What will Intel's acquisition of McAfee mean to McAfee's channel partner
program? It's still early days on this deal, so no one knows for sure yet, but
the smart money is that Intel is unlikely to change it much for a couple
reasons.
First, Intel said in its statement announcing plans to acquire McAfee that
McAfee will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary. That indicates more of a
hands-off approach to McAfee's existing business operations.
Second, the deal infuses McAfee with access to some of Intel's substantial
capital, opening up new possibilities for the security vendor.
"McAfee was in distress, and this should shore them up significantly,
and their lines will likely shift to premium offerings with base offerings
being provided for free on Intel hardware," industry analyst Rob Enderle
told Channel Insider.
Another industry analyst, Charles King, noted that Intel is spending quite a
premium to buy McAfee at $7.68 billion. It's the largest acquisition that Intel
has ever made. And because of that, Intel will tread carefully rather than make
significant changes to McAfee's revenue model.
"I wouldn't expect this to affect McAfee's channel at all," King
told Channel Insider. "You don't put this much money into an acquisition
and then upset that company's very successful apple cart."
