From The Expert Feature Article
July 03, 2013

MobileIron and Orange Business Solutions Tackle Managed Fleet Services


When Orange (News - Alert) Business Services wanted to boost its fleet management service, it turned to MobileIron, which now drives Orange’s Device Management Premium. This service is designed for large fleets, those with over 300 units, and manages all the smartphones as well as tablets, which are now used in increasing numbers.

“The partnership with MobileIron takes the existing offer beyond traditional mobile fleet management functions – user profile and device management, security policy application, configuration of embedded apps, mobile personalization – to offer an advanced, highly secure version of the solution,” Orange explained. The service, leveraging the MobileIron flexibility, can work in cloud or as a private installation.

Fleets don’t always run on company-issued computing tools, but often have to accommodate BYOD. Here the Orange flavor of MDM service can keep business and personal applications and related data entirely separate, and the business data encrypted.

The system also provides content management so that mobile workers – and fleet workers sure are mobile – can access company documents safely on their mobile device.

“A mobile deployment used to mean the company issued 200 smartphones to executives,” said Bob Tinker, CEO of MobileIron. “Now, it means that every employee in a Global 2000 company is using mobile apps and accessing corporate content via a mobile device that may or may not be owned by the company. Enterprise mobility is complex and our partnership with Orange Business Services (News - Alert) brings together the top technology and services that MNCs need to be able to make mobile a primary computing platform.”

Orange Business Services sees itself as a trusted adviser to its managed services customers. “Beyond connectivity, Orange Business Services is leveraging its managed IT service expertise and customer care excellence to support MNCs in the fast-changing mobile environment reshaped by the global tablet revolution and the BYOD phenomenon,” said Thierry Bonhomme (News - Alert), CEO of Orange Business Services. “As a trusted advisor, we can manage the network, devices, applications and usage on a global scale and enable global enterprises to take full advantage of their mobility journey.”

Gartner (News - Alert) Gets It

Most every vendor wants to be in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant; the upper right-hand square is the place to be. To get there, you must combine leadership, vision and ability to execute. And that is just the square that MobileIron sits in.

Gartner sees MobileIron this way: “Its main MDM products are the mobile policy configuration engine VSP version 5.5 and Sentry. Its complete solution also includes products in the mobile software and content management space, called AppConnect and Docs@Work.”

This isn’t the company’s first time at the rodeo. “The vendor has been in the Leaders quadrant in the Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management Software for the previous two years now. It has driven its success through many channel partners and delivers its solution mainly through its appliance globally. In 2012, it had another strong sales year and is one of the top five MDM vendors in terms of sales revenue and number of mobile devices supported. It has a very strong vision for enterprise mobility and has developed or acquired the technology to deliver. It has executed well in sales, support and customer service,” Gartner explained.

Gartner noted three main strengths. Besides vision, Gartner liked what it saw in the company’s ability to launch new functions that are tightly integrated with its core tool. And finally “MobileIron has proven management, scaling and financial viability in a competitive market.”

Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management Software

IDC (News - Alert) Likes It Too!

IDC also took a peek at MobileIron in its IDC report “Worldwide Enterprise Management Software 2012 - 2016 Forecast and Analysis and 2011 Vendor Shares.” 

IDC found MobileIron to be achieving fast growth based on its pure focus on MDM.

The key to MobileIron's rapid growth has been its channel strategy. The company achieves 100 percent of revenue through indirect sales. This channel includes a network of 180 partners that can resell MobileIron software across over 40 countries. Its resellers include 13 tier 1 mobile operators and over 160 mobile systems integrators and VARs.

IDC noted, “Right now there are almost 10,000 sales reps globally across these partners trained and certified to sell MobileIron and over 1,000 sales engineers trained to test and deploy MobileIron. MobileIron has been able to demonstrate customer success with over 60 publicly named customer references available. Its Customer Success team provides structured educational programs (MobileIron University), best practice toolkits (BYOD, apps, Android), technical certification, and 24 x 7 customer support.”




Edited by Alisen Downey


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