Equanet flying high with AirWatch deal

Dixons-owned VAR partners with US mobility specialist to grab a slice of the BYOD market

VAR Equanet has linked with wireless and mobility specialist AirWatch to capitalise on the IT consumerisation trend.

Under the terms of the deal, the Dixons Retail-owned firm will be able to integrate AirWatch's mobile device management (MDM) technology into a solution which will provide its customer base with tailored and secure tablet applications.

The firm claims that AirWatch's system allows greater security and ease of management for the migration of tablets and mobile devices to improve productivity, particularly among mobile workforces. The technology also allows owners to remotely wipe mobile devices of all data if they are lost or stolen.

And to capitalise on the growing trend for "bringing your own device" (BYOD) to work, the firms will also develop alternative schemes to co-own hardware which they say promotes better care for equipment.

The two companies will also develop an Enterprise Application Store which they claim will securely deliver both custom-built applications and recommended ones from within the iTunes site.

Phil Birbeck, managing director of DSGi Business, said: "The partnership between Equanet and AirWatch demonstrates our strong commitment to innovation, a passion for placing the most cutting-edge technology within businesses and a dedication to constantly improving the quality rather than the cost of the service we offer. AirWatch MDM technology puts mobile and tablet devices into the hands of businesses with the guarantee and comfort of security and seamless integration."

He added: "The delivery of BYOC schemes is gaining momentum across enterprises and is both a technical and business project. Tablets have become viral within the enterprise and need to be both welcomed and supported. It is imperative that customers work with a partner that understands the business and technical implications of BYOC to ensure a faster time to value. Equanet will be delivering MDM through a combination of on-premise and SaaS models, providing a cost-effective and flexible deployment model."