Verizon introduces platform-neutral Private Applications Store for Business

SAN DIEGO and BASKING RIDGE, NJ — As corporations grapple with the onslaught of consumer devices and applications in the workplace, Verizon Wireless has addressed this pain point with its new offering, the Private Applications Store for Business. Today from CTIA Enterprise and Applications™ 2011 (booth #117), Verizon Wireless will publicly demonstrate this new service that enables the choice that employees demand with the controls businesses require to further extend and build the integrity of the mobile office.

The Private Applications Store for Business is operating system (OS), device and carrier agnostic. Its key business virtues and flexibility empower customers and their enterprise mobile workers to define and manage their own mobile applications – either created in-house or by a third party – to their employees (B2E) and business partners (B2B), whether on corporate or employee liable smartphones and tablets, inside or outside the company’s firewall.

“This service continues to demonstrate Verizon’s commitment to help our business customers embrace the mobile economy,” said Janet Schijns, vice president, Business Solutions Group, Verizon Wireless. “Our customers want to differentiate their business, give their employees choice, and drive cost efficiencies and work productivity. Our Private Applications Store for Business is a win-win for employers and employees as it provides enterprises with the opportunity to leverage their existing application investments while also providing a seamless and secure way to manage new and innovative apps and provide access to content thatis relevant for their business.”

Two companies, Thomson Reuters and Hallmark Cards, Inc., were part of the early customer trials.

“We are a strong proponent of the private application store concept,” said Robert Schukai, global head of mobile technology at Thomson Reuters. “Thomson Reuters provides professionals around the world and across disciplines with the news, data and information they need, delivered through innovative technology solutions when and how they need it. The Private Applications Store for Business provides an opportunity to better serve our enterprise customers by safely and securely delivering mobile solutions, and to source our content alongside other public and proprietary content, adding additional layers of context and value.”

Hallmark has been expanding its mobile device footprint and today has over 1,800 company smartphones and tablets. Most of Hallmark’s current mobile device use is limited to office productivity with the focus on access to email and calendar. For the Private Applications Store for Business trial, Hallmark was able to successfully connect BlackBerry®, Android™ and iOS devices.

While working with Verizon, Hallmark’s mobile device strategy has continued to evolve and now includes exploration into expanded use in its retail and manufacturing operations.

“Our involvement in the trial gave us insight into the value a tool like this can provide in managing the distribution of mobile applications, simplifying the billing for application charges and providing the ability to push content to our enterprise users,” said Neal Clark, Hallmark’s IT sourcing manager. “As Hallmark continues to develop its mobile device strategy, capabilities like these will be among our key requirements.”

Verizon Wireless will offer the Private Applications Store for Business later this year on a per-user/per-month basis.

Core components of the service include:

Customer Admin Portal for corporate IT to manage the service

End-User Web-Based Portal which provides users insight and details on their apps and content

On-Device Client (ODC) providing an enterprise branded experience

For more information about Verizon Wireless’ Private Applications Store for Business, visit www.verizonwireless.com/privateapplicationsstore or contact a Business Sales Representative at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 106.3 million total wireless connections, including 89.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.