of cryptojacking, how can users can protect themselves?
Users need to be aware of the symptoms that cryptojacked systems exhibit (slower processing, frequent crashes, overheating, etc.) and how malicious links or attachments can be used to infect their systems. Businesses should conduct regular training and cyber awareness programmes to educate their employees about this threat. Installing an adblocker or disabling JavaScript on the web browser is also an effective prevention strategy, as most cryptomining scripts are delivered when a user clicks infected websites and online ads. It is also important to have advanced security solutions installed on the devices to bolster the security profile of endpoints and devices, as they come equipped with the latest cryptojacking definitions. It is also important to patch all vulnerable patches and devices.
What has been the market response to your enterprise-focused brand, Seqrite?
The Seqrite brand was launched in 2015 with the vision of empowering businesses with the right IT security solutions, so that they can stay a step ahead of malicious actors and secure themselves from advanced cyberattacks. With revenue contribution of 20%, enterprise and government segment remains a key focus area of growth, driven largely by the brand Seqrite.
Quick Heal Security Labs was the first to report on the existence of Android Banking Trojans in India. How should India get ready to combat them?
Mobile users have a tendency to enter any information that they are prompted for, without thinking twice. This behaviour is what these malware exploit. Knowing that such threats exist would make users cautious about revealing their personal sensitive information on their devices. Having a robust security profile is a major deterrent to such attacks. Users should avoid downloading mobile apps through third-party app stores or links shared through SMS and email, and verify app permissions before installing any app. They should install mobile security solutions that can detect and block any malicious apps and keep device OS and security apps updated to the latest versions.
On the regulatory front, India needs to adopt international standards. India’s effort towards creating its own data protection law is a welcome step, but there has to be focus on ensuring proper policy implementation with a compliance level comparable to that of the EU-GDPR.
