Open Kernel Labs bought by defense giant

Peter Clarke

September 28, 2012

Peter Clarke

LONDON – Aerospace and defense conglomerate General Dynamics Corp. (West Falls Church, Va.) has acquired Open Kernel Labs Inc. (OK Labs), a developer "virtualization software" for mobile phones and broadband devices. The value of the cash transaction has not been disclosed.

General Dynamics said the acquisition would expand its capabilities as a provider of secure mobile devices for public safety, civilian, military and commercial customers as well as in-vehicle infotainment systems for the commercial market.

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OK Labs (Chicago) was a 2006 startup with technology origins that go back to Australia. It had grown to become a leading provider of virtualization software for securing wireless communications, applications and content for mobile devices and automotive in-vehicle infotainment systems. OK Labs will become part of General Dynamics Broadband, a subsidiary of General Dynamics C4 Systems.

OK Labs was founded by entrepreneur Steve Subar. Subar was chosen in 2005 to become entrepreneur-in-residence for NICTA (National Information and Communications Technology Australia), a leading center for IT research. His role resulted in the creation of OK Labs.

"Government and corporate CIOs want the advantages of today's commercial mobile devices without having to sacrifice the integrity and security of their networks," said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems, in a statement. "OK Labs' market-leading expertise in implementing security on commercial devices delivers ease of use and reduced cost to customers."

OK Labs' software is deployed on more than 1.6 billion devices worldwide and the company provides automotive virtualization solutions that enable the secure separation of infotainment applications from core automotive functions.

OK Labs entered the Silicon 60, EE Times' list of emerging startup companies at version 9.0 in October 2009.


Related links and articles:

• Mil/Aero giants dial into secure smartphones  
• OK Labs, Citrix aim beyond Android with Nirvana platform
• Aussie spinout ensures secure mobile coding