Citing plans to expand its operations in mobile application development, integration, security and management, IBM (IBM) reported a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Israeli-based Worklight, a provider of mobile software for smartphones and tablets.
Financial terms of the proposed deal were not disclosed, though the deal is expected to close during the first quarter of this year. Worklight will sit within IBM’s Software Group.
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With this acquisition, IBM says Worklight will become an important piece in its mobility strategy targeting the demand of CIOs. According to a recent study conducted by IBM of more than 3,000 global CIOs, 75% of respondents identified mobility solutions as one of their top spending priorities.
Marie Wieck, GM for IBM application and infrastructure middleware, notedthat with the acquisition of Worklight, IBM will be well-positioned to help clients reach new markets.
The Worklight deal is part of IBM’s bigger strategy to offer its customers a complete set of the software and services they need to bring mobile devices into business infrastructure, which includes build and connect mobile applications; manage and secure mobile devices; and extend existing capabilities to capitalize on new business opportunities.
Recently, IBM unveiled seven social networking and collaboration mobile apps specifically designed to address enterprise-class requirements regarding the consumerization or the “bring your own device” phenomenon.
“In the last year, we have seen surging demand from enterprises for mobility solutions that will support the unique set of challenges introduced by new smartphone and tablet platforms,” explained Shahar Kaminitz, CEO and founder of Worklight, in a statement.
In addition to Worklight, IBM has also unveiled its Endpoint Manager for Mobile Devices, a software system designed to enable corporate users to manage and secure applications running on mobile devices.
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