Although an official announcement was not released publicly, TechCrunch observed that a visit to infrastructure software startup Bitzer Mobile Inc's website would redirect a visitor to a page on Oracle Corp's site address.
"On November 15, 2013 Oracle announced it has acquired Bitzer Mobile, a provider of mobile applications management solutions that allow organizations to provide employees access to corporate data and applications from their mobile devices, to address the growing security needs created by the bring your own device (BYOD) movement...The transaction has closed," the message from Oracle's website read.
TechCrunch noted that although financial details were not revealed, Bitzer had raised USD4.83 million in backing from investors including Chevron Technology Ventures and Acero Capital. The tech news site also insinuated that Chevron's investment in the infrastructure software provider was strategic as it was the venture unit of an energy company and might have been a customer of Bitzer.
Users of Bitzer's technology facilitated the use of personal mobile equipment for secured, work collaboration. Bitzer is among a slew of Bring-Your-Own-Mobile programs across the US and Europe that had been getting attention from corporations to reduce security leaks. The 999 day-old startup, said TechCrunch, had developed a product that allowed secure enterprise lockers on mobile phones that still behave like ordinary smartphones otherwise, and which was enough to get Oracle's attention.
Bitzer, as explained in the tech news report, was similar and different in many ways from Samsung's KNOX mobile solution. Aside from allowing mobile users to create secure lockers on their mobile phones for work or business purposes, Bitzer offers authentication, apps access, data control and security. Bitzer's technology, TechCrunch noted, was not limited to a particular operating system or original equipment manufacturer. This means the software can be used across all major mobile platforms.
Similar to Yahoo Inc's strategy, the acquisition of Oracle was also meant to absorb the mobile software firm as part of the tech giant's Fusion Middleware business segment. TechCrunch said Bitzer Mobile was expected to be Oracle's core component to its mobile security business.
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