CEO of Kingsoft Security, Wang Xin
Afternoon, March 29th - News from Sina Technology: Wang Xin, CEO of Kingsoft Security, which has recently been spun off from Kingsoft Corporation, was a guest in the Sina interview room today. He engaged in an online exchange with netizens regarding Kingsoft Security's future development strategy, the current state of the security industry, and user privacy.
Wang Xin stated that Kingsoft Security does not rule out the possibility of capital operations or going public in the future. As security represents a very large market and there is a lack of independent, self-innovative companies domestically, it is hoped that this business can be packaged for domestic listing.
Regarding competition between security vendors, Wang Xin believes that within the industry, first, there should be fewer verbal disputes, and secondly, no improper competition should be conducted under the guise of users. For example, telling users that the other party's tool is unsafe; as security vendors are akin to police and referees, the decision-making power should ultimately be returned to the users, allowing them to choose whether a product is usable or not. Acting as both referee and athlete may violate unfair competition regulations.
This morning, Qihu 360 announced its "User Privacy Protection Commitment" and also declared that it would entrust and inspect the 360 source code at the China Information Security Testing Center to allow users to supervise at any time. In response, Wang Xin believed that in the Internet era, source code is basically automatically updated every day, like daily update versions. Entrusting source code is not the key to solving privacy issues. Personally, I think industry regulation is very important. Our previous supervisory units were the Ministry of Public Security and the MIIT, and their annual reviews for yellow label certification were a very important process.
Key Insights:
In the next two years, we aim to provide better services to users, especially in terms of internet safety for netizens. We do not rule out the possibility of capital operations or going public, as security itself is a very large market and there is a lack of independent, self-innovative companies domestically. Therefore, we hope this business can be packaged for domestic listing.
Everyone knows that early antivirus vendors mainly dealt with operating system viruses, such as when virus authors were primarily focused on technical boasting. With the vigorous development of the Internet, more and more hackers have shifted their technical focus to profit, as our increasing virtual assets and actual assets are placed on the Internet, such as online banking, shopping on Taobao, gaming online, and having many personal accounts online. Thus, hackers have focused on online virtual assets.
Our internal employees often discuss this topic. Providing more choices to users in the same细分 field is beneficial to the development of the industry. For instance, in the security guard industry, there are 360 Security Guard and Kingsoft Security Guard, offering more options to users. A monopolistic situation is not good for users in the long term. We strongly encourage proper and direct competition, which benefits users.
Kingsoft still faces cultural and value transformations. People familiar with Kingsoft know that it has long been involved in the development of self-innovative software, but a purely technology-oriented development model, including values, may pose obstacles to the company's long-term development. The CEO must complete cultural or value self-transformation to lead the company to better steps. I firmly believe that the degree to which you negate yourself will bring greater opportunities and innovation.
The following is a transcript of the dialogue:
Future Domestic Listing
Sina Technology: Hello, netizens, welcome to the Sina Technology video live broadcast room. I am the host, Jing Quan. Today, we have Mr. Wang Xin, CEO of Kingsoft Security Software, joining us in the live broadcast room. Welcome, Mr. Wang.
Wang Xin: Hello, Sina netizens and host.
Sina Technology: Recently, friends who follow the industry know that we have heard rumors about the establishment of Kingsoft Security as a separate entity and the re-strategic layout of security products. Today marks the first formal media interaction from Kingsoft regarding this matter.
Wang Xin: Yes.
Sina Technology: As the leader of Kingsoft Security Software, Mr. Wang, what are your plans now that the security subsidiary has been formally established? For instance, are there plans for an IPO within the next one to two years?
Wang Xin: Separating this business is not solely for going public. On one hand, it is to focus the business and better serve users. Over the next two to three years, we will focus on the internet transformation of the business. Within the next two years, our primary goal is to provide better services to users, particularly in internet safety for netizens. Of course, we do not rule out capital operations or going public, as security is a very large market and there is a lack of independent, self-innovative companies domestically. Therefore, we hope this business can be packaged for domestic listing.
Sina Technology: You mentioned domestic listing earlier. If a choice is made, it might be through ChiNext. Which part of the capital market are you considering?
Wang Xin: Kingsoft is a very local brand with significant influence domestically. The last listing was in Hong Kong. Considering the intellectual property rights and domestic recognition of the security business, we are targeting the domestic market for this listing. The specific board will depend on the business development situation.
Internet, Mobile, and Cloud Security
Sina Technology: We will continue to monitor this closely. Now let’s talk about the products. Earlier, Mr. Wang mentioned that separating the security business allows for more focused and professional product development. We noticed that recently Kingsoft has successively launched several new products, including Kingsoft Guard, the professional version of Kingsoft Antivirus, a new version of Kingsoft Web Shield, and Kingsoft Mobile Guard. Regarding these new products, could you share with us the new dynamics in Kingsoft's security technology and product development in 2010 after the establishment of the new subsidiary?
Wang Xin: Talking about the new dynamics in security, I'll use three keywords. First is the Internet. Everyone knows that early antivirus vendors mainly handled operating system viruses where virus authors were mostly focused on technical boasting. With the rapid development of the Internet, more and more hackers have shifted their focus to profit since more of our virtual and real assets are placed on the Internet, such as online banking, shopping on Taobao, gaming online, and having many personal accounts online. Hackers have thus focused on online virtual assets. How to better protect the safety of internet users is our first concern after the business transformation. Everyone knows that over the past three years, Kingsoft Antivirus has mainly completed the transition of sales channels and payment methods to the Internet. Now, everyone can conveniently download the software online and make payments via mobile phones or bank cards. This leads the way among various security vendors. Moving forward, we will focus more on internet security needs, which is the first keyword.
Sina Technology: Network.
Wang Xin: Secondly, mobile phones are becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, making the protection of mobile phone security and privacy very important. Especially with recent news about the mobile skull virus, it shows that hackers are now focusing on mobile and wireless security. We predict explosive growth in the wireless internet market over the next three years, so our second business focus is also aimed at mobile phones. We have just released Mobile Guard.
Sina Technology: Kingsoft Mobile Guard.