By Charlene O'Hanlon

Intel is scooping up McAfee in a $7.68 billion transaction as it moves to incorporate hardware-enhanced security into its chipsets.

The acquisition shines the spotlight on Intels plans for the mobility space, addressing the need for increased security in mobile and wireless devices, as well as Internet-ready devices such as TVs, cars, health-care systems and ATMs, according to the company. Such a shift in devices requires new ways of securing data, including hardware-enhanced security.

Security is really important across our existing businesses both in the data center and the connection through the network to the data center and the cloud, as well as obviously in the PC,” said Renee James, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the companys Software and Services group. But as we talk about our other growth businesses around mobile devices, embedded devices and consumer electronics, all of those billions of devices are going to be connected to the Internet. And all of them are going to need security. We think the technology of McAfee is applicable across all of the segments that we serve and that people use computing.”

Over the last few years Intel has made a number of acquisitions that address the growing mobility space, including last years buy of Wind River, which focuses on the mobile and embedded market.

McAfee, for its part, has a complete portfolio of security offerings for connected devices and a new line of offerings for mobile devices, such as its McAfee Family Protection software for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The addition of McAfees intellectual property will help jump-start Intels push to increase security within its mobile chipsets.

McAfee, which has a long history in the channel, will continue to operate as a separate subsidiary but will report to the Software and Services group. As such, there will be no impact on McAfees channel program, said a McAfee company spokesperson.