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BlackBerry bids farewell to its hardware past by acquiring Good
If you had any lingering doubts that BlackBerry's days as a hardware-first company are over, they've just been eliminated. BlackBerry has acquired Good Technology for $425 million, giving it one of the better-known names involved in making smartphones work-friendly. The crew in Waterloo isn't shy about the reasons behind its move, either. Good is well-known for helping corporations and governments keep tabs on non-BlackBerry platforms, especially iOS. While BlackBerry already has some tools for this, the deal both improves its weak points and gives it a foot in the door at places where Good may be the only way to secure Android or iOS gear -- the firm has certifications that even BlackBerry lacks.
Good news: Apple dominating enterprise activations
Good Technology released its Q4 2012 Device Activation Report (PDF) yesterday, and the news is good for Apple in terms of its dominance of in the enterprise market. But there are some dark clouds on the horizon for the computer company in the form of Android tablets, which are making inroads into large companies. Good tracks more than 4,000 customers in every major industry, with half of the Fortune 100 being represented as well. The report shows that Apple had the top five spots for device activations in the fourth quarter of 2012 and more than 90 percent of all tablets activated by enterprises were iPads. Not surprisingly, the most popular device in big business was the iPhone 5, which accounted for 32 percent of all activations for Q4. The iPhone 5 was followed by the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, third-generation iPad and second-generation iPad in terms of total activations, with the top Android device -- the Samsung Galaxy S III -- coming in at the sixth slot. iPads completely dominate the tablet market at this time, accounting for 93.2 percent of all enterprise tablet activations in Q4. Android tablets are starting to make inroads, however -- in the first quarter of 2012, they only accounted for 2.7 percent of all activations with that number growing to 6.8 percent by Q4. The full report also provides a breakdown of iPad activations by industry, showing that the devices are tremendously popular in the financial services sector. [via The Loop]
iPhone, iPad are tops in enterprise activations
During Tuesday's earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that 94 percent of the Fortune 500 are deploying or testing iOS devices. Now those numbers are being validated by news from enterprise mobility tool provider Good Technology. In an analysis of smartphones and tablets activated by Good's customers made during the first three months of 2012, the company found that the iPhone 4S claimed over 37 percent of all activations -- four times that of any other smartphone. The iPad 2 was in the second place spot for activations with 17.7 percent, while the new iPad (which was on sale for only two weeks during the quarter) was in the number four position with 4.3 percent of all device activations. What's driving this demand for iPhones and iPads? According to Good, it's both corporate BYOD (bring your own device) programs and "proactive, company-owned iPad deployments." John Herrema, senior vice president of corporate strategy for Good Technology, was quoted as saying that the growth included "users who have both a smartphone and a tablet, with the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as the most frequently occurring combination." [via The Loop]
Good Technology debuts 'first secure browser' for enterprise Android deployments
Good Technology is touting the latest addition to its Good Mobile Access (GMA) Android software suite, a secure browser. The company's GMA offering gives corporate foot soldiers armed with a smartphone access to secure intranet resources without having to initiate a VPN session -- while simultaneously allowing IT folks to manage mobile ingress. By bringing a browser into the fold, Good's software will allow employees to access databases, resources and collaboration tools without ever having to leave the safe confines of GMA's sandbox. The software maker is targeting outfits with a bring-your-own-device policy in place (and war chests large enough to install the necessary back-end infrastructure). If you're interested in learning more, the full release awaits your review after the break.
