IBM today announced an agreement to acquire Worklight, a privately held Israeli-based provider of mobile software for smartphones and tablets. Financial terms were not disclosed.

IBM says the move will help expand its mobile enterprise capabilities that it offers to clients. IBM's mobile offerings will now span mobile application development, integration, security and management.

"Our clients are under increased pressure to meet the growing demands of a workforce and customer base that now treat mobility as mission critical to their business," said Marie Wieck, general manager of IBM application and infrastructure middleware, in a statement. "With the acquisition of Worklight, IBM is well-positioned to help clients become smarter mobile enterprises reaching new markets." 

Worklight's software supports consumer and employee-facing applications in a broad range of industries, including financial services, retail and healthcare. For example, a bank can create a single application that offers features to enable its customers to securely connect to their account, pay bills and manage their investments, regardless of the device they are using. Similarly, a hospital could use Worklight technology to extend its existing IT system to allow direct input of health history, allergies and prescriptions by a patient using a tablet.

The acquisition of Worklight is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012. Worklight will sit within IBM's software group.