Dec 8, 2016
BlackBerry folds security acquisitions into 'Enterprise of Things' platform
By Amber Kanwar
BlackBerry has taken its first major step to fold its most recent acquisitions into a single product. Over the past two years BlackBerry has acquired six companies in an effort to build up its arsenal of software security technology. On Thursday, the company announced it is bringing all of them under one platform called BlackBerry Secure.
Blackberry calls this an “Enterprise of Things” platform that brings together their recent acquisitions of Good Technology, WatchDox, AtHoc and Encription. The company says “Enterprise of Things” means connecting all devices, including mobile devices, computers, tracking sensors and vehicles.
As part of BlackBerry Secure, businesses will now be able to manage all the apps it uses in a secure environment. It works with iOS, Android, Windows and MacOS.
“A healthy app ecosystem increases the stickiness of BlackBerry’s platform in enterprises,” said Paul Treiber, BlackBerry analyst at RBC in a note to clients. Treiber has a Sector Perform rating and US$7.50 target on the shares.
While BlackBerry missed out on the “Bring Your Own Device” trend in mobile, RBC says they could get ahead of the “Bring Your Own PC” slowly happening in the workplace. “The low cost and ease of supporting third party and enterprise apps on personally-owned PCs via BlackBerry Secure appear likely [to be] competitive advantages compared to virtual desktops,” said Treiber.
Much of the products BlackBerry Secure can be used with aren’t brand new but rather products that existed under previous banners. For example, its new BlackBerry Dynamics product is the former Good Dynamics platform that came with its purchase of Good Technology in September 2015. BlackBerry Workspaces comes from its WatchDox acquisition that allows users to share files in a highly secure manner.
Shares of BlackBerry rallied 3 per cent in the Wednesday session as the company held a call with customers to debut the new platform. A formal announcement of BlackBerry Secure is expected after the close of trading. BlackBerry Secure is expected to launch in the new year.
* An earlier version of this article mistakenly said BlackBerry held a call with analysts to debut the new platform. The call was in fact held with customers.
