Sophos has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Dialogs Software, a mobile device management vendor based in Dortmund, Germany, the security firm announced on Monday.
The two companies have an existing partnership: Dialogs’ smartMan mobile device management technology is already powering Sophos’ Mobile Control product.
The management of mobile devices, particularly those owned by employees and used in corporate environments, was a key topic for discussion at this year’s RSA security conference in San Francisco.
There’s a wide consensus between security professionals that the practice of employees bringing their own devices to work is exposing corporate networks to serious security risks because of a lack of control over those devices.
Many security companies have made strategic moves to strengthen their position in the mobile device security and management market in recent months.
Sophos plans to incorporate Dialogs’ smartMan technology, which supports all types of mobile devices and operating systems including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian, into a Unified Threat Management suite that will also include its own mobile security and encryption products.
The company will also continue to support the mobile messaging and location-based services currently offered by Dialogs to its customers. Dialogs’ customer portfolio includes companies like BMW, Daimler, Siemens and ThyssenKrupp.