With the explosion of mobile devices being introduced to corporate networks, many companies are realizing that without a mobile device management strategy in place, they could be placing the future of their company in jeopardy.

Today, it was revealed that MobileIron, a leader in the mobile device management industry that offers enterprise management and an ultra high level of security for mobile devices and applications, has formed a partnership with iPass (News - Alert) Inc., a Wi-Fi and enterprise mobility provider to companies around the world, in order to integrate mobile connectivity, application management and device management that will fully support a workforce that is becoming more mobile by the minute.

Already powering the iPass Open Mobile (News - Alert) platform, a highly reliable connectivity platform that leverages a Wi-Fi connection with approximately 700,000 Wi-Fi locations, iPass will work with MobileIron to deploy a wide array of smartphones and tablets while ensuring that they are fully protected. After this move has been completed, the companies will team to offer mobile applications via MobileIron's Enterprise App Storefront.

Through this joint collaborative project, the companies intend to enable IT to rapidly protect, maintain and closely analyze app and device deployment and connectivity across the spectrum of the enterprise.

"Mobile IT teams need a simple way to on-board mobile devices with the correct, approved apps and enterprise connectivity," said Ojas Rege, vice president of Strategy, MobileIron in a statement. "The partnership between MobileIron and iPass allows our customers to provide their employees the mobile apps they need on the devices they want with the connectivity they demand anywhere and everywhere."

In addition, the companies will be teaming up to promote this revolutionary project through sharing leads, as well as sponsoring webinars and customer events.

"By some estimates there are more than one billion mobile employees worldwide. Enterprise IT is struggling not only to manage the huge influx of consumer devices that are coming into the enterprise, but also the connectivity costs hidden in black budgets," Kevin Murray, vice president of product marketing at iPass added. "Ensuring security at the network and device levels is essential for success. By working with MobileIron we will be able to offer our joint-customers the best of all worlds -- mobile application management, mobile device management and enterprise mobility services."

Shane Taylor, director at Esselar commented, "With the dramatic increase in smartphone and tablet penetration within the enterprise, more and more of our customers are seeking better integration between mobile connectivity, management and security," said Shane Taylor, director at Esselar. "So combining iPass and MobileIron is a logical move that will offer great value to businesses, especially as they look to formulate their own BYOD strategies. iPass and MobileIron are two of our most important partnerships, and we have already carried out hundreds of implementations based on their technologies today."

Earlier this week, TMCnet reported that the Scottish Legal Firm Maclay Murray and Spens LLP had implemented MobileIron’s MDM solution to enhance its Bring Your Own Device program for its lawyers that use both Android (News - Alert) and iPad devices. To read the full report, click here.