Juniper Networks acquires SMobile to deliver a secure mobile Internet experience on any mobile smart device

29 July 2010

Juniper Networks has announced its acquisition of SMobile, a provider of smart phone security. The Columbus, Ohio-based SMobile Systems, Inc., is a privately held software company focused solely on smart phone and tablet security solutions for the enterprise, service provider and consumer markets. The total transaction consideration at closing will be approximately $70 million in cash.

SMobile's product portfolio protects devices running on Android, Apple iOS (which powers iPhones and iPads), Symbian, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile operating systems from viruses, spyware, identity theft and other threats, while providing parental and enterprise controls. Juniper will integrate this portfolio into Junos® Pulse, a software platform that brings ubiquitous connectivity, security and acceleration to smart phones, tablets, netbooks and notebooks.

According to industry analyst firm Infonetics Research, the mobile client security market is projected to grow to more than $1 billion by 2014. The combination of Junos Pulse and SMobile will deliver a secure mobile Internet experience for both consumer and business users on any mobile smart device. This will help address emerging security threats as smart devices become an essential tool to exchange data and access networks, and the potentially sensitive information on them.

"Security breaches in today's mobile environment are growing threats that impact everyone," said Mark Bauhaus, executive vice president and general manager, Services Layer Technologies at Juniper Networks. "Juniper already secures the majority of smart phone traffic in the United States, is a global leader in high-end firewalls and the SSL VPN2 market, and enables more than 25 million end users to remotely and securely connect their PCs and smart phones to corporate networks. Integrating SMobile's portfolio into Junos Pulse will provide users with the most comprehensive mobile security solution available on the market."

"The SMobile mission has always been to secure, manage and control all mobile devices, ensuring the Internet in your hand is safe and reliable — for enterprises, consumers and service providers," said Neil Book, president and CEO of SMobile. "We are excited and energized about the opportunity to leverage Juniper's world-class organization and global sales channel to continue to provide the most feature-rich and robust mobile security solutions in the market."