Fiberlink

Fiberlink Communications Corporation was a key player in the enterprise mobility management sector before its acquisition by IBM. Founded in 1992 by Jim Sheward and Paul Russell, the Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based company established itself as a provider of mobile device management (MDM) and security solutions. Sheward, who served as CEO for two decades, leveraged his prior experience as a sales executive to guide Fiberlink's growth into a customer-focused organization. His vision was pivotal in the development of the company's flagship product.

The company's core offering was MaaS360, a cloud-based platform designed to help organizations manage and secure their employees' mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. This became particularly crucial with the rise of the "bring your own device" (BYOD) trend in the corporate world. MaaS360 provided a comprehensive suite of tools for mobile application management (MAM), mobile content management (MCM), and secure email and document sharing, all accessible from a single console. The platform's business model was Mobility as a Service (MaaS), offering its solutions via the cloud to enterprises of all sizes. This approach allowed IT departments to enroll, configure, secure, and monitor devices, regardless of the brand or operating system, simplifying the complexities of a multi-platform mobile environment.

After steadily growing its employee base and raising significant capital from investors like NewSpring Ventures and Goldman Sachs, Fiberlink caught the attention of larger technology firms. In a strategic move to bolster its MobileFirst portfolio, IBM announced a definitive agreement to acquire Fiberlink in November 2013, a deal that was finalized in December 2013. The acquisition integrated MaaS360 into IBM's suite of cloud and security services, enhancing IBM's capabilities to provide end-to-end mobile security and management for its enterprise clients.

Keywords: Fiberlink Communications, IBM MaaS360, mobile device management, enterprise mobility management, BYOD, bring your own device, mobile security, cloud-based security, mobile application management, mobile content management, Jim Sheward, Paul Russell, IBM MobileFirst, enterprise software, SaaS, mobility as a service, information security, device management, mobile workflow, enterprise IT