back to article Intel mulls sale of Intel Security – reports

Intel is reportedly looking to offload its Intel Security arm. The IT giant is investigating options for Intel Security cyber security business, the FT reports. These options include selling off the security software business formerly known as McAfee that the chip-maker bought for $7.7bn back in August 2010. Intel is yet to …

  1. RIBrsiq
    Facepalm

    Embedded security is critical, IMO. I would very much like to see all data outside processors fully and securely encrypted before I allow chips to be implanted into my body, for example. And we're certainly headed there, even if it's probably optimistic on my part to think that I would ever have to make that particular call, given the percentage of my hair that's white.

    But trying to get there by buying McAfee? What on Earth were Intel thinking...?

    1. HmmmYes

      What were they thinking?

      That they could convince corp-US + world that crappy virus scanning software (which causes more problems than viruses) is an proper security solution.

      Well they manage to sell it - the software bit?

      How much will someone pay 1%, 2% of Intel's price?

      1. joed

        "What were they thinking?" - they were trying to emulate the other side of wintel alliance.

        And don't be surprised if your 401k financed both of these transactions (some fraction of).

    2. mi1400

      Two orphans to get rid of ... MeeGo and $7.7-bn McAfee

      When people were just not getting head out of hole that McAfee was for intel cpus. I revealed that McAfee is for MeeGo cuz most viruses are x86 native, Android though x86 compatible was then running only on intel-TV x86 hardware. so MeeGo if ran on x86-Atom smartphones.. x86-viruses would have bled it like a slaughtered pig. Intel had two orphans to get rid of ... MeeGo and $7.7-bn McAfee :)

  2. HmmmYes

    McAffee in an ATM!!?!?!?!

  3. Mikel

    It was a sad day when Intel bought McAfee

    It was solid evidence the MBAs had gone soft in the head. If your endpoints and network are running a secure OS and apps then you don't need the product. And if they're not, nothing will save them so the product is worthless.

    In the meantime having a major asset that relies on the prominence of the fading Windows platform and propping it up at All cost is a conflict of interest for a chip maker that helped kill their mobile opportunities.

    Of course when the founder himself crowed relief that they were relieving him of the burden of sharing his good name with that garbage - that might have been a clue.

    Good to see them getting shut of it.

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