Verizon Business and McAfee Form Strategic Alliance

 Industry Leaders Join Forces to Deliver Expanded Security Capabilities to Organizations Small and Large and Develop Next-Generation Cloud Solutions

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Business, a leading global provider of IT, communications, security and network solutions, and McAfee Inc., the world's largest dedicated security technology company, announced on Thursday (Oct. 8) a global strategic alliance to provide integrated security solutions to businesses and government agencies worldwide.

Through this agreement, Verizon Business will offer McAfee's entire line of enterprise security products and services while McAfee taps Verizon Business' data center outsourcing and expert consulting and managed services capabilities. Additionally, the companies will jointly develop a suite of next-generation, cloud-based managed security services.

The agreement between Verizon Business and McAfee extends significant value to enterprise clients by providing comprehensive world-class security solutions and services, including new cloud-based offerings. Building on both companies' success in technology and security, McAfee and Verizon Business can deliver solutions that effectively meet enterprise and government security challenges ahead, especially as more communications functions move to the "cloud," or network, to take advantage of faster implementation, enhanced security and lower costs.

"This strategic agreement with McAfee enables us to drive even more complete and integrated IT solutions to enterprises across the world," said Kerry Bailey, senior vice president of Verizon Business global solutions. "Verizon Business will be able to expand and more fully touch every facet of enterprise security so that enterprises can confidently do business in this digital age. Our newly expanded and next-generation cloud capabilities will enable organizations to better use security as a strategic tool and business enabler."

David Scholtz, senior vice president of worldwide strategic alliances at McAfee, said, "This agreement underscores the importance of delivering comprehensive security solutions to meet the needs of business and government clients. The complexities of today's threats and turbulent economic times call for agreements of this kind where products from multiple providers are combined to help improve our customers' investments and control their operational costs."

Multi-Faceted Agreement Benefits Enterprises

The new agreement includes the following components:

• Verizon Business now offers the full complement of McAfee enterprise security solutions to its diverse client base through Verizon's customer premises equipment (CPE) catalog. The new security offerings broaden the choice of world-class security solutions available to Verizon Business' customers while helping McAfee significantly expand its global distribution channel.
• Starting this fall, Verizon Business will offer McAfee's PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance services to acquiring banks and other organizations that support merchants that handle fewer than 20,000 e-commerce transactions or up to 1 million credit card transactions each per year. This group of retailers -- known as Level 4 merchants -- presents the greatest risk for a breach and represents 99 percent of all merchants and approximately one-third of all credit card transactions. Previously, Verizon Business PCI compliance services were focused on larger-volume merchants and associated banks.
• McAfee customers will have access to Verizon Business' network of 1,200 security professionals who can help design, implement and integrate holistic security solutions worldwide.
• Together, McAfee and Verizon Business will offer a comprehensive portfolio of managed security services (MSS) to enterprises, leveraging the strength of Verizon Business MSS offerings and McAfee's technology.
• Verizon Business will provide data center outsourcing services to McAfee. Verizon Business will help McAfee consolidate its data centers, enabling McAfee to further improve the 24 x 7 management of its Web hosting operations and better position the company to deliver cloud-based solutions.
• Verizon Business and McAfee will jointly develop and market a suite of next-generation, cloud-based managed security solutions, expanding Verizon Business' current portfolio of cloud-based security solutions.
  

Next Generation of Cloud-Based Security Products

The next-generation, cloud-based managed solutions that are being developed under the agreement will leverage Verizon's leading managed security services platform, global IP infrastructure, advanced security operation centers, expansive footprint of data centers and McAfee's world-class security technology powered by its global threat intelligence.

The new security services will be managed by Verizon Business and operated in the cloud. The services will include a broad selection of security technologies, including firewalls, intrusion prevention services, anti-malware, content control and Secure Socket Layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN).

Ideal for highly distributed businesses, these new solutions will offer enterprises a number of advantages, including strong security included with their IP connectivity, tighter security integration with other protected assets, and enhanced flexibility. These services are well-suited for the small-to-medium enterprise, large enterprise and government agencies.

Verizon and McAfee will offer these new solutions in North America, South America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ [1]), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world's most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees -- enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments -- including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions -- rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com [2].

About McAfee

McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE [3]), headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee is committed to relentlessly tackling the world's toughest security challenges. The company delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems and networks around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the web more securely. Backed by an award-winning research team, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. http://www.mcafee.com [4]

Forward-Looking Statements:

The information contained in this document is for informational purposes only and should not be deemed an offer by McAfee or create an obligation on McAfee. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" under the federal securities laws, including but not limited to, statements relating to the security software industry and McAfee's strategies, competitive market position, and products and technologies including the release date of new products and technologies and statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions which may cause our results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those expressed, including that McAfee may experience delays in product development or the release of previously announced products. McAfee reserves the right to discontinue products at any time, add or subtract features or functionality, or modify its products, at its sole discretion, without notice and without incurring further obligations. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are also subject to the risks and uncertainties more fully described in McAfee's filings with the SEC. McAfee does not undertake to update any forward looking statements.

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SOURCE Verizon Business