Network Associates Inc, which swallowed UK anti-virus software firm Dr Solomon’s Group Plc for $642m back in June (CI No 3,428), says it will be retaining over 90% of the anti-virus researchers employed at the Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire-based unit. It had been feared that more staff would go. The merger closed a week ago. Combined with its VirusScan team from the McAfee Associates side of the business, NAI says it has doubled its research and development team through the acquisition, to over 150. It plans to launch Dr Solomon’s VirusScan 4.0 onto the UK market in October, the first product to combine the Dr Solomon virus finding engine with McAfee’s VirusScan user interface. It will be the desktop component of a full suite of anti-virus products to be called Dr Solomon’s Total Virus Defense. The engine, groupware products and internet gateways will continue to be developed in the UK, while desktop and NT file server products and quality assurance will be done at NAI’s Beaverton, Oregon facility.
