Zenprise nabs $10M for automated mobile troubleshooting
Zenprise, a company that has automated troubleshooting processes for mobile phone customers, just raised $10 million to grow its sales and marketing operations, as well as its presence in the U.S. and abroad. The Fremont, Calif.-based company says it monitors mobile phone systems and can provide step-by-step resolution instructions to smartphone customers encountering problems, thereby lightening the load of calls into IT and customer support teams.
Mobile management products are in greater demand than ever before, Zenprise says, considering predictions that there will be 600 million smartphones in use by 2011 (a 1,200 percent increase from the 49 million in the field today). While this market may be growing, budgets for IT and tech support within companies are shrinking — creating the need for new solutions. Still, Zenprise acknowledges there will still be some demand for human IT employees no matter how efficient its automated system becomes.
The company may face competition from services launched by carriers themselves, like European mobile provider Orange’s Mobile Office service.
The recent, oversubscribed funding round was led by Ignition Partners and included Bay Partners, Mayfield Fund and Shasta Ventures.
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