OREANDA-NEWS. December 9, 2011. Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, announces the beginning of the Kaspersky ONE Transantarctic Expedition, which will see famous British explorer Felicity Aston making a 70-day, 1700km journey across Antarctica. The expedition set off from the Ross Ice Shelf on 25 November 2011.

Felicity will wend her way all alone through the Transantarctic Mountains along a route never skied before to the South Pole and on across the Polar Plateau to the opposite coast at the Ronne Ice Shelf. Supported by Kaspersky Lab, Felicity will be the first woman in history to cross Antarctica alone.

“The Kaspersky ONE Transantarctic Expedition is the culmination of everything I have learnt from all my previous polar journeys. So, you could say that I have been preparing for this journey for more than a decade. I am both excited and daunted by the challenge ahead but consider it a privilege to be heading across Antarctica alone,” said Felicity Aston.

Commenting on Felicity’s departure, Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab said: “We wish Felicity the best of luck in her extreme journey! We will follow her progress and support her throughout the whole expedition. For 70 days she is going to be on her own, conquering the threats of the Antarctic environment. This is what many of us experience in the virtual world: when using the Internet, we are one-to-one with a multitude of digital threats. Just as Kaspersky Lab is there for Felicity Aston in one of the world's harshest physical environments, the company ensures its users are protected at all times on the Internet.”

Commenting on Kaspersky Lab’s contribution, Felicity says: “It is important that something about me and my project engages the imagination and spirit of the company – it’s when you become ‘part of the family’ more than just a financial arrangement that the relationship becomes really supportive and meaningful. I feel very fortunate to have that kind of relationship with my title sponsors Kaspersky Lab who have now supported two of my projects over the last two years. I like the way they think differently and even though they are a huge global company, it still feels very closely knit and I really feel I have been welcomed.”

The collaboration between Felicity Aston and Kaspersky Lab dates back to November 2009, when the company sponsored the Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. That expedition, led by Felicity, brought together women from the Commonwealth countries of Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. This intrepid team of seven women skied more than 900 km from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole, exposed to temperatures as low as -40 °С. Representing five continents, six faiths and seven languages, the expedition marked the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth. After this project Felicity Aston became a regular guest at Kaspersky Lab events and conferences and came to be treated as a member of the team. That’s why Kaspersky Lab is happy to sponsor Felicity’s latest project: the courageous Kaspersky ONE Transantarctic Expedition.

Kaspersky ONE is a multi-platform universal security solution that brings comprehensive protection to a wide range of personal devices, starting from personal computers and notebooks, all the way to smartphones and tablets. It brings a new user-centric approach to personal security, with a single license for all devices that need protection from today’s digital threats. Kaspersky ONE was released in the UK and USA in October 2011 and will be available worldwide in January 2012.