Blackberry has just acquired Good Technologies for $425 million and more details have been leaked regarding the rumored Blackberry device based on Android:
“Earlier this summer Reuters cited sources slating a fall launch for an Android slider BlackBerry. While CEO John Chen has also said he is not against the idea of building an Android phone if it can be done in a secure way. “If I can find a way to secure the Android phone, I will also build that,” he said back in June.”
The pictures that accompany the story suggest the device may have the chicklet keyboard Blackberry made famous, and I’d like to give it a try!
With the acquisition of Good Technology, Blackberry moves into a unique position to offer a consistent secure mobile environment across multiple devices, perhaps to include IoT devices in the future.
“In a statement, BlackBerry said that Good will give it the assets to offer a unified mobility platform that can manage multiple platforms.
BlackBerry CEO John Chen said Good will enable the company to “enhance its sales and distribution capabilities and further grow its enterprise software revenue stream.” Good CEO Christy Wyatt said her company will also fit into BlackBerry’s Internet of things plans.
BlackBerry will benefit from the acquisition of Good because it won’t have to work hard to convince CIOs it can manage more than its own devices. Sixty four percent of Good’s activations are iOS devices and the company also counts Android and Windows in the customer base.
“Our combined product platform will be the industry’s broadest and deepest and extend beyond EMM and into the IoT world,” Chen said on a call with analysts. “We will have strength across all the mobile operating systems.””
Corporations and public agencies need methods for increasing security around mobile devices today, and for IoT devices tomorrow. While the software security solutions established by Apple, Google, and Samsung have their advantages and disadvantages, especially associated with payment credentials, the difference in architecture and implementation effectively creates silos of security. Perhaps Blackberry has finally found a business model that will connect it to the mainstream mobile devices while also providing sufficient value add to drive increased revenues. Time will tell, but I hope I get to test drive the android Blackberry soon!
Overview by Tim Sloane, VP, Payments Innovation at Mercator Advisory Group
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