Salesforce acquired Toopher, a mobile authentication startup based in Austin, Texas. The CRM software giant confirmed the acquisition, which was also announced by Toopher on its website. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.
In a statement, Toopher co-founders Josh Alexander and Evan Grim said, “Today, it is with great excitement that we can unveil our ability to super-charge our superpower—because we are being acquired by Salesforce!”
Toopher will stop selling its current products
Toopher’s authentication app was available on Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. The app allows users to access services automatically if it recognizes their location. It notifies a user if it does not recognize the location, and provides an option to approve or deny his or her request.
Alexander and Grim said Toopher would stop its current products following the acquisition. They said, “To our users and clients—Even though we will no longer sell our current product, our commitment to your security remains steadfast…”
According to them, they join salesforce.com to work on delivering their company’s vision on a larger scale as part of the world’s number one cloud platform. “We can’t imagine a better team, technology and set of values with which to align,” said Alexander and Grim. Toopher raised $3 million from three investors since its establishment in 2011.
Saleforce’s decision makes sense
Commenting on the acquisition, Mark Diodati, an analyst at Gartner told ZDNet that the decision of salesforce.com makes sense when considering the fast-growing identity management as a service (IDaaS) market. He noted that Toopher had modern authentication capabilities
“These capabilities are considered table stakes, so having them will enhance Salesforce’s competitive capabilities,” said Diodati
Technology observers believe that acquiring Toopher would help salesforce.com expand its suite of security tools including OpenID Connect and Login Flows.
Meanwhile, salesforce.com introduced its new Service Cloud Intelligence Engine last month to help companies deliver the smartest customer experience.
Mike Milburn, SVP and GM of Service Cloud, salesforce.com said, “The Service Cloud Intelligence Engine harnesses the power of data science to improve workflows, business processes and deliver seamless customer service across any channel. Now companies are prepared to exceed their customer’s increasingly high expectations for smarter service.”
