PalmSource Touts Enterprise Software Deals

PalmSource

Among other things, the Palm software subsidiary said it is working with Insignia Solutions to create a Java Virtual Machine for the Palm OS. It also has licensed an embedded Web browser for Palm OS 5 from Access, a Japanese company that counts almost 63 million licensees for its embedded browser software.

In addition, PalmSource said it inked a deal with SafeNet for its SoftRemotePDA VPN client. An evaluation version of the VPN software will be available to Palm licensees, the company said.

Dave Nagel, president and CEO of PalmSource, said the alliances are the first in a wave of deals designed to support Palm technology as an enterprise solution. In response to a question, Nagel said systems management is another area Palm intends to address in the near future.

"We don't have a lock on the IQ points, and we don't have a lock on the resources," said Nagel.

Nagel disclosed the partnerships in a keynote address here at TechXNY/PC Expo.

During the speech, Nagel said 85 percent of enterprise accounts that have standardized on a handheld platform have chosen the Palm OS. He also estimated that at least half of all enterprise mobile purchasing decisions are influenced by VARs and systems integrators.

Michael Freeman, director of mobile wireless solutions at Lewis Center, Ohio-based Sarcom, said enterprises are gravitating to the Palm OS for two primary reasons: its connectivity to groupware and its ability to integrate with Web applications.