posted on 11/2/2011 4:23:46 PM
The acquisition of mobile device management provider Fromdistance last month will enable Numara Software to include wireless tablets and smartphones in its cloud-based IT asset management offering.
Recognizing the proliferation of smartphones across the enterprise infrastructure, Numara Software, a maker of IT asset management technology, has acquired mobile device management provider Fromdistance.
Last month’s Fromdistance deal, terms of which were not disclosed, will result this month in the integration of mobile device management (MDM) capabilities into Numara’s cloud-based enterprise asset management system. Numara will now deliver a comprehensive approach to tracking, managing, remediating, and retiring all endpoint devices, including servers, desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, the company said.
Numara cited a recent report from Gartner that forecasts enterprises will spend $112 billion on cloud-related technologies in 2011, with an increase to $150 billion by 2013. Gartner also reported that 428 million wireless devices were sold globally in the first quarter of 2011. With this corporate push to the cloud as well as to wireless networking, Numara is developing an end-to-end strategy that will ease an IT department’s ability to manage a variety of assets.
“Managing the plethora of mobile devices in the enterprise has emerged as one of IT’s biggest operational challenges,” said Matt Dircks, Numara’s vice president of products, in a statement.
Just as daunting, Dircks noted, is the fragmented landscape of cloud-based managed service offerings. “It is inefficient and costly for companies to use multiple cloud providers for expertise in certain areas of IT management,” Dircks said. “When it comes to deploying cloud solutions, customers are demanding a flexible, secure, and integrated solution. Our new cloud portfolio and expanded capabilities have uniquely positioned us to be the single supplier of cloud solutions customers have requested.”
According to Numara, the integrated cloud offering will be delivered via three tier 1 data centers in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East that will use IPv6 to allow high-speed data transfer, security, and redundancy.