Alcatel-Lucent has acquired U.S.-based device management specialist Mformation in order to benefit from its cloud-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) platform.
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Alcatel-Lucent said it will incorporate Mformation into its IP Platforms unit. Meanwhile, Mformation is already pitching itself as being part of Alcatel-Lucent on its Website.
"As connected devices become an ever increasing part of our social and economic fabric, we need to ensure that these devices, and the networks they navigate, are secure, reliable and efficient," said Bhaskar Gorti, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s IP Platforms business.
"Mformation’s cloud-enabled IoT platform will enable our customers to rapidly deploy IoT services that can be trusted and managed efficiently," Gorti added.
Alcatel-Lucent will also leverage Mformation’s core capabilities as a device management player, using its software products to extend its customer experience management solution.
"Our portfolio and our customer base are highly complementary to Alcatel-Lucent’s Internet of Things aspiration s," said Mformation founder and chief technology officer Rakesh Kushwaha.
"We look forward to leveraging our mobile and IoT security capabilities to enable customers to fully exploit the benefits of a connected world," he added.
The companies highlighted the security side of the business in particular, noting that more than 50 million IoT devices have been hacked or recalled in the past six months.
And security concerns will grow alongside the number of connected devices, which Alcatel-Lucent predicts will reach 70 billion by 2020.
"The combination of Alcatel-Lucent’s Motive portfolio and Mformation together will allow network operators to manage any endpoint (or gateway), establishing an end-to-end IoT ‘chain of trust’ built on industry best practices for authentication and data and network security," the firms said.
