Dive Brief:
- Thoma Bravo, Permira and Vista Equity Partners have reportedly shown interest in purchasing Intel’s security business, according to a Bloomberg report.
- Reports first surfaced last month that Intel is looking to sell its security business. If a deal materializes it could be one of the largest to date in cybersecurity, the Financial times predicted.
- Intel’s security business is rooted in the company’s $7.7 billion purchase of McAfee in 2010, but the unit has thus far failed to generate significant ROI.
Dive Insight:
Intel has also had discussions with banks about auctioning off the unit, according to Bloomberg’s sources, who wished to remain anonymous.
The company has been working to shift its business strategy toward cloud and other Internet technology, and may be motivated to sell its security business to further streamline and better focus on those areas.
The security sector has seen significant turmoil in the last few months. Earlier this month, Symantec Corp. agreed to buy Blue Coat Systems Inc. for $4.65 billion and Bloomberg reported that security firm FireEye hired Morgan Stanley to help field interested buyers. That potential sale is now off the table, sources said.
Antivirus software—one of the things McAfee is known for—has also struggled recently. In June, a Google security expert exposed several critical vulnerabilities in Symantec and Norton security products. Then earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued a similar warning about the products.
Traditional security has changed and some companies have looked to sell off their units rather than changing their approach to products or services.
