Nokia said Sept. 29 it was dropping further development plans for its enterprise e-mail platform to focus on collaborations between Nokia's smartphones and enterprise platforms from providers including Cisco, Microsoft and IBM. Nokia also announced it is in the advanced stages of discussions for the potential sale of its security appliances business to a financial investor.

The new emphasis on outside collaboration leaves Nokia's 2006 $430 million acquisition of Intellisync to bolster its own enterprise applications at a dead end.

"We have very strong relationships with industry leading enterprise technology partners such as Cisco and Microsoft, as well as a broad range of operator and retail channel partners," Niklas Savander, Nokia's executive vice president for services and software, said in a statement. "Together with them, we will use our expertise in devices, as well as the combined channel footprint and customer base, to deliver a range of unbeatable end-to-end offerings for business."

Nokia said the decision to cease developing or marketing its own behind-the-firewall business mobility solutions would be an "extremely positive development" for its security appliance business.

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