RIM's purchase of Documents To Go maker DataViz was reportedly valued at $50 million. The BlackBerry maker confirmed the acquisition through a statement.
BlackBerry smartphone maker Research In Motion confirmed the acquisition of
Documents To Go maker DataViz. The blog Crackberry reported that according to "multiple
sources" the deal was worth $50 million in cash.
"RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority
of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform," RIM said
in a prepared statement. "Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the
transaction was not material to RIM in the context of RIM's financial
results."
Documents To Go is an all-in-one application with support for Microsoft
Word, Excel and PowerPoint; PDF; Apple iWork; and other files and attachments.
It includes a desktop application (Win and Mac) to provide two-way file
synchronization, and a version with support for Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox,
iDisk and SugarSync is also available. Any changes users make can be saved and
synchronized back to the online account so that they'll always have the most
up-to-date version. Users can also create new files in Docs To Go and upload
them to the account. DataViz's InTact Technology preserves the changed and original
formatting when editing Word, Excel or PowerPoint files on an iPhone.
DataViz is a developer and marketer of Office compatibility and productivity
solutions across a variety of platforms, including Apple iPhone, Google
Android, RIM's BlackBerry devices, Java, Linux, Maemo 5, Symbian OS, WebOS,
Windows Mobile and Windows and Macintosh. Founded in 1984, DataViz began its
business developing file conversion software and expanded to providing
solutions aimed at meeting the demands of the handheld and mobile markets. It
offers enterprise-grade solutions that include its mobile Office suite,
Documents To Go and the wireless Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync client,
RoadSync.
Distribution and carrier partnerships with companies like Ingram Micro and
Cingular Wireless in the United States,
along with Brightpoint and Orange
abroad, have propelled the company's office mobility product line into the
marketplace. The company's Documents To Go solution also includes support for
viewing native PDF files.
In addition to push e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments, the latest
version of the company's Exchange ActiveSync client adds Microsoft Exchange
Server 2010 compatibility; optimizations for the latest Android devices running
OS 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.1; tasks synchronization; and new home screen widgets
and shortcuts. It also offers a Global Address List/Corporate Directory Look-up
and improved contact integration with new "Quick Contact Toolbar,"
enhanced meeting creation for inviting required attendees, and the ability to
store e-mail and attachments on the memory card.
In 2005, DataViz became the first software company to license the Microsoft
Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol. DataViz then created RoadSync, an Exchange
ActiveSync client that provides non-Microsoft smartphones and Windows legacy
devices with secure, wireless and direct push synchronization of corporate
e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments for more than 100 smartphones across
six mobile platforms.
According to industry analyst firm The Radicati Group, 33 percent of
corporations worldwide currently use Microsoft Exchange as their insourced
corporate messaging solution, and their market share is expected to rise to 39
percent by 2009. Additionally, the Radicati Group predicted that by 2009, the
corporate wireless e-mail install base would increase from 6.5 million to 123
million.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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