Unexpectedly, the chip giant Intel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the security-software firm McAfee Inc. common stock for $48 per share in cash, valuing the deal approximately $7.68 billion.
It’s unsubtle that the move to buy a security firm despite being on the computer hardware business is to consider security as a fundamental component of online computing.

Many would really wonder why a chip giant is interested in buying a software company like McAfee. Paul Otellini, Intel President and CEO, said:

With the rapid expansion of growth across a vast array of Internet-connected devices, more and more of the elements of our lives have moved online. In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences.
The addition of McAfee products and technologies into the Intel computing portfolio brings us incredibly talented people with a track record of delivering security innovations, products and services that the industry and consumers trust to make connecting to the Internet safer and more secure.

McAfee is a Santa Clara-based security technology company with approximately $2 billion in revenue in 2009. McAfee products includes software-related security solutions ensuring Internet-connected devices and networks protected from malicious contents, security suite like McAfee Total Protection, McAfee Antivirus, McAfee Internet Security, McAfee Firewall, McAfee IPS, and etc. [via Business Wire]

What do you think on this move? Could this be one Intel’s best decisions?

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