McAfee is looking to take security to a new level through a partnership with distributors Arrow and Avnet by offering its data protection technologies on embedded devices to safeguard against zero-day and other threats.

McAfee is looking to tap into the rapidly growing embedded computing marketing, in which specialized components are built into computers and other purpose-built devices. By applying security at the embedded layer, McAfee wants to free developers from the worry of security so they can focus on their functions and performance.

“Embedded is a fast-growing market that needs to apply security best practices,” said Tom Moore, vice-president of worldwide embedded sales at McAfee, in a statement. “McAfee is making it easier for OEMs and designers to add leading security technology to their products through the distribution channel. Our goal is to secure the rapidly growing embedded device market and thereby lessen the risk to both device OEMs and consumers.”

The choice of Arrow and Avnet as partners in this endeavor is apt, as both have extensive manufacturing capabilities for tailoring off-the-shelf equipment for specific uses. Placing security capabilities in the hands of these distributors means their partners can order components with security capabilities for manufacturing at the distributors’ warehouses or in their own shops.

“We live in an embedded world where everything is connected,” said Brian Armstrong, vice-president of Arrow’s OCS business, in a statement. “With this greater connectivity comes an increase in threats to the consumer. McAfee Embedded Security protects the customer against these threats while giving designers time to focus on their product designs rather than how to secure them.”

McAfee is making several of its security products available for embedded systems through the new initiative, including McAfee Integrity Control, McAfee Application Control, McAfee Endpoint Protection Suite, and McAfee VirusScan Enterprise.