One of the biggest developments in recent years for Kaspersky Lab and its partners has to be its release last month of Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business (KESB).

The new package supports Kaspersky’s drive to become more of a complete security vendor, as opposed to its traditional position as an antimalware vendor. The company adds, among other functionality, long-awaited capabilities for encryption, mobile device management, and systems management.

I caught up with Kaspersky channel chief and North American sales chief Chris Doggett at the company’s recent 2012 North American Partner Conference, to find out what’s new for partners in KESB, the company’s plans for introducing the new functionality to its partners, and where the company is seeking new channel partners to take advantage of its new abilities.

Sell also the first part of my video interview with Doggett, discussing the company’s strategy in the Canadian market, and check out the site early next week for part three of our interview, discussing momentum for the company’s year-old MSP push.