BlackBerry continues its efforts to insert itself in the middle of the smartphone today with news that it will bring security software to market for third-party platforms, including Android and iOS.
Secure Work Space for iOS and Android will extend BlackBerry security capabilities for data-at-rest and data-in-transit and provide complete separation between work and personal data. The BlackBerry Secure Work Space solution includes secured client applications for email, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, secure browsing and document editing for each device that is provisioned via BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.
David J Smith, executive vice president of enterprise mobile computing for BlackBerry, said in a statement that the move is about extending as many of the BlackBerry Balance features as possible to other platforms.
“BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers administrators a single, intuitive platform enabling them to effectively and securely manage a variety of devices while protecting their corporate assets and at the same time providing employees the flexibility they desire,” Smith said.
Closed beta testing for Secure Work Space has already started and general availability will be offered by the end of the second quarter of 2013.
BlackBerry is in a fight for its life as it pushes two new smartphones, the Z10 and Q10, which are based on the company’s reinvented platform, BlackBerry 10. Shares of the company have been on the rise this week as rumors of a possible buyout by Lenovo resurfaced.
While the company hopes the reinvention of its operating system will attract more consumers to BlackBerry devices, it is also concerned with maintaining its enterprise base. BlackBerry offered good news on the latter today, with an announcement that it had received an order for one million of its new smartphones, the largest single purchase in the company’s history.
Shares of BlackBerry were down slightly in early trading to $15.51.
Filed Under: Devices
