Cradlepoint, the leader in software-defined 4G LTE network solutions for enterprises, acquired Pertino, a privately-held Silicon Valley company that pioneered the use of software-defined networking (SDN) to deliver cloud-based networks-as-a-service for enterprise and small-to-medium business (SMB) customers worldwide.

The move enables Cradlepoint to leverage Pertino’s cloud platform and deep technical expertise to bring the benefits of SDN to 4G LTE, broadband and MPLS wide-area networks (WANs) for SMB, enterprise, government and carrier organizations. This acquisition will allow Cradlepoint to quickly address the emerging opportunity for software-defined enterprise network solutions and services. Financial details regarding the acquisition were not announced.

“Enterprises around the world are moving to the flexible, more fluid networking options created by 4G as CIOs look to complement, augment and extend their existing WAN infrastructure, a move that supports their needs today to rapidly turn-up new services and capabilities in a less complex and more cost-effective way. As enterprises begin to connect ‘things (IoT)’ as well as people and places, they are telling us that they need a more scalable, secure and agile network,” said George Mulhern, CEO/Chairman of the Board for Cradlepoint. “Our ability to help global customers through this transition to an agile, software-driven infrastructure and service delivery framework was a key driver in the decision to acquire Pertino. The combination of our two companies and technology platforms will enable us to create significant value for our customers, partners and company.”

Cloud, mobile and IoT are driving the need for a new enterprise WAN, one that overlays the Internet and provides always-on connectivity for people, places and things — anywhere. 4G LTE has rapidly become the preferred means to keep everything and everyone connected because of the agility, speed and reliability it provides.

While 4G has become the WAN access of choice for a wide variety of market segments and applications, it is quickly becoming a requisite component of the CIO’s enterprise expansion and service delivery plans. The addition of the Pertino technology and team strengthens Cradlepoint’s efforts to enable private, wireless virtual networks over the public Internet with virtualized services that run in the cloud and CPE to provide the end-to-end visibility, security and control enterprises need.

“Enterprise networks are going through unprecedented change. By 2020, the number of mobile workers is expected to swell to over 72% of the U.S. workforce, tablets and smartphones will far exceed PCs and servers, and over 8 billion ‘things’ will need secure, always-on connectivity to the enterprise. These seismic trends are creating the need for more scalable, secure, agile and reliable WANs with pervasive wireless connectivity,” said Craig Elliott, co-founder and CEO of Pertino. “I’m very excited about the acquisition of Pertino by Cradlepoint. Together, we’re bringing the benefits of SDN and cloud networking to 4G LTE connectivity for enterprises, SMEs and carriers worldwide, creating a new category of software-defined 4G LTE networks in the process.”