Bsquare announces acquisition of TestQuest
-- Test & Measurement World, 12/3/2008 7:00:00 AM
Bsquare announced it has acquired assets of TestQuest, a provider of test automation and management solutions for mobile and embedded devices and applications. As a result of the acquisition, device developers and network operators building mobile, consumer, or embedded devices can rely on development expertise from Bsquare and testing automation tools from TestQuest for accelerated time to market.
Testing and quality assurance are critical to device makers, network operators, and enterprises as new devices are launched with increasingly complex applications, functionality, and connectivity. According to a Carnegie-Mellon study, about 50% of software development time typically is spent testing. This underscores the priority device makers must put on delivering a quality product. Effective testing is critical to ensuring the experience and quality that users are demanding. TestQuest's automated testing tools, including TestQuest Pro and Countdown, reduce development time and costly fixes with a feature-rich, easy to use, collaborative testing environment.
"The acquisition of TestQuest supports Bsquare's strategy to grow our products business and support customers with the highest quality software and services available, while also helping them realize the shortest time to market," said Bsquare's CEO Brian Crowley. "In addition to giving us a world-class product that we can immediately sell to our traditional device OEM and ODM customers, TestQuest brings to Bsquare new enterprise and mobile operator customers such as United States Postal Service, T-Mobile International, Kyocera, Telefónica Móviles and Siemens, representing a significant expansion of our market opportunity."
With the addition of TestQuest, Bsquare will expand its customer base in the US, China, Korea, Japan, and Europe, plus add new customers building devices and developing applications on multiple embedded operating systems such as Windows Mobile, Symbian, Linux, RIM BlackBerry, QNX, and others.
"Bsquare's customers need automated testing tools and many of TestQuest's customers need the software development, licensing, and quality assurance services that Bsquare offers," said Bsquare VP of products, Raj Khera. "The addition of industry-leading test automation tools bundled with our existing services and training uniquely positions us in the market with a compelling total solution that device developers have been asking for."
The asset purchase price is expected to be approximately $2.2 million. Assets acquired primarily include TestQuest's intellectual property, accounts receivable, and equipment. Bsquare will be hiring 22 employees of TestQuest. The acquisition is currently expected to be accretive within two quarters, depending on the purchase price accounting and certain transition and integration costs.
Bsquare, www.bsquare.com and TestQuest, www.testquest.com.
