Kaspersky subscription licensing is the way Kaspersky sells business licences to managed service providers (MSPs) and resellers on a recurring basis. A subscription is a licence with an activation code that enables B2B product use for a monthly or annual billing period, with auto-renewal, until it is cancelled or expires.[1] Subscriptions are created and managed in the License Management Portal (LMP), or through a distributor marketplace integrated with Kaspersky’s KORM B2B Subscription Service billing system.[1] An MSP Partner, in Kaspersky’s definition, is an IT service provider authorized by Kaspersky that has obtained MSP Specialization and accepted the agreement on the Partner Portal. It buys subscription products from a distributor, complies with the Kaspersky MSP Specialization Guide and holds active MSP Partner status.[1] For the vendor overview, see Kaspersky licensing. For the general model, see subscription and consumption licensing.
Editions
Subscription is available for a defined list of applications:[1]
| Area | Applications available on subscription |
|---|---|
| Endpoint | Kaspersky Small Office Security; Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud; Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Select and Advanced; Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum; Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response |
| Virtualization and storage | Kaspersky Hybrid Cloud Security; Kaspersky Security for Storage; Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security |
| Mail and web | Kaspersky Security for Microsoft Office 365; Kaspersky Security for Mail Servers (named Exchange, Linux Mail Server and Secure Mail Gateway versions); Kaspersky Security for Internet Gateways |
| Awareness | Kaspersky Automated Security Awareness Platform |
In the Kaspersky Next console’s service-provider view, a provider can choose the number and properties of licences for its customers once the embedded 30-day trial ends.[3]
Metrics
The subscription page does not define its own unit. Each product keeps its normal licensing unit, such as the Kaspersky Next User, the endpoint Computer or the Hybrid Cloud Security Virtual machine. The page refers to subscription quantities as licences and, for annual plans, as nodes that can be added at any time.[1]
Billing plans
| Feature | Pay-as-you-go | Annual | Monthly legacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing period | One month, auto-renewing[1] | One year, auto-renewing[1] | Calendar month, auto-renewing[1] |
| Trial | 30 days[1] | 30 days, free[1] | From start date to the end of that calendar month[1] |
| Charge basis | Daily, on the quantity used that day[1] | Whole year invoiced up front; increases as additional orders[1] | Peak quantity in the calendar month[1] |
| Increase | Immediate[1] | Immediate[1] | Immediate[1] |
| Decrease | Immediate[1] | From the next billing period[1] | From the next billing period[1] |
| Cumulative pricing | Per product[1] | Not supported[1] | Per product[1] |
| Cancellation | Immediately or by disabling auto-renewal[1] | Immediately or by disabling auto-renewal[1] | Active to the end of the month; month paid in full[1] |
| Channel | LMP or KORM B2B 2.0 marketplaces[1] | LMP or KORM B2B 2.0 marketplaces[1] | KORM B2B 1.0 marketplaces[1] |
Kaspersky describes the legacy monthly plan as the one that pay-as-you-go is designed to supersede.[1] On every plan the activation code stays the same when the quantity changes.[1]
Counting / floors
Pay-as-you-go. Payment is calculated each day from the number of subscription licences used that day. For billing, a day begins and ends in the UTC+0 time zone.[1] Kaspersky invoices in the month after the trial ends and then monthly. Distributors may invoice on a different cycle.[1] Because usage is billed daily, the MSP’s reconciliation unit is the daily quantity, not a month-end snapshot. Catalog: Pay-as-you-go subscriptions are billed on daily usage.
Annual. The paid period starts right after the trial and runs to the same date the next year. A paid period that starts on 29 February ends on 28 February.[1] Reductions take effect only from the start of the next billing period.[1] Catalog: Annual subscription reductions apply only from the next billing period.
Legacy monthly. Billing follows the peak quantity in the calendar month. A subscription cancelled even on the first day of a month is billed for that whole month.[1] Catalog: Legacy monthly plan bills the monthly peak and the full month of cancellation.
Floors. The subscription page publishes no minimum quantity or minimum monthly commitment.
Reporting. For Kaspersky Next, a provider can download a CSV licence report from Kaspersky Business Hub covering every company registered under its account. The report gives the licence ID, the limit, and the number of protected users, computers, mobile devices and mailboxes.[6]
Activation rules
Subscription licences can be activated only with activation codes, and need internet access to activate and work correctly.[1] Subscription licences are not compatible with non-subscription licences.[1] The product help pages show what this means on a device. Kaspersky Endpoint Security cannot be activated with a key file under a subscription, and no reserve key can be added.[4] Kaspersky Security Center accepts a different activation code only after the subscription expires or is cancelled.[5] Hybrid Cloud Security’s virtualization agent cannot combine commercial and subscription keys on one SVM.[7] Catalog: Subscriptions are activated only with activation codes.
Grace periods and suspension. For end customers the provider decides whether a grace period follows expiry and how long it is.[4] In Kaspersky Next, a partner may also let customers suspend and resume a subscription.[2] Catalog: Subscription grace periods are set by the partner.
Virtualization & partitioning
The subscription page has no virtualization rules. The product’s own rules apply, for example the Hybrid Cloud Security per-VM, per-core and per-processor schemes. See Kaspersky license keys, activation and Hybrid Cloud Security.
Cloud / BYOL
Subscriptions are bought through Kaspersky’s LMP or a distributor’s marketplace.[1] The page does not mention hyperscaler marketplaces.
Audits and compliance
Kaspersky reserves the right to sanction any MSP or distributor found manipulating a billing scheme for fraudulent use. It may audit accounts without notice to investigate suspected abuse.[1] Catalog: Kaspersky may audit MSP subscription accounts without notice.
Out of scope
- The Kaspersky MSP Specialization Guide, partner agreement and distributor terms, which are on the partner portal.
- Partner discounts, cumulative pricing bands and list prices.
- Consumer subscriptions and auto-renewal terms for home products.