IBM Buys Fibrelink To Boost Mobile Security

Tech titan IBM has agreed to acquire Fibrelink Communications, a security and mobile management provider, as it looks to boost its “bring your own device” business,

IBM will be buying into Fibrelink’s MaaS360 cloud-based self-service and device provisioning offerings, which will be integrated into its Software as a Service portfolio and offered on its SoftLayer Infrastructure-as-a-Service platform.

IBM security push

“In a mobile-first world, clients require a comprehensive mobile management and security offering. Often times they integrate solutions on their own and take on unnecessary risk,” said Robert LeBlanc, IBM senior vice president for middleware software.

“To protect and enhance the complete mobile experience, it’s crucial to secure the app, user, content, data and the transaction. The acquisition of Fiberlink will enable us to offer these expanded capabilities to our clients, making it simple and quick to unlock the full potential of mobility.”

Thanks to numerous acquisitions and its own research and development work, IBM now believes it has the ability to offer mobile device management in the cloud or on-premise. It also wants to manage all endpoints, including laptops, desktops and servers, which the Fibrelink technology will support too.

“While the proliferation of mobile devices provides great flexibility and agility for organisations, it also increases the complexity to manage and protect corporate data,” said Jim Sheward, CEO of Fiberlink. “We are looking forward to becoming part of IBM’s strategy to put mobile first and deliver holistic mobile device and app management and security for today’s always-connected workforce.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is expected to close before the end of the year.

IBM has been rapidly building up its security business. The tech giant recently made a major purchase, buying anti-fraud vendor Trusteer, reportedly for hundreds of millions.

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