IBM Acquires Fiberlink for Improved Transitions to Mobile

The words “mobile workforce” shouldn’t call to mind an office complex on wheels – instead, think BYOD, lightning-fast information exchange, and the ability to access information wherever you go. The latest acquisition by IBM has all of these goals in mind to help businesses make a smooth transition to a more mobile work place.

IBM has acquired Fiberlink Communications as part of the company’s continued push into cloud-enabled mobile management. Fiberlink is the creator of the mobile device management (MDM) platform MaaS360, and by acquiring this platform, IBM hopes to expand its cloud-based capabilities so as to deliver more comprehensive mobile management and security solutions to organizations across the globe.

Further, IBM intends to employ the MaaS360 platform in its MobileFirst endeavor. MobileFirst was unrolled earlier in 2013, and is designed to make businesses’ transitions to a mobile workforce come more easily and reliably. The endeavor intends not simply to enhance smartphone abilities and BYOD in the workplace, but also to make mobile transactions more secure between the business and its partners or customers. The MobileFirst campaign was accompanied by a partnership with AT&T for outreach and support programs.

Deepak Advani, general manager of IBM Cloud and Smarter Infrastructure, expressed his support for the Fiberlink acquisition in a statement: “Building on Fiberlink's rapid time to value, clients now gain additional solutions to quickly and confidently embrace mobility.” He emphasized the speed of Fiberlink’s MaaS360 platform, and suggested that it will be a significant aid to businesses looking to adjust to a mobile workforce.

IBM isn’t thinking about wheels – instead, it is thinking about devices, the cloud, and all the ways in which a mobile workforce is becoming today’s new normal.