A New Approach

Within 12 to 18 months, the company said it expects to have a single management infrastructure and console for its antivirus, 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, versus 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 McAfee, a division of Network Associates.

Donna Troy, executive vice president of worldwide channels at Network Associates, who has only been at the company since last month, told CRN in a recent interview that one of her top priorities is to help solution providers sell the entire range of the vendor's offerings. Network Associates is pumping up its training and certification around intrusion detection and is looking to alliances with systems integrators and high-end VARs. "We look at it now together really not just as a point product solution. It's really a total security solution. That's the way that systems management views it as well."