McAfee, a security brand that was established in 1987, will no longer exist in the marketplace.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, during his keynote address at CES 2014, made the surprising announcement while also unveiled the Intel Security brand and logo.
Here it is.
McAfee ironically dropped its name once before in 1997 for Network Associates after a merger agreement with Network General, which produced network packet sniffer products. Krzanich said that McAfee products will transition to the new Intel brand over time, but from today on all security and services offerings will be identified as Intel Security. The logo will feature a small McAfee shield on the top right hand corner.
There was no news from Krzanich on if McAfee would retain its autonomy or be part of Intel. It’s current run as a separate company by CEO Michael DeCesare.
McAfee’s worldwide channel chief Gavin Struthers commented on the brand change in a blog post.
Struthers said there will be no immediate change to any of the McAfee products, services or price books. The McAfee team that channel partners are currently work with will remain in place. There are also no changes to the McAfee SecurityAlliance Program.
However, Intel and McAfee security teams will be coming together as one unit, Struthers said.
“The unveiling of the Intel Security brand is the next step in making security an essential part of the compute stack – not something purchased later and bolted on. Security must be embedded on every architecture and every computing platform; from smart phones and tablets to PCs and servers and beyond. If we are going to enable our customers to take advantage of pervasive technologies, security must move from being a bunch of point products to a unified, integrated, and connected approach,” Struthers said.
Krzanich added that Intel plans to offer elements of McAfee’s security solutions for mobile devices for free. These data and device protection solutions help guard today’s most popular mobile devices, including Apple iPhone and iPad and Android devices.
“We want to make security an essential part of computing. We have great assets at Intel, not only in our silicon technology, not only in our architectures, but in assets like McAfee, as well. So, we’ve integrated the hardware and software to try and stop malware in its tracks. I’m pleased to announce the Intel Security brand to identify our products in the security segment. McAfee products will transition to this brand over time, while retaining the familiar red shield,” he said.
The initial plan will see McAfee branded products phased out as new products are introduced from Intel Security.
Struthers added that for channel partners the Intel brand (currently one of the Top 100 Global Brands, according to BrandZ) may provide a competitive advantage for them in the marketplace.
Another goal of Intel will be to provide security to every mobile device: phones, tablets, and wearables. Krzanich said that these products did not have to be IA specific architecture and could be ARM.
“It could be anything. We want to bring this Intel Security capability to everybody, because we believe this is critical to enable this ecosystem. So, if you really believe in enabling that ecosystem, what do you do? You offer it for free; starting this year,” he said
Krzanich added that corporate “bring-your-own-device” programs have grown in popularity and many organizations have prohibited Android-based devices that weren’t compatible with their companies’ security requirements. Intel Security this year will offer Intel Device Protection technology, which will help Intel-based Android mobile devices meet most security standards for use at home and work.
