New Platform For Network Associates

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor plans to have a single management infrastructure for its antivirus, desktop firewall and intrusion-prevention products in 12 to 18 months, company executives said. The combined platform would be managed by the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator console.

"Our channel and customers are telling us that they're tired of dealing with so many agents and consoles and want a single platform vs. having to deal with a new product or agent every time a new problem comes up," said Robin Matlock, vice president of product marketing at Network Associates' McAfee unit. "What's needed is a layered and combined approach to antivirus, firewall and intrusion-prevention [solutions] to proactively address security risks."

At this point, the vendor's channel plan remains unclear, Matlock said. A select group of security solution providers have qualified to sell Network Associates' intrusion-prevention products, but the company's antivirus and firewall offerings remain open to a wide variety of partners, she said.

"It will be a strategic advantage to be able to say to the customer, 'You can manage all your network security solutions from one central location,' " said Steven Palange, president and CEO of TLIC Worldwide, a solution provider based in Newton, Mass. "The [ePolicy Orchestrator] is a major strategic advantage in helping us close deals for McAfee's antivirus software."

The melded-platform strategy is markedly different from Network Associates' historic play as an antivirus and antispam vendor. Apparently, the acquisition of intrusion-prevention players Entercept Security Technologies and IntruVert Networks in the second quarter of 2002 signaled a sea change at Network Associates.

Meanwhile, the vendor earlier this month extended Entercept's intrusion-prevention host product, formerly a server-only offering, to the desktop.