By Cara Sievers

Columbia, Md.-based software developer BoxTone has extended its mobile user management solution to manage, track and control iPhone, Palm Pre, Windows Mobile and other ActiveSync-based smartphones.

BoxTone v5.0 enables enterprises, governmental agencies and managed service providers to automatically discover and inventory all enterprise-connected smartphones, track utilization, identify threats and eliminate wasted spend.

“With the invasion of employee-owned smartphones running on multiple mobile platforms, organizations are experiencing a new set of mobile management, compliance and cost challenges,” said Alan Snyder, CEO, BoxTone. “Increasingly, BoxTone’s more than 230 customers worldwide had been asking us to extend our best-in-class BlackBerry platform management solution to accommodate a variety of leading smartphones. Today, we responded with BoxTone v5.0.”

Snyder explained that as more smartphones connect to an enterprise, the risks for lost or stolen information increase. “With enterprise-enabled smartphones expected to jump from 10-15 percent today to 70-80 percent by 2012, those risks and costs are set to significantly increase,” he said. “Enterprises that fail to proactively address this challenge will be run over by the chaos, costs and complexity of mobile diversity.”

Armed with full visibility to its enterprise-connected smartphones, the software’s expanded Compliance Management capabilities take over tracking and auditing of all corporate-liable and employee-liable smartphones and user activity. Benefits include the ability to rapidly identify security policy violations or threats – such as rogue or unsecured smartphones – and to confirm devices are wiped before substantial financial loss or regulatory actions ensue or IT credibility is impaired.

BoxTone 5.0 is available now for purchase by enterprises, governmental entities and MSPs. Joel Weinshank, director of marketing for BoxTone, explained that while BoxTone does currently utilize the indirect channel, the company is not actively pursuing classic VARs in the United States. “Rather, BoxTone seeks systems integrators, and managed services and solution providers who want to actively partner with BoxTone to deliver superior smartphone service quality to enterprise customers,” Weinshank explained. “Elsewhere, BoxTone chooses to work with VARs with focused mobility practices, who want a best-in-class mobility management offering to bring to their customers.”