McAfee (2017)Copied

Intel bought McAfee for $7.68 billion in 2010, and in 2014 announced the name would be phased out in favour of Intel Security, though the red shield stayed. In September 2016 Intel Security chief Christopher Young announced a reversal: McAfee would become independent again, 51 per cent owned by private equity firm TPG and 49 per cent by Intel, in a deal valuing it at $4.2 billion.

The spin-out closed on 4 April 2017, with Thoma Bravo joining as a minority investor. Young became chief executive and TPG partner Bryan Taylor chairman. The company presented itself as one of the world's largest pure-play cybersecurity firms, built on the belief that 'Together is power'. Young called cybersecurity the greatest challenge of the connected age and said independence gave McAfee the agility to unite people, technology and organisations against common adversaries.

The visual change was an evolution. SecurityWeek reported that the name was retained but the original red shield was replaced with a stylised red shield, carrying the new epithet. The strategy was framed the same way: Intel Security vice president Brian Dye said the goal was to drive automation across the industry, moving from integration to automation to full orchestration.

SecurityWeek noted the brand's resilience, surviving even the disdain of its maverick founder John McAfee, but argued its real challenge was image: shaking off an association with legacy, signature-based antivirus while machine-learning rivals marketed themselves as the future.

SecurityWeek supplied the corporate back story. Intel bought McAfee for $7.68 billion in 2010, announced in 2014 that the name would be phased out for Intel Security while keeping the red shield, then spun it out again, 51 per cent owned by TPG at a $4.2 billion valuation. The returning company kept the name, restyled the shield and added the line Together is power. The outlet's warning was that the logo was the easy part: chief executive Chris Young still had to shake an image of legacy, signature based antivirus while machine learning rivals set the agenda.

That is the problem a logo cannot solve. The new shield is cleaner and the red is as loud as ever, but bringing back a name tied to pop-up renewal reminders was a bet on recognition over reputation. 'Together is power' is the kind of line that could belong to any company.