Virtual identity solutions provider Movirtu has been acquired by
smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry, the company announced Wednesday.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. BlackBerry described the
deal as part of its overall strategy to woo more corporate clients by
expanding its list of value-added services.
Movirtu, a start-up based in the United Kingdom, allows employees to use both a business
and personal number on the same device. According to the company, its
technology is targeted both at enterprises in which employees use their
own handsets (known as BYOD ,
or "bring your own device") and environments in which IT departments
issue devices to personnel (known as COPE, or "corporate-owned
personally enabled").
One Device, Multiple Profiles
The company uses a "Virtual SIM" platform, allowing employees to use both a business and personal phone number on the same device, with separate billing for voice, data
and messaging usage for each number. As a result, employees can switch
between business and personal profiles easily without carrying multiple
devices or SIM cards, and charges are appropriately billed to the
company and the employee.
According to BlackBerry, the Canadian company is hoping that with the combination of Movirtu's platform and its own BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES), enterprise
customers will be able to apply IT policies to the business number
without affecting the usability of the device for personal use.
"In a BYOD and COPE world, there remain a number of efficiency and convenience challenges facing enterprises, employees and mobile
operators alike," said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO of
BlackBerry. "The acquisition of Movirtu complements our core strategy of
providing additional value-added services, and it will leverage our key
assets, including our BES platform, along with our existing global infrastructure , which is connected to a large number of mobile operators around the world."
BlackBerry said the deal will also complement its Secure Work Space, BlackBerry Balance, and other partitioning solutions aimed at providing employees with privacy when using their devices for personal reasons, and security
and IT management when using them for business purposes. The Movirtu
technology will allow them to switch between profiles for calls, data
and messaging.
Bringing Back Enterprise Clients
"BlackBerry is the best partner to help us carry forward our vision of redefining the mobile experience by introducing virtual
identities," said Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of Movirtu. "We address the
challenges of BYOD and COPE by providing our unique and innovative
technology solution through BlackBerry's existing relationships with
mobile operators and customers around the world."
BlackBerry said Movirtu's Virtual SIM capabilities would be deployed through its mobile operators on all major smartphone operating systems.
Although BlackBerry once reigned supreme as the king of the enterprise smartphone providers, the company has suffered in recent years as competition from the iPhone and Android-based smartphones have reduced its market share to a fraction of previous levels.
This deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions BlackBerry has made in an effort to turn its fortunes around. In July, BlackBerry announced the acquisition of Secusmart, a German company providing data and voice encryption, in order to appeal to security-conscious clients.
Movirtu, a start-up based in the United Kingdom, allows employees to use both a business
and personal number on the same device. According to the company, its
technology is targeted both at enterprises in which employees use their
own handsets (known as BYOD ,
or "bring your own device") and environments in which IT departments
issue devices to personnel (known as COPE, or "corporate-owned
personally enabled").
One Device, Multiple Profiles
The company uses a "Virtual SIM" platform, allowing employees to use both a business and personal phone number on the same device, with separate billing for voice, data
and messaging usage for each number. As a result, employees can switch
between business and personal profiles easily without carrying multiple
devices or SIM cards, and charges are appropriately billed to the
company and the employee.
According to BlackBerry, the Canadian company is hoping that with the combination of Movirtu's platform and its own BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES), enterprise
customers will be able to apply IT policies to the business number
without affecting the usability of the device for personal use.
"In a BYOD and COPE world, there remain a number of efficiency and convenience challenges facing enterprises, employees and mobile
operators alike," said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO of
BlackBerry. "The acquisition of Movirtu complements our core strategy of
providing additional value-added services, and it will leverage our key
assets, including our BES platform, along with our existing global infrastructure , which is connected to a large number of mobile operators around the world."
BlackBerry said the deal will also complement its Secure Work Space, BlackBerry Balance, and other partitioning solutions aimed at providing employees with privacy when using their devices for personal reasons, and security
and IT management when using them for business purposes. The Movirtu
technology will allow them to switch between profiles for calls, data
and messaging.
Bringing Back Enterprise Clients
"BlackBerry is the best partner to help us carry forward our vision of redefining the mobile experience by introducing virtual
identities," said Carsten Brinkschulte, CEO of Movirtu. "We address the
challenges of BYOD and COPE by providing our unique and innovative
technology solution through BlackBerry's existing relationships with
mobile operators and customers around the world."
BlackBerry said Movirtu's Virtual SIM capabilities would be deployed through its mobile operators on all major smartphone operating systems.
Although BlackBerry once reigned supreme as the king of the enterprise smartphone providers, the company has suffered in recent years as competition from the iPhone and Android-based smartphones have reduced its market share to a fraction of previous levels.
This deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions BlackBerry has made in an effort to turn its fortunes around. In July, BlackBerry announced the acquisition of Secusmart, a German company providing data and voice encryption, in order to appeal to security-conscious clients.
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