HQ
A housewarming party is always a great occasion, especially when the house is spacious, well-located and filled with happy people! Our HQ, where 1,600 of our 3,000 employees work, is just that kind of home.
From the moment guests arrive there’s something special waiting for them at the entrances, where street art leaps out as if it’s in 3D. Having this artwork, along with other decorations, is possible because Kaspersky Lab owns not just the office buildings, but also the surrounding land. See the infographic.
In Russia, they say construction work can never be completed, only halted. And it’s true! The front desk and a museum, which is dedicated to almost two decades of our struggle against viruses, are not quite ready yet. However, we were still ready to hold the symbolic opening of our new office, with Eugene Kaspersky and Boris Levyant of ABD Architects cutting the traditional red ribbon to mark the end of the structural work.
The office is near a river, with beaches and sports fields surrounding it, so the huge panoramic windows in the building offer a beautiful view that can be enjoyed by almost all employees. Meeting and service rooms are kept in the center of the building, meaning most staff members have their desks near a window. Along with being aesthetically pleasing, this approach is environmentally sound because we are able to use less electric lighting. Environmental systems were also applied to the server room of our office, and in winter it is cooled by the cold air from the street. But back to the views! We have to admit, the most picturesque one view in the building is from the balcony on the fifth floor, and Eugene Kaspersky’s office. This room is not extravagantly large or over-furnished, since the head of Kaspersky Lab travels on business often and rarely holds meetings. However, there is an interesting collection of artifacts, ranging from the wreckage of the Ferrari car recently broken in the Moscow City Racing event to a collection of exotic headgear, and the first version of Kaspersky’s anti-virus program on a floppy disk.
Of the two buildings at headquarters, one is entirely occupied by our developers, as they make up a third of Kaspersky Lab’s staff. All over the office different people display different decorations on their desks, but a large number of Apples and plush green robots immediately highlight the attention the company pays to protecting Android and Mac.
Research & Development, one of the biggest divisions in the company, can be proud of its new, specially-equipped, egg-shaped hall in which analysts are constantly on the watch for virus epidemics, updating malware databases and keeping a close eye on the Internet. It looks like a space mission control centre, and all of our guests have been quite impressed by it.
The nearby recreation room with fitness machines, a game console and a table hockey game is not the only place where employees can relax and keep themselves in good physical shape. The large gym, sauna and massage room are also very popular. And right outside the window we have the beach, basketball court, mini football pitches and a swimming pool.
Of course, there are numerous recreational areas with coffee machines around the office and a large dining area as well. But that’s not all. The coffee shop on the ground floor is not finished yet, but it is already decorated: the guests of the housewarming party created an art installation made of obsolete computer parts for its walls.
The fitness room is not the only place for a healthy lifestyle. Employees can also enjoy sports facilities on site, cycle racks are available for those who wish to cycle to work and the beach and swimming pool are nearby. And it is very pleasant just to a walk in the park in the summer. With the help of our friends from the media, we also have a new plot of plants under the walls of the office to take care of as well.
In Russia they say that every man must build a house, plant a tree and raise a child. Well, the house has been built, the tree has been planted … raising children is a bit out of place in the office, so instead we promise to raise more dedicated fighters against computer threats!
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