Intellisync
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | August 1993 |
| Founder | Bradley A. Rowe, Stephen A. Nicol |
| Defunct | February 10, 2006 |
| Fate | Acquired by Nokia |
| Headquarters | San Jose , United States |
| Products | Intellisync Mobile Suite, TranXit, AutoSync Yahoo, Intellisync Secure Gateway |
Intellisync Corporation specialized in software solutions for synchronizing data across mobile devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). In 2006, the company was acquired by Nokia.
History
Founded in August 1993 by Princeton alumni Bradley A. Rowe and Stephen A. Nicol, Puma Technology (also known as Pumatech) was headquartered in San Jose, California. The firm was a trailblazer in mobile device data synchronization technology, holding 36 patents in the United States. Its venture capital financing included contributions from firms like Greylock Partners, CSK Venture Capital, and Intel. In April 1996, Pumatech expanded its portfolio by purchasing IntelliLink Corporation for $3.5 million.
The company became publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange on December 6, 1996, under the ticker symbol PUMA, generating approximately $37 million. Growth continued through acquisitions including SoftMagic (1998), ProxiNet (1999), NetMind (2000), Dry Creek Software (2000), The Windward Group (2000), and the Starfish Software unit of Motorola in 2003.
In late 2003, Pumatech acquired Synchrologic located in Alpharetta, Georgia, subsequently rebranding itself as Intellisync Corporation in 2004 and changing its stock symbol to SYNC. On January 31, 2006, shareholders approved a takeover bid from Nokia, with the transaction finalized on February 10, 2006.
After the acquisition, Nokia integrated Intellisync’s offerings with its Exchange ActiveSync technology and its Eseries product line. The original San Jose office was closed, with personnel relocated to Nokia’s Mountain View location. Additional development facilities were maintained in Alpharetta, Bulgaria, New Delhi, Tokyo, and Cluj-Napoca.
By July 2008, Nokia discontinued the IntelliSync Desktop product line and ended all support for it two years later in July 2010. In September 2008, Nokia declared it would stop developing its proprietary behind-the-firewall business mobility software suite (Intellisync Mobility Product Suite), redirecting efforts toward consumer push email services and emphasizing partnerships with software providers such as Microsoft, IBM, and Cisco Systems to enhance device integration.
Products
Pumatech’s inaugural product launched in 1997 was TranXit, designed to automate file synchronization between two Windows-based personal computers. This product competed with LapLink from Traveling Software, Inc., but instead of retail sales like LapLink’s boxed versions, TranXit was licensed directly to PC manufacturers. The company secured contracts with major brands including IBM (ThinkPad), Compaq, Toshiba, Acer, Canon, NEC, Epson, among roughly twenty others.
Following the acquisition of Intellisync, the company broadened its focus toward mobile platforms with The Intellisync Mobile Suite. This suite targeted individual users, enterprises, and wireless carriers alike and consisted of four modular elements: wireless email, systems/device management, file synchronization, and application synchronization. Additionally, Intellisync Secure Gateway provided advanced firewall protection.
The suite’s capabilities included synchronizing databases via application sync; managing email and personal information management (PIM) data through wireless email; and enabling mobile device administration alongside static file distribution via device management/file sync modules. It supported synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Server, Lotus Domino mail servers, Novell GroupWise platforms as well as POP and IMAP email protocols.
Initially concentrating on Windows PCs along with Palm devices, handheld PCs, and Pocket PCs, support later expanded to include Symbian, BREW, and other mobile operating systems. While originally marketed primarily to large-scale enterprises such as Boeing, Nintendo, and the U.S. Military, Intellisync adapted its offerings for wireless carriers to provide consumer-oriented services. Key carrier collaborations included Verizon and Eurotel.
Among prominent customers were Yahoo and Research In Motion (RIM). For Yahoo specifically, Intellisync developed AutoSync Yahoo to enable synchronization of contacts, notes, calendars, and tasks between Yahoo services and Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook applications.