McAfee to invest $80 million in India

The company would also raise headcount to 1000 in the country by '08.

McAfee, the $1.5 billion anti-virus firm, has announced its intention to invest $80 million (Rs 350 crore) in India over four years.

The company also plans to expand its engineering, technical support and sales in the country.

The India centre has already emerged as the largest research and development (R&D) centre for the security giant having close to 600 professionals developing end-to-end products.

The company, as per the expansion plan, will increase headcount to 1000 in the country by 2008.

"The expansion of McAfee is a reflection of our continuous commitment and track record of success in the country. One of the key drivers that has helped McAfee achieve improved profitability since 2002, is our R&D centre here. We at McAfee are proud of the work done from the centre and believe it will continue to excel in the years to come," said George Samenuk, chairman & CEO, McAfee.

According to McAfee, its profitability has moved up to 25 per cent from 12 per cent over the past three years and it is sitting on a cash of around $1 billion.

"Our India centre will work closely with customers globally, ensuring their inclusion in the product development lifecycle. We will also provide support to customers and look forward to continued expansion," said Sridhar Jayanthi, head (India Operations), McAfee.

The McAfee India Centre will also extend its support to the growth of McAfee in the country, through new customer-focused initiatives.

"We have launched unique initiatives for our customers to provide inputs in developing global security solutions through our joint development program," added Jayanthi.

Speaking further on what will drive the growth of the company, Samenuk said the handheld space was expected to take off significantly as virus attacks are increasingly targeting these devices.

"There has been no major attack so far in this space. However, we are ready with our products and already close to 18 million mobiles are shipped with our anti-virus software. We are working closely with handset manufacturers and we will expand this network," he added.