Ping Identity partners with Sprint to offer single sign-on for Google Apps

PRESS RELEASE

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (BUSINESS WIRE), October 13, 2014 - Now available for all businesses that want to empower their employees with robust collaboration tools, Sprint (NYSE: S) is offering a mobile-centric solution of Google Apps for Work. As a key value-added offer, Ping Identity will deliver cloud-based single sign-on capabilities that allow users to sign on to all of their business apps with just one username and password while meeting access and security requirements from the IT department.

By 2015, 37.2 percent of the workforce will be mobile (source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Worker Population 2011-2015 Forecast) so having access to collaboration tools on mobile devices will be critical to the success of businesses. However, 96 percent of executives cite lack of collaboration as a workplace issue (source: SalesforceRypple); adoption of such tools can increase employee productivity and help to grow the business faster.

Rich Karpinski, principal analyst at 451 Research, adds, “Adopting mobile collaboration tools is critical for businesses. Resistance is futile for several reasons: Competitors will move faster than you will, partners will seek like-minded collaborators, and employees will look for a workplace more aligned with their values and that will provide and/or support their desired work tools.”
One of the value-added offers is PingOne®, an identity as-a-service (IDaaS) solution by Ping Identity that delivers secure access for employees on any device and gives IT one dashboard to manage user access for all applications. PingOne’s comprehensive offering supports applications that have standards-based single sign-on and applications with basic password-based logins.

This also eliminates the need for employees to manage multiple passwords across various business applications.

“As more and more companies with distributed workforces move to cloud environments, identity becomes a huge issue for large enterprises managing tens of thousands of employees, applications and devices around the world,” said Andre Durand, founder and CEO, Ping Identity.

“In today’s post-password era, we’re excited to work with Sprint to help these companies realize the value of simple secure access via single sign-on to cloud-based business applications like Google Apps for Work, while meeting security standards with an identity-based approach.”

Sprint’s comprehensive offer of Google Apps for Work includes:
· Service and support – Full array of deployment and support services, called Carefree Cloud, to help businesses plan and use the solution across all employees. Carefree Cloud includes consultation, deployment, mobile device configuration, and 24/7 ongoing admins and end user support complete with online user training guidance to simplify the implementation and use of Google Apps for Work from end to end. An e-learning application and end-user live call support are available at no charge during an initial promotional period.*
· Mobile expertise – Sprint’s core business in mobility offers a unique approach to help businesses adopt cloud services and use them effectively on an array of mobile devices so employees can work how they want to work. Users can learn more through a series of live webinars that train on how to set up and use Google Apps on mobile devices. More than 100 proprietary mobile training videos are only available from Sprint.
· Complete solution – Sprint serves as the one-stop shop for businesses by packaging all elements needed to support a comprehensive cloud-based collaboration experience. This includes value-added offers such as single sign-on and domain services.

“We welcome all businesses, whether they are using Sprint wireless services or not, to rely on us for Google Apps for Work to help them remove obstacles and encourage their employees to work better together,” said Mike Fitz, vice president of business solution commercialization, Sprint Business. “Businesses also can benefit and more easily embrace the cloud by combining Google Apps for Work with innovative pricing options like Sprint Business Share and Sprint Business Fusion plans, plus the value-added services we offer like single sign-on, elearning and 24/7 end-user support.”

For more information about Sprint’s offering of Google Apps for Work, businesses can visit www.sprint.com. For more information about PingOne from Ping Identity, please visit their website and blog.

Aggressive Pricing Plans for Business
Sprint is committed to offering U.S. consumers and businesses the best value in wireless and double the data compared to AT&T and Verizon Wireless at the same or lower monthly price.Sprint Business Share plans are available for any mobile device and offer the flexibility for businesses to select data plans at competitive prices for almost any data need up to 400GB for up to 100 lines.

About Sprint Business
Sprint Business provides a range of simple, flexible services that help workforces to collaborate, mobilize and accelerate. As work changes, the winners will be the businesses that remove obstacles to best empower their employees to drive business success. Our solutions are designed specifically to help our customers' people work better together, be more engaged and enjoy their jobs more. To learn more, visit www.sprint.com/business or join the conversation at www.sprint.com/futureofwork.

About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served more than 54 million customers as of June 30, 2014, and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint as the most improved U.S. company in customer satisfaction, across all 43 industries, over the last six years. Sprint has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America in 2011, 2012 and 2013. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com and www.twitter.com/sprint.

* For all businesses signed up for Google Apps for Business or Google Apps Unlimited with Sprint by Dec. 31, 2014, Sprint offers Carefree Cloud End User Complete Support for free to their Google Apps End Users for the lifetime of the business's Google Apps subscription with Sprint. This is applicable to the business' Google Apps End Users at the time of signing up for Google Apps services with Sprint and also applicable to the End Users added later during their Google Apps service with Sprint.