2004-07-17

Network General back in business

Can the company that fell on hard times as a part of Network Associates go it alone again?
[Via CNET News.com] Network General re-emerged on Friday after a seven-year pairing with McAfee, promising that a sole focus on network administration will serve its customers better. The company was sold by McAfee, formerly Network Associates, to Silver Lake Partners and the Texas Pacific Group for $235 million in a transaction that was completed Friday. Emerging from the shadow of a security-focused company will help the firm focus more keenly on its core users, said Nancy Blair, vice president of marketing and product management for Network General. "In the confines of McAfee, our customers--the network managers--felt a little underserved," she said, adding that the company intends to invest more heavily in network products. The reformation of Network General is the last stage in the dismantling of Network Associates, created by the merger of Network General and McAfee in 1997. The firm-formerly-known-as-Network Associates, announced the divorce last year, and the chunk once known as McAfee reassumed that name at the end of June.