Good Technology report shows Apple still dominates enterprise activations
Good Technology's quarterly report on device activation statistics among its Fortune 500 clients has been released. Just like previous quarters, the results show a marked dominance of iOS device activations in enterprise environments. In the consumer arena, Android has been running away with the marketshare lead for most of the past couple of years, but iOS continues to rule the enterprise roost. According to Good's analysis, the relative percentage of Android device activations decreased over the quarter. iOS devices made up 71 percent of net activations in Q4 2011, while Android dropped to 29 percent; these numbers compare to 68 percent for iOS vs. 32 percent for Android in Q3. The iPhone 4S was a major factor in Apple's smartphone gains for the quarter, accounting for 31 percent of all device activations -- the single most popular device for the quarter. During September and October, Android smartphone activations were steadily closing in on iPhone activations, but that trend sharply reversed in November. By December, iPhone activations were crushing Android phone activations; in fact, during December the number of iPad activations exceeded the number of Android smartphone activations, something not seen since July. The iPad accounted for 94.7 percent of total tablet activations for Q4, a negligible decline from its 96 percent statistic in Q3. Android tablets accounted for no more than 1 percent of overall device activations in the enterprise, with a 5.2 percent share of overall tablet activations. "For now, the iPad and iPad 2 remain the de facto enterprise tablet standard -- especially when it comes to the large company-driven deployments in verticals such as Financial Services, Business and Professional Services, Life Sciences, and Healthcare," GT reports. The Financial Services sector in particular had an iPad adoption rate four times higher than any other industry. Together, Apple's iPhone and iPad models accounted for the top five out of ten most popular devices activated in the enterprise, with the device breakdown as follows: iPhone 4S iPhone 4 iPad 2 iPad iPhone 3GS Android smartphones rounded out the top 10. The most popular Android-powered device, the Samsung Galaxy S II, accounted for 1.7 percent of overall device activations. GT's summary of 2011 as a whole shows a marked lead in iPhone activations over Android smartphone activations, especially in the last quarter. Meanwhile, the iPad is stomping Android's tablets in the enterprise; Android's tablets barely show up at all on Good's graph of 2011. It's worth noting, as Good itself does, that the numbers for Q4 do not reflect holiday sales. Good Technology expects yet more gains for iOS devices in the enterprise once workers bring their newly-acquired Christmas gifts back to work with them over the first quarter of 2012. Good does not report on BlackBerry or Windows Phone 7 device activations. However, given what we know about RIM's increasingly dismal performance and Windows Phone 7's lack of traction in the consumer market, it's unlikely that either platform is making a meaningful contribution to the overall trend in device activations.
Q3 enterprise adoption: iPhone slips, Android gains, iPad owns the tablet space
Along with Apple's quarterly results earlier this week, there's another report hitting today that covers a growing segment of the mobile device market: Good Technology's roundup of device activation statistics, compiled from the company's range of Fortune 500 clients that use Good's service to provide secure email and calendaring to handsets and tablets. (See previous results here.) The results this time around: interesting but not that surprising. You can see the full PDF report here. iPhone and iOS activations continue to lead the field, with iPhones representing 61% of all smartphone activations on Good's platform and iOS devices generally covering 70% of activations (a drop from the 78% share in the previous quarter). Android smartphones, however, picked up some ground on the iPhone over the quarter, showing improvement month over month. Android phones finished the quarter with about 39% of smartphone activations, passing iPad activations again (28.3% vs. 26.3% of the total) after the iPad overtook Android last quarter. Good's assessment of the iPhone/Android shift is largely in line with Apple's spin: customers put off iPhone 4 purchases in anticipation of a new iPhone release in the fall, which is exactly what we got. Good SVP John Herrema did get a look at preliminary data for the iPhone 4S launch weekend, and given the observed 25% bump in activations over the quarterly average for the iPhone 4, he's confident about an iPhone surge: "Looking forward to Q4, 2011, we expect... the iPhone 4S to be the catalyst for an Apple rally." When it comes to the iPad versus the larger universe of tablet devices, the story remains that there is no "tablet market" -- the iPad is the only game in town as far as big companies are concerned. The report summary puts it thusly: "To say iOS tablets dominated adoption in the enterprise is to understate the case.... Android tablet activations within Good's customer base remain in the realm of a rounding error compared to what we're seeing with iPad and iPad 2." iOS tablets made up more than 96% of all tablet activations in the quarter. As always, it's important to note that Good's data does not cover RIM's Blackberry devices, as they are supported by RIM's proprietary server infrastructure; Windows 7 phones and tablets are also not tracked by the company.
