BlackBerry has officially launched a multi-platform mobile device management (MDM) service via an update to its BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) - offering its two main smartphone competitors access to its Secure Work Space software.
Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry may be falling behind in the smartphone war, but the company is leveraging another part of its business - MDM - and its wider mobile computing strategy to secure high-margin clients.
As promised at BlackBerry Live last month, the Secure Work Space feature went live this morning for enterprises and consumers using Google's Android and Apple's iOS devices.
Managed through BES 10 - BlackBerry's enterprise back-end system that was launched at the beginning of the year - Secure Work Space allows corporates to secure and manage devices on their networks by completely separating personal and business components.
BlackBerry has installed 18 000 BES 10 servers since the system was launched in January, and over 60% of US Fortune 500 companies are currently either testing or using the system.
Secure container
Bob Dawson, VP for enterprise software programs at BlackBerry, says Secure Work Space is a "container solution that will allow users to separate applications to personal and work", while providing comprehensive security.
"From the end-user's side, there is a separate app icon on their devices (iOS or Android) that requires a password for access to e-mails, apps, etc, on the device. The apps are wrapped and put in a container to secure the information in them. The container holds e-mails, the calendar, work browser and the entire 'Docs To Go' suite."
Dawson says applications have been designed to resemble, as closely as possible, the native apps iOS and Android users, respectively, are accustomed to.
The other benefit, says Dawson, is the secure connectivity element, which provides users access through BlackBerry's own infrastructure, with end-to-end security, "the same way we operate with BlackBerry 10 OS".
He says the solution covers most devices businesses are looking to support, either through bring your own device policies or corporate deployments.
Turnaround strategy
While BlackBerry has been developing MDM over the years, and has offered support for iOS and Android platforms for over a year now, Dawson says the latest multi-platform feature is the "natural progression" of the company's broader strategy - anchored on services rather than devices.
The latest multi-platform feature for business follows a similar move BlackBerry made in the consumer ambit recently - the opening up of its iconic BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service to the same competitors, Google and Apple. The company says its BBM service will be made available on Android and iOS devices "towards the end of the (US) summer", which means within the next two months.
However, as part of its turnaround plan, the company has also moved ahead with the release of three devices running its re-engineered BlackBerry 10 software. The all-touch Z10 device was launched in SA earlier this year, followed by the hybrid qwerty/touch-screen Q10.
Last month, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins announced the imminent arrival of a BlackBerry 10 device for emerging markets - the Q5. While pricing and time frames have not been divulged, the affordable alternative is expected to arrive in SA next month.
Reuters notes the success of BlackBerry's 2013 turnaround plan will likely come to light when the company presents its quarterly results on Friday.
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