[LINK] McAfee now "Intel Security"

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Intel to scrap McAfee name, give away mobile security tools

 (By the way, check out John McAfee today :-) 
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKgf5PaBzyg)

By Gregg Keizer (Computerworld (US))10 January, 2014
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/535674/intel_scrap_mcafee_name_give_away_m
obile_security_tools/


Intel this week said it would ditch the venerable McAfee brand for its 
security products and services, and offer free mobile security software to 
customers running Android, iOS and other operating systems on their 
smartphones and tablets.

McAfee is one of the oldest brands in computer security, a name that's been 
in use most of the years since its 1987 founding, even as the company 
changed hands several times. But Intel wants to shed the brand this year 
for "Intel Security" in a staged roll-out as products update.

"We aren't making the move lightly, we're not divorcing entirely," said 
Mike Fey, the CTO of McAfee in an interview this week, adding that Intel 
will retain the long-used logo, a red shield with the letter "M" dominant. 
"Outside the U.S., McAfee actually doesn't translate well, but Intel is 
[an] understood [brand]."

Intel bought McAfee in 2010 in a deal valued at $7.7 billion. The 
acquisition was completed in February 2011.

Fey denied that the name change had been triggered by the erratic behavior 
of its founder and namesake, John McAfee, who in 2012 made headlines after 
he fled Belize, where authorities wanted to question him in the death of 
his neighbor. McAfee turned up in Guatemala, and in December 2012 
authorities there expelled him back to the U.S. where he currently lives.

Last year, John McAfee released an over-the-top profanity, sex and drug 
image-laced video (which has collected over 4.6 million viewings) where he 
blasted the software carrying his surname. 

In December, after talk of Intel changing its security brand surfaced, John 
McAfee pleaded on his website for help in making that happen. "I would be 
thrilled to finally free myself, my image, and my name," he said.

After Intel's announcement this week, John McAfee tweeted, "To the company 
formerly known as McAfee: Thank you! Thank you!"

It seems the feelings were mutual.

"As an employee, I'm happy to separate," said Fey as he argued that buyers 
did not associate John McAfee with the company he started.

Along with the name change, Intel also said it would give away a stand-
alone mobile security product, whose name hasn't been finalized, to device 
owners.

"We are bringing our award-winning security to every mobile device: phones, 
tablets, wearables," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich this week at CES. "We 
want to bring this [mobile security] capability to everybody because we 
believe this is critical to enable this ecosystem."

Krzanich said the software will be available for both the Intel and ARM 
processor architectures.

"This is not some fremium strategy and it won't have ads," Fey said in his 
interview. "It really is a commitment that computing should be safe."

While the details of the free offering weren't announced -- Fey said Intel 
is still working on the timing and even the composition of the deal -- the 
software will be stand-alone, full-featured and composed of current 
products or pieces of them.

McAfee currently charges $30 annually for its Mobile Security package, 
which supports Android, BlackBerry, Symbian and Kindle Fire. 

"Most [mobile devices] are unprotected," said Fey. "That needs to change."

Intel will be following other mobile security vendors in making its 
software free. San Francisco-based Lookout, for example, gives away its 
widely-used Android antivirus app to individuals, but charges businesses $5 
per device per month.

"If we build a relationship [with a customer], we will find monetization 
down the road," said Fey, hinting at Intel's business model. "Providing a 
valuable service is good for us long term, and we want to be seen as the 
trusted security provider."

In any case, Fey acknowledged, mobile device owners have been trained by 
app developers and the stores where they distribute their wares to be leery 
of all but the lowest-priced software. The prices that vendors charge for 
PC software, for instance, are simply impossible for mobiles. "It's not 
what the space is about, you have to think about [mobile] differently," Fey 
said.

Lookout took Intel's move in stride.

"We've expected other companies to take a similar approach, and look 
forward to seeing more companies prioritizing consumer safety in this 
digital world," said Lookout co-founder and CTO Kevin Mahaffey in an email 
Thursday.

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