In a move that clearly delighted Good Technology executives, the enterprise wireless handheld computing software and services company is announcing a deal with Bell Mobility on Research In Motions home turf.
“Were working with wireless carriers that are reselling our suite of products,” said Rick Osterloh, vice president of marketing and product management for Good. “They are Telstra in Australia and Bell Mobility in Canada.
“Something we really like a lot is that one of these carriers [Bell Mobility] is in our archrivals back yard,” Osterloh said, referring to RIM. He said Good is especially cheered by the Bell Mobility deal for another reason: “The fact that we have been able to win them over as a distribution partner is testament to the fact that there is a need in the marketplace for an enterprise-focused solution that runs on industry-standard handhelds.”
Osterloh said the distribution agreements for both carriers include the companys Good Mobile Messaging product, Good Mobile Defense for security and Good Mobile Intranet, for access to Web-based applications. The package also includes device management for enterprise IT managers for tasks such as setting security policies, he said.
“Its a good move on their part—they need a way to get their stuff out there,” said Jack Gold, principal analyst for J. Gold Associates, in Northboro, Mass. Gold said both carriers are good avenues for distribution. He also said that the carriers had to move beyond RIM.
BlackBerry Connect, RIMs answer to nonproprietary devices such as the Palm Treo and Windows Mobile devices, isnt going to give Goods products much of a challenge, according to Gold. “BlackBerry Connect is an appeal to the installed base,” he said, adding, “Its not the same as having a BlackBerry. Its an emulator. Emulators dont generally work as well as the BlackBerry.”
According to Gold, the distribution agreements will be good for Good. “The bottom line is that it expands the distribution and gets them into the international market,” he said.
The deals with Bell Mobility and Telstra actually add a number of new markets to the mix. While Bell Mobility is centered in Canada, Telstra has operations in 19 countries including North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, Asia, and the Pacific Rim, in addition to its home countries of Australia and New Zealand.