McAfee's Shutdown means Big Opportunities in Security

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” -Demosthenes

Intel recently announced their decision to stop selling McAfee’s Endpoint SaaS products at the beginning of 2016. In the startup world, this is monumental news because of the opportunity it creates for intrepid entrepreneurs who are hungry for a piece of the action McAfee dominated for so long. Intel's decision to decommission McAfee's popular SaaS products has been met with a mix of criticism, praise, and a little confusion.

Here's what we've found out so far.

The Next Big Name in IT Security

Some quick-draw companies like EveryCloud and AppRiver are already responding to Intel’s decision with resourcefulness, marketing their software products and services as an alternative to McAfee and its long-trusted tools.

For entrepreneurs interested in gently disrupting the IT Security space (already worth an estimated $75 billion), this could be a great time to build and market e-security products and begin to funnel the throngs of people who will suddenly be shopping for new security options directly to their website.

Was It Something We Said?

The products that will be discontinued are McAfee Security Center, Browser Protection and Content Filtering, Antivirus/Anti-Spyware Protection, and Firewall Protection. They’re well known, effective, and user-friendly.

So why did Intel suddenly give these McAfee products the ax?

Intel Security announced 2 new products to replace the suite of services that are going away, but hasn’t released any definitive statements on why they made the changes.  An FAQ on McAfee’s site says the decision was made because “selected component technologies are going EOL [end of life], making the offering no longer compelling to customers.”

What exactly does that mean for the IT security industry?

Looking Forward

This announcement is relatively unexpected, since Intel’s much-anticipated $7.68 Billion acquisition of McAfee just took place in 2010.

Speculation has already begun, with some believing Intel Security wanted to distance itself from the tarnished McAfee name. Others say the industry is just too tough to navigate for a corporation and is better left to nimble, adaptable startups.

But perhaps Simon Sharwood of The Register offers the clearest potential explanation for the termination of McAfee Endpoint products:

“Intel might just have found that McAfee's wares either aren't particularly fit for the future or don't lend themselves to the scale at which things need to operate in these increasingly ‘cloudy’ days.”

What’s your take on the McAfee decision? Is this as promising of an opportunity for entrepreneurs as it seems at first glance? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!