Exclusive Interview: Sanjit Chatterjee, CEO, REVE Antivirus

In a candid interaction with DQ Channels, Sanjit Chatterjee, CEO, REVE Antivirus talked about their Channel strategies, partner programs/ schemes, and Future Road map for Indian Market.  

What are the recent developments within REVE Antivirus?

In the last quarter, we expanded our services to other popular operating systems such as Mac as well as Linux; prior to that, we offered products primarily on windows. Apart from this major development, we have also introduced new and improved features such as data backup, vulnerability scan and an advanced firewall as incidents of security breaches are on the rise especially in India.

Could you elaborate on the new features that have been added?

One of the alarming observations we have made is that most of the SMEs do not even have a data backup policy. Even the tech-savvy individuals who are aware of ransomware attacks often do not back up their data. Keeping this in mind we have introduced a data backup feature which automatically backups one's data. And on an incident of a ransomware attack even if the system gets encrypted and loses the data with auto backup the data can be retrieved and restored. We have added Vulnerability scan which constantly monitors the system looking for blind spots which are created primarily by outdated software on the systems, and the user is alerted and asked to take necessary steps to avert security breaches. Another feature that has been added is an advanced Firewall which prevents unauthorized accesses to the system.

Please highlight the product portfolio of REVE Antivirus in Consumer and Enterprise segment.

On the consumer front, we provide three products for Windows, Mac, and Linux users - REVE Antivirus which is the entry-level product with basic features, Internet Security, and Total Security for a prolific internet user which comes with features such as PC optimization and advanced Firewall. We also have security products for Android and Apple users. One of the prominent features of the app is, it acts as a supporting tool for the other systems our products have been installed on. It provides real-time alerts and notifications. This is very helpful for parents to monitor the activities of kids as access to blacklisted websites are alerted rather than blocking those websites giving them ways to bypass using VPNs.

On the enterprise front, we provide end-point security solutions which prevent data theft caused by malware attacks and rogue employees. We have also developed an employee behavioral analysis which monitors the day-to-day activity of employees and alerts of unusual activities. We also provide two-factor authentication product which safeguards the system even in an event of loss of password.

What is your GTM strategy for the Indian Market?

Our GTM strategy is primarily going up with the product development ladder by providing relevant features to identify and rectify the loopholes to ensure data loss prevention through user behavior. Secondarily, our objective is to expand to more Indian states and cities by establishing a physical presence and by adding partners.

What are your channel strategies and how many partners do you have?

Last quarter, we have established our presence in West Bengal and a few cities in Maharashtra like Aurangabad and Jalgaon. Now we will be trying to expand to other cities in Maharashtra and West Bengal. We will also be expanding to Jharkhand and Bihar in the upcoming quarter.

We have 700+ channel partners of now all over India and we are looking forward to increasing the number as part of the expansion plan.

At the enterprise segment, which vertical holds the highest share of the sales?

Spanning across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal where we have a strong presence most of our customers come from the IT sector. Nonetheless, we have customers from the manufacturing sector, e-commerce and distribution sector, and as well as educational institutions.

Are there any channel partner programs or schemes which REVE has rolled out?

We organize channel partner training programs every month which comprises of workshops and seminars aimed to educate them on the trends and problems in the industry. The primary objective of these programs is to transform our partners as consultants to our customers.

We also provide incentive schemes based on quarterly target which can be redeemed in the form of discounts or leisure trips.

What is the future road map of REVE Antivirus?

One of our objectives is to grow on the Indian side of the market by expanding to more states and cities through channel partners. And on the international side of the market, we have added Bhutan, Ukraine, and Belarus in the first quarter and now we are planning to expand to countries in Europe and Africa in the coming quarters.