Intel spends $7.68B to buy McAfee and get security right

Intel this morning announced it would spend $7.68 billion to acquire security giant McAfee, a somewhat surprising buy for the chip maker.

You could almost hear Intel sigh as the ink dries on this deal. Not because McAfee isn’t a good buy—Intel points out that the company recorded more than $2 billion in revenue and nearly 80% gross margins last year—but because Intel, which must be fed up with lacking computing security by now, has decided it needs to take security on itself.

Microsoft leaves its Windows PCs cracked open for security breaches and malware issues. Symantec has helped, but not enough. And, neither has an independent McAfee, by the way. And now, here we stand, decades after the first personal computer landed on desk tops, transitioning to an almost entirely mobile computing user experience with various vulnerable Internet-ready devices in hand that many believe will go beyond Windows and be cloud-based in the future.

So what’s Intel to do? Wait for the rest of the world to get its act together and take a new approach to security involving software, hardware, and services that addresses various operating systems and the flood of data flowing from user devices over the Internet? Nah. Instead, it’s buying a security leader, bringing it in house under its software and services group, and getting in the game.

It’s doubtful that Intel will cut existing work with Microsoft and its other partners when it comes to security. But the acquisition certainly is one to watch, one that points to embedded security beneath the OS. And it’s a buy that Intel says now elevates security to be on par with its focus on energy efficiency and connectivity.

Intel expects to introduce a security product next year. We’ll see how this all plays out. In the meantime, what are your initial thoughts? Will the buy bring about more secure computing? Is it a good move for Intel? Share your comments below.