BlackBerry: Why we're staying security-first

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BlackBerry has told TechRadar Pro its continued transition to a software and services provider continues on course as the company continues to go from strength to strength.

Speaking to us at the recent MWC 2019 event in Barcelona, Alex Thurber, SVP and GM of BlackBerry’s mobility solutions division, said that the company is fully focused on helping secure everything in what it calls the “Enterprise of Things”.

“All the connected devices out there, whether they're as simple as a lightbulb, up to an automobile, need to communicate, and communicate securely, so if there's a connection, they need to be protected,” he says.

“From an electronics perspective, there's not much more out there today that's more complex than a modern smartphone.”

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Strategic

“We are a security-first company when you think about it,” Thurber adds, “BlackBerry has always been thought of as a secure device company, but there's no question that we are the pre-eminent mobile communications security company.”

This reach also extends into the IoT, he notes, with BlackBerry making several well-publicised pushes into the connected space in recent years.

At CES in January, BlackBerry announced a range of feature packs, offering up selected portions of the company’s expertise in a modular fashion that allows customers to pick which aspects they need, and then build from there.

“As we transition to a software company, our focus becomes...very strategic,” he adds, 

“in security, it's all about watching what's happening, innovating and trying to get ahead of the transitions.”

So as the world around us becomes smarter and more connected, it seems that BlackBerry is in an excellent position to take advantage of the strong market position it has built. But far from going it alone, the business wants to be seen as a reliable partner that can support customers in a wide range of verticals.

“In technology, the key is growth and innovation - you can build, buy and partner,” Thurber notes, “any successful technology company has a combination of those three strategies.”

“It's a very exciting time,” he adds, “there's not many businesses that have transitioned from being a $20bn hardware company to a software company that's growing like we have.”

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