Good Technology reports blowout quarter for iPhone 4, iPad 2
Good Technology's latest report on enterprise deployment of mobile devices shows that iOS device activations continue to dominate the enterprise sector. Last quarter, iOS devices accounted for just under 70 percent of device activations, with the iPhone retaking the lead from Android activations and iPads representing 20 percent of total activations. Good's report for this quarter (PDF) shows iOS's dominance of enterprise activations continuing to trend upward. The iPhone represented 2/3 of all smartphone activations, with Android taking the remaining third. iOS devices accounted for 75 percent of device activations for the quarter, and total iPad activations outnumbered all Android device activations combined due to heavy workforce deployment of the iPad 2. "While Android may be gaining smartphone market share with consumers, our business users are clearly gravitating to the iPad and doing so in large numbers," said John Herrema, senior vice president of corporate strategy at Good Technology. iPads accounted for 95 percent of total tablet activations, which represents a moderate decline from the 99 percent lead the iPad enjoyed last quarter. The Motorola Xoom was once again the most popular Android tablet for the quarter. Good expects Android to narrow the activation cap eventually, but the company says "we don't see that happening in 2011. The iPad 2 simply has too much momentum, especially when it comes to the large company-driven activations we are seeing." Good's report indicates that the Financial Services sector is accounting for the majority of iPad activations, with 47 percent of net monthly activations for the device. Good notes that the iPad is deployed as a "complimentary" device not meant to replace a laptop or PC, but the iPad is proving to be a viable choice for "executives, sales and client services staff, insurance agents and adjusters, and doctors." Despite being nearly a year old during the quarter measured, iPhone 4 activation rates actually grew during the quarter, accounting for 22 percent of device activations. All five of the top five devices were Apple products: the iPhone 4, iPad 2, Verizon iPhone 4, iPad, and iPhone 3GS. The remaining top ten devices (four Android phones and the iPhone 3G (!) accounted for a total 2 percent of device activations. Good's analysis doesn't account for RIM devices or Windows Phone 7, but other reports have shown that RIM is sinking fast and Windows Phone 7 accounts for a tiny sliver of the overall market -- some reports have shown Windows Phone 7 activations outpaced by earlier versions of Windows Mobile. The window that Good Technology provides into enterprise deployment of mobile devices, while limited by those factors, still shows that Apple's mobile platform is seeing a level of growth that defies the traditional view of enterprise IT being hostile to deploying Apple's products.
Good Technology sees boost in iPhone, iPad activations in Q1
A few months ago, enterprise mobile integrator Good Technology reported on the second round of metrics from its device activation data. The story showed strong growth for Android phones; while the iPhone remained in first place, but the curves were getting closer. In the first quarter of this year, however, something rather disruptive happened. In the company's latest report [PDF], released today, the iPhone has widened the gap again -- and it's largely due to the Verizon effect. "There's no doubt that Verizon's launch of the iPhone 4, combined with AT&T's response on the discounted 3GS devices, certainly gave iPhones a bit of a lift," says Good's SVP of Corporate Strategy, John Herrema. "What we were seeing in the 4th quarter was that Android was trending upward and getting close to catching up," he says, "but in the first quarter of 2011 the iPhone has reasserted itself as the leading platform, at least with activations by our customers." The Verizon iPhone launch apparently resulted in the highest rate of activation (16.9 percent) for any new device since Good has been publicly tracking and publishing reports (Q3 2010). The tablet story is dramatically more one-sided, with the iPad and iPad 2 generating almost all of the tablet activations Good saw in the quarter. iPads represented about 20% of all device activations seen on the system, with Android tablets creeping in and reaching the 1% mark for the first time. "We're seeing the tablet momentum continuing, really driven by iPad and iPad 2," said Herrema. "We're starting to see the first glimmers of Android tablets showing up on the scene. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out in the 2nd quarter, especially as Honeycomb [Android 3.0] shows up on more devices besides the Motorola Xoom." Overall, iOS devices made up just under 70% of all device activations Good measured during the quarter. As before, Good's visibility into the enterprise is solid but not comprehensive; it cannot measure BlackBerry deployment volumes, nor does it support Windows 7 phones at this time. Nevertheless, as a proxy for deployments of the devices it does support, Good's numbers are (sorry) pretty good.
