Network Associates opens consulting group

Network security company Network Associates has created a professional services group to offer consulting and educational services, the company said Tuesday.

Network Associates Expert Services will specialize in helping companies address network- and security-related issues and will offer courses on using Network Associates products, according to a company statement.

The announcement marks a shift in the company’s business plan from a product-focused model centered on network and security products such as Sniffer and McAfee to a model that blends products and services.

Under the banner of Expert Network Services, Network Associates is offering a variety of packaged and custom consulting services. Depending on their needs, customers can hire consultants for on-site or remote analysis of a set number of network segments, according to information posted on Network Associates’ Web site.

In addition, the company is offering “jump start” services in which consultants help a customer’s IT staff deploy and configure products such as Sniffer Distributed appliances, nPO Manager and nPO Visualizer or help integrate third-party products into customer networks.

As part of its Expert Security Services, Network Associates is offering antivirus screening and policy audits, gap and risk analysis, penetration testing and wireless security assessment. That program also provides jump-start services for the antivirus product line, including ePolicy Orchestrator, GroupShield, WebShield e500 appliance and McAfee Desktop Firewall products, according to the company’s Web site.

The company is offering emergency response services to help customers overcome network outages, security breaches and virus outbreaks. Customers can also contract with Network Associates to provide customized network and security consulting services apart from their packaged offerings.

Wrapped into the new Expert Services group is Network Associates’ existing training organization, which offers courses and certificate programs through McAfee University and Sniffer University. The company calls the educational component of the new group Expert Educational Services. It was not clear if there would be any changes to the company’s educational offerings as part of the new services.

The new group brings Network Associates in line with competitors such as Symantec, which also offers consulting services.

No price information for the new consulting services was available. The company, based in Santa Clara, Calif., could not immediately be reached for comment.