Smith Micro Software

Smith Micro Software, Inc

Type	Public
Traded as	NASDAQ: SMSI
Industry	Software, Networking
Founded	1983
Headquarters	Aliso Viejo, CA
Key people	William W. Smith Jr. Chairman and CEO
Revenue	$98.4 million[1] USD (2008)
Net income	$3.16 million[2] USD (2007)
Employees	558 (2011)
Website	http://www.smithmicro.com

Smith Micro Software, Inc., founded in 1983 by William W. Smith, Jr., is a diversified developer and marketer of both enterprise and consumer-level software solutions and services. Though headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, Smith Micro maintains multiple domestic and international offices, with United States locations in Mountain View and Watsonville, California, Chicago, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as well as international locations in Europe and Asia. Recently, the company has shifted focus toward network connection and security technologies, and begun forays into the evolving wireless media industry, as indicated by major partnerships with cellular service providers such as Verizon Wireless,^[3] AT&T,^[4] and Sprint Nextel.^[5]

Mission

Today, the Smith Micro mission is to help its global customers thrive in a highly complex wireless ecosystem with software solutions that:

• Simplify mobile connectivity to reduce support costs and increase stickiness of mobile subscribers
• Optimize network and device resources for maximum performance and efficiency
• Enable a safe, productive wireless environment that meets enterprise standards for security and control
• Engage and maintain relevance to end users in response to business threats from device makers, internet giants such as Google and Facebook, and the explosion of over-the-top application and content providers

Corporate history

In the company's early days, Smith Micro centralized its product focus on dial-up modem and fax software technology, distributing predominantly to OEM computer software/hardware manufacturers. By the early 90s, the company had become one of the leading names in its industry niche. With an IPO in 1995, Smith Micro became publicly traded in the NASDAQ under the symbol SMSI. Initial stock offering values were approx. $12.75 per share.^[6]

By the late '90s, dial-up internet access was being replaced by cable internet,DSL, and wireless broadband technologies, due to the substantially higher speed and reliability it afforded. This change led Smith Micro to re-apply its network connection expertise to new, wireless and mobile network software. Network connection management became a specialization of the company and, as such, Smith Micro developed products of interest to large-scale mobile network operators such as AT&T, Bell Canada, Orange, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone. While fax and modem-related products were still being sold, the QuickLink® family of wireless connection manager solutions became the company's primary source of revenue in the early 2000's.

In 2005, Smith Micro moved to expand its consumer product line with the acquisition of Allume Systems and their StuffIt data compression software. Shortly after the acquisition of Allume Systems, Smith Micro further expanded its market presence with the purchase of Israel-based image editing company, PhoTags. Following these and other acquisitions (e frontier America)^[7] and (busineSMS.com Software)^[8] Smith Micro expanded its overall consumer business presence, though retained a central focus on network and wireless-related products.

In early 2008, the company began to expand its portfolio to help operators and enterprises meet the growing demand for wireless access and mobile services. Smith Micro introduced solutions for enhanced mobile communications, such as push-to-talk software, visual voicemail services, and video streaming. These solutions help operators build loyalty with subscribers and monetize data services. Smith Micro also expressed interest in WiMAX broadband,^[9] a newly developed cellular technology, typically considered to be a 4G wireless protocol, and a candidate for the replacement of current 3G cellular systems.

Over the past few years, with more media being consumed “on-demand” from rapidly evolving mobile devices such as smartphones, tablet computers, USB modems, and mobile hotspots, wireless networks are reaching capacity and operators are struggling to meet the demand. In 2011, Smith Micro announced several new solutions that extend the company’s core connectivity platform to solve new problems and offer more value to mobile operators and consumers. For example, solutions such as QuickLink Hotpot Manager™, Experience Manager™, and Mobile Network Director™ are designed to make it easier for consumers to access their favorite mobile services from any device, over any network access point—seamlessly and securely—without worrying about the type of connection or authentication required.

Key products

Connectivity and security

• Experience Manager
• Mobile Network Director
• QuickLink Mobile
• QuickLink Hotspot Manager
• QuickLink Mobility
• SODA

Communications

• Push-To-Talk
• Visual Voicemail

Device Management

• Device Management Suite
• Enterprise Device Management

Content & File Management

• Vidio
• Vidio XTP
• SendStuffNow

Graphics and utilities

• Graphics - Poser, Anime Studio, Manga Studio, GroBoto, ArtRage Deluxe, Pixelmator, muvee Reveal, STOIK Imagic, STOIK PanoramaMaker
• Compression - StuffIt
• Productivity - FAXstf Pro, JobFinder, OrgChart, QuickVerse, TurboProject
• Performance - CheckIt, ExecutiveSync, Internet Cleanup, Spring Cleaning, VMWare Fusion^{[citation needed]}
• Entertainment - Aquazone, Digital TV 4 PC 2, TuneRanger
• Mobility

Major acquisitions

Acquisition date	Company	Business	Country	Value (USD)
02005-07 July 2005	Allume Systems	Software / Data compression	United States	$11 million
02006-04 April 2006	PhoTags	Software / Image editing	Israel	$6 million
02007-12 December 2007	e frontier America	Digital distribution / Graphic design	United States	--
02007-02 February 2007	Ecutel	Software, wireless	United States	$8 million
02008-01 January 2008	PCTel Wireless	Software / Wireless	United States	$59.7 million
02009-09 September 2009	Core Mobility	Software / Wireless	United States	$20.2 million

References

External links

• Smith Micro
• Smith Micro Software