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Infragistics, a user experience software company and a specialist in user interface development tools, announced the acquisition of SouthLabs, developers of SharePlus, the mobile SharePoint app. Through the acquisition, Infragistics said it intends to expand its business solutions further into the enterprise and help businesses to access and turn SharePoint data into action in the office, at home and on the road.
SouthLabs was founded in 2009 by Gabriel Lopez and Daniel Gomez, software strategists with expertise in the development of mobile software applications for smartphone platforms. The team created SharePlus, a universal app for SharePoint that is available on iPad, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices.
SharePlus Lite, the free version, enables business users to navigate corporate information while on the road, read documents offline and view email, calendars, IM, video conferencing and shared documents by connecting to Microsoft Office 365. SharePlus Pro builds on SharePlus Lite with added features of read and write to shared documents on SharePoint, auto-sync of offline documents when a connected environment is restored, Passcode Lock, WiFi sharing and management of local files.
“Global enterprises are deploying tablets and other mobile devices throughout their workforce in rapidly increasing numbers,” said Dean Guida, CEO of Infragistics. “SharePlus addresses a gap in the market by providing an exquisite experience for users of SharePoint on those devices. The innovations of the SouthLabs team and the scale and reach of Infragistics’ sales and services organization allow us to deliver exceptional value and productivity to our enterprise customers.”
The SharePlus suite (each sold separately) is available for Apple iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry devices and can be downloaded from iTunes, the Android Market and BlackBerry App World. SharePlus Lite is available for free. SharePlus Pro (for iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry), is priced at $19.99.
“SharePlus addresses several challenges for global enterprises,” Guida said. “Strong authentication and centralized deployment ensure that corporate data remains secure. The intuitive user interface dramatically improves upon the mobile browser SharePoint experience. The simple configuration eliminates IT resource drain, as time spent configuring devices and training users is minimal.”
SharePlus Enterprise is the most robust offering in this suite and provides enterprises with added security such as multi-factor authentication and remote swipe to keep company intelligence private. The configuration broadcast is designed to enable enterprise IT to configure application settings once and push to all corresponding devices, freeing up IT resources for other efficiency-enhancing projects.
With customizable options, enterprises can augment or trim features, including application rebranding to company specifications, and premium support is offered with SharePlus Enterprise, the company noted. “Intelligence is going mobile and the environment for mobile SharePoint is in its infancy. SharePlus is essential for enterprises that use SharePoint as their main collaboration tool and use mobile technology for business productivity,” Guida said.