IBM Buys Fiberlink for BYOD, MDM in Mobile Portfolio

IBM (IBM) has picked up Fiberlink Communications for its cloud mobile management and security software, filling a BYOD opening in the vendor’s MobileFirst portfolio.

Neither party disclosed terms of the transaction, which is expected to close before the end of the year. IBM said it will fold Fiberlink’s flagship MaaS360 cloud-based, plug-and-play mobile platform into its MobileFirst portfolio. The solution, primarily used in financial services, health care and manufacturing, enables IT administration to take control of the enterprise functions and applications of a worker’s personal mobile device quickly. IBM said it will feature MaaS360 on its SoftLayer cloud infrastructure.

Fiberlink earlier this summer said it expected to swell its partner ranks in 2014 with a new partner program. While it’s unclear now how Fiberlink’s partner program blueprint will fare, with IBM’s backing it’s likely to gain resources to expand its sales reach.

For IBM, the Fiberlink purchase is another piece of its strategy to acquire or build elements to construct a competitive mobile device management (MDM) security offering. With MaaS360 in tow, IBM said it will be able to offer business customers the building blocks to detach personal from enterprise data and content on mobile devices. The MaaS360 platform provides the vendor with MDM, mobile content management (MCM), and mobile application management (MAM) technology either in a cloud-based or on-premise format. IBM also said it will be able to combine its Endpoint Manager with MaaS360 for unified device management to support either SaaS or on-premise deployments across an organization’s endpoints, including laptops, desktops, servers and mobile devices.

“To protect and enhance the complete mobile experience, it’s crucial to secure the app, user, content, data and the transaction,” said Robert LeBlanc, IBM middleware software senior vice president. “The acquisition of Fiberlink will enable us to offer these expanded capabilities to our clients, making it simple and quick to unlock the full potential of mobility.”

Fiberlink chief executive Jim Sheward said the deal will enable IBM to offer mobile device and application management and security to an increasingly mobile workforce.

“While the proliferation of mobile devices provides great flexibility and agility for organizations, it also increases the complexity to manage and protect corporate data,” he said. “We are looking forward to becoming part of IBM’s strategy to put mobile first and deliver holistic mobile device and app management and security for today’s always-connected workforce.”

IBM said it has fleshed out MobileFirst with 10 mobile-related acquisitions in the past four years, 270 wireless patents, a team of mobile experts and experience from some 1,000 customer engagements.