McAfee Hacks Into Success

Then there's Microsoft. In May, the Redmond, Wash.-based giant did what analysts had been expecting for some time, announcing a consumer-oriented package called OneCare, which will include automatic antivirus and antispyware updates, two-way firewall protection, disk clean-up and defragmentation tools, and file repair capabilities. The company will roll out a beta, or test version, later this year, but has not announced when the software will go on sale.

There's no agreement on how big a threat Microsoft poses. It certainly has the muscle to wage a nasty price war, and will likely make it very easy for users of its Windows software to add the new security products to their computers. But because its own software has had so many well-publicized security holes, it isn't clear how much trust OneCare and other security products will engender, particularly in the corporate market.

Being No. 2 in a consolidating market that is being eyeballed by far bigger fish -- Cisco(CSCO) is playing here, too -- is not the easiest hand to play. Ultimately, McAfee may lack the bulk to compete against its larger brethren. But for now, it looks like it has shaken off the Network Associates yoke and is ready for the next round.

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