Network Associates Inc’s McAfee Software division this week announced a strategic partnership with Snap, an internet portal service from NBC and CNET, whereby Snap will provide content and search features for McAfee’s own portal service, McAfee.com. As part of the deal, McAfee.com users will have access to an advanced internet search engine, breaking news headlines from over 75 leading technology web publishers, Snap’s internet directory and over 400 resource centers. Srivats Sampath, general manager of the McAfee Software Division for Network Associates said the McAfee.com portal was a collection of services, launched in preview mode only at the beginning of December, enabling users to secure and manage PCs on line and navigate, shop, search and work over the web. The full-blown, subscription-based product will be available on March 1, the company said. The news follows an agreement, signed last quarter with Beyond.com, to be the exclusive online software storefront on McAfee.com. Sampath said McAfee had also launched a venture fund and had made an investment in a company called NeoPlanet to use its custom-made browser; an enhanced version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 4.0 that makes web navigation faster and easier, Sampath added. It also signed a deal with DirectWeb, a PC manufacturer, to bundle the McAfee.com portal as part of its PC systems. DirectWeb leases internet-ready PC systems, for around $30 a month, that include ISP connection, a browser, an OS and applications.