Good Technology Q4 2010 mobile device report shows huge iPad growth in the enterprise
Back in October the enterprise mobile integration company Good Technology released its first quarterly metrics report covering device activations and overall trends; the report showed extremely strong growth for both iOS and Android handsets, and rapidly shrinking share for Windows Phone and Symbian devices. Later today, the company is releasing its fourth quarter numbers for 2010 [PDF document], and the trend lines continue to tell a story of powerful impact for the iPhone and iPad. While Good doesn't capture a full picture of the enterprise mobility market -- the BlackBerry runs on a different server infrastructure provided by RIM, and the Good software doesn't yet run on Windows 7 phones -- the results are helpful in understanding the slice of the pie that Good's platform does address. For those large enterprises that are trying to support the full diversity of mobile options, Good can see a wide swath of their device activations. The tale of the tape: Good's customers activated roughly 2x as many iOS devices in 2010 as Android devices, but in the fourth quarter the growth curves for both platforms were largely parallel. Between October and December, iPhones represented 58% of all smartphone activations (mostly iPhone 4 units), while Android phones were about 42% of new device activations for phones. The real zinger is the iPad's marked growth in the enterprise. From a standing start, 0% share of activations in the first quarter (since it wasn't on the market until April), the iPad claimed 14% of new activations in the third quarter and grew to 22% of all new device activations in the fourth quarter. In a separate snapshot, Good reports a steep growth curve for iPad activations in the financial sector; about 40% of all iPad activations seen were classified as being within financial services or banking. Granted, Good doesn't look at the consumer retail, small business or public-sector device trends; those numbers will have to come from other places, and no doubt they will continue to show Android growth at the expense of both RIM and to a lesser degree Apple. Still, these real-world data points from the enterprise side show that the iOS story, and particularly the iPad's starring role with big business, has a long way to go yet.
Motorola flips Good Technology to Visto after brief, fruitless marriage
A little over two years after acquiring push email and mobile fleet management provider Good Technology for well over $400 million dollars in an apparent bid to out-BlackBerry BlackBerry, Motorola's giving up. Little consumer-facing goodness has come from the acquisition in the brief time the two firms were locked in holy matrimony, but Good's new suitor -- fellow mobile email player Visto -- seems like a better fit for the company, and in all likelihood, they're picking it up at a fire-sale price on account of the down economy and Moto's many, many misfortunes. Got anything else to sell up in that creaky attic of yours, Moto? Like a cool phone, fr'instance?
Motorola gets its push on, acquires Good Technology
Good Technology, the push e-mail mobile software company (think of it as RIM without the hardware, if you prefer), has just been acquired by Motorola for an undisclosed amount. Motorola previously had a business relationship with Good, and uses its mobile messaging software on Motorola -- but now, things get a little more interesting, given that consumers may have a choice between BlackBerry Connect or Good software on a Motorola Windows Mobile device. It's also curious that RIM and Motorola seem primed for a titanic clash, given that Big Mama Moto, a traditional ordinary-consumer company, seems to be encroaching on RIM's corporate customers with devices like the Q Pro, while our Canadian enterprise-focused friends are coming straight at John Q. Public with the Pearl. The deal is expected to close in 2007, given the Feds approve and all that jazz. As of this writing, Motorola stock rose on the news 0.84 percent to 21.37.[Thanks, Vince M.] Read - Good/Motorola press releaseRead - Reuters
