In a bid to beef up the enterprise appeal of its operating system, Google has bought a company named Divide, a provider of management tools for Android devices.
The increasing popularity of Android devices in the enterprise is something many firms are coming across as the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend continues to gaining momentum in several industries and organisations.Android is the world’s most popular mobile-operating system, but is still to make its presence forcefully felt inside inside companies.
Formerly called Enterproid, Divide has made the announcement on its website. Divide was founded by former IT executives from Morgan Stanley who led mobile development and applications at the bank, which the firm claims helped make it keenly aware of the challenges facing IT teams in the digital era.Divide offers a mobile app that provides a secure means of separating personal and work-related data on company-owned devices.
"We’re thrilled to announce that Divide is joining Google,” Divide said. The firm said that moving to Google will help get its tools into the hands of more users across the world.“The company was founded with a simple mission: give people the best mobile experience at work. As part of the Android team, we’re excited to continue developing solutions that our users love."
According to Jones, the Canalys analyst, buying Divide "will help Google build security and control into the Android operating system." He adds, "This is a smart move and probably something Google should have done earlier."
