Intel is to lay off a small percentage of staff from its acquired McAfee security business according to media reports. The reasons have not been disclosed but the ongoing slump in PC sales will have impacted the business, which is known for its anti-virus software. It could also have something to do with the pending launch of Microsoft Windows 8, which will include free anti-virus software. There may be deeper issues however. When Intel acquired McAfee we anticipated innovation around hardware-based security. Although there have been a few product launches there has been little in the way of visibility or general progress for the McAfee business. We don’t mind being proved wrong but this is not looking like a successful acquisition – at c$7.7bn McAfee was Intel’s largest acquisition, the deal closed during 2011.