IBM said Tuesday it is acquiring privately held Worklight, an Israeli company that makes smartphone and tablet software.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the Worklight acquisition illustrates IBM’s larger push into the mobile space from development, management, security and commerce.
Worklight features a platform that can deliver new and existing mobile apps to multiple devices and secure the connections with the enterprise. Worklight makes mobile development, middleware and management tools.
In a statement, IBM touted its software to connect mobile apps, secure them and manage devices. Add it up and IBM is looking to be a major bring your own device player along with a bevy of other companies.
Worklight will be folded into IBM’s software unit. Worklight CEO Shahar Kaminitz said in a letter to customers that he will work in the Websphere unit. Separately, IBM said that it rolled out an endpoint manager for mobile devices that will manage Apple iOS, Google Android, Nokia Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile and Windows Phone devices.
The obvious omission there is Research in Motion devices. IBM’s endpoint manager wipes data, manages devices, ensures compliance and consolidates infrastructure.
