Mobile push synchronization platform and service
provider Visto acquired Motorola's Good Technology Feb. 24. Motorola acquired
Good in 2007 for more than $400 million in hopes of challenging Research In
Motion's dominance in the enterprise mobile e-mail market.
Visto offers a full range of mobile messaging solutions for enterprises through
mobile operators and OEM handset manufacturers. The Good Technology acquisition
adds to Visto's government and enterprise customers. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed and the acquisition should close within a few days.
"As a result of this transaction, Visto will now provide customers in over
100 countries an open, robust and secure mobile experience for enterprise
customers, on over 400 different mobile devices," Visto CEO
Brian A. Bogosian said in a statement. "Good's robust enterprise and
government solution will complement Visto's strong operator presence in
business and consumer markets."
When Motorola first acquired Good nearly two years ago, it wanted to add the
Good platform to a range of Motorola's lower-end integrated handset devices,
but Motorola cell phone
sales were locked in a downward spiral that led the company to consider
selling the entire handset division. That spinoff has not happened and Motorola
has continued to see its fortunes fall.
"We believe that this transaction is in the best interest of our
customers, employees and shareholders," said Gene Delaney, president of
Motorola's Enterprise Mobility Solutions. "Visto's acquisition of Good
will allow Motorola to continue to concentrate on providing best-in-class
business-critical applications, secure management platforms and mobility services
that empower the individual with the right information at the right time to
streamline business processes and improve results."
Through relationships with a number of U.S. carriers, Good has implementations with thousands of
enterprises, including many of the Fortune 500 with a high concentration of the
Fortune 50.
"At this point, the parting of ways is best for both sides. And while
terms were undisclosed, it's likely a cheap(er) acquisition for Visto,
that surprisingly scrappy survivor in the wireless e-mail market," the
Yankee Group's Gene Signorini said in an investment note.
"Visto has used its capital to continuously acquire mobile e-mail technology
assets, and more importantly, patents, which it continues to aggressively
defend. The question, of course, is whether Visto will eventually succeed as a
mobile e-mail software company or as an IP shop."
Established in 1996, "Visto's customized, brandable solutions are
available through mobile operators worldwide including AT&T, Elisa, Rogers
Wireless, Qtel, SmarTone, SFR, Softbank Mobile, Sprint, TELUS, T-Mobile, Turkcell
and the Vodafone Group," the company said in a statement.
 |
Enterprise Mobility News & Reviews 
