Network Associates To Combine Product Lines

Within 12 to 18 months, Network Associates expects to have a single management infrastructure and console for its anti-virus, desktop firewall and intrusion prevention products.

"Our channel and customers are telling us that they are 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, McAfee vice president of product marketing. "What is needed is a layered and combined approach of anti-virus, desktop firewall and intrusion prevention to proactively address security risks."

The vendor's channel plan is unclear at this point, Matlock said. At this stage, a select group of expert security solution providers have qualified to sell the intrusion prevention products. As for the anti-virus and firewall offerings, the program remains open to a wide variety of solution providers, she said.

This strategy is markedly different from Network Associates' historic play as an anti-virus and anti-spam vendor. Signs that changes were underway at the vendor started last April and May when the company acquired two intrusion prevention vendors, Entercept Security Technologies and IntruVert Networks.

Network Associates next week is also extending the intrusion prevention host product Entercept to the desktop. The product is already available for the server. Initially the product will be managed by the McAfee Entercept Managed Solution, but over time Entercept, combined with its desktop firewall and anti-virus products would be managed by the McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator console, Matlock said.