Secure SMS App TigerText Goes Freemium, Adds New Features

TigerText, the secure SMS platform aimed at the enterprise, is today reshaping the business model. Rather than having one free, consumer-facing version of the app and an enterprise-level, paid version, TigerText is combining the two into a single freemium solution.

In other words, there is now only one TigerText app that is available for anyone to download, but big companies and businesses that want control over their network must upgrade to the paid version (which remains at the same price point as the current enterprise version) in order to maintain control.

For those who don’t know, TigerText brings the ease and simplicity of text messaging into the enterprise world, offering the ability to administer who is included and excluded from a network, which messages need a security pin, and even if certain messages should expire after a certain amount of time.

The app has exploded with big businesses who realize that SMS, an opt-in, shortform version of email, can sometimes be more productive for employees. The app is especially popular in healthcare industries where SMS, as it stands on its own, isn’t compliant and violates the laws based on security and recipient authentication.

That said, TigerText is changing up its platform to encourage even more users to hop on the service and perhaps upgrade (more easily now) to the enterprise version.

TigerText is also introducing a web version of the app, which can be used across all platforms from mobile web to tablet to desktop. The web version syncs automatically and in real-time so you can pick up a conversation right where you left off.

Free users will have access to a number of TigerText features, including secure file sending, delivery and read receipts, and message recall, which lets users retrieve a message whether it’s been opened or not, or automatically after a certain period of time.

Enterprise users, on the other hand, have access to a whole bevy of control features such as easy separation of business and personal text conversations through multiple network access, enterprise data retention (giving companies full, archived control over data sent through the app), employee productivity tracking, and LDAP sync (allowing for an active, always updated employee directory within the network). Administrators can remote wipe or lock out anyone from the network, if, for example, a certain employee resigned.

Enterprise customers also have the option to use both enterprise-assigned or personal devices within the app, as well as the option to enforce a pin lock on messages, or a message life span for texts sent within the network.

According to founder Brad Brooks, TigerText currently has a presence in over 3000 facilities, with over 300 customers with a growth rate of about 10 paid customers per week. “That doesn’t speak to scale, though,” said Brooks. “For every customer, that could be 10 users or that could be 20,000 users.”

The update is a hearty one for TigerText, who plans on migrating existing enterprise customers over to the new platform soon. For now, however, you can learn more about the update on TigerText’s website.