BlackBerry CEO Writes Open Letter, Says Security Still #1
BlackBerry's new CEO reveals the company's roadmap to success.
Over on CNBC, BlackBerry Limited's new CEO, John Chen, provides an open letter to the public, outlining a path of success he plans to take with the company. This road to recovery will rely on four ingredients: enterprise services, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the QNX Embedded business and the Devices business.
"It's been easy for competitors to promote negative stories about BlackBerry, focusing on the business of the past. But I'm not focused on who BlackBerry used to be—I'm focused on what BlackBerry will be today and in the future," Chen writes.
"Today, our company is strong financially, technologically savvy and is well-positioned for the future. In less than two months, my team and I have engineered a new strategy to stabilize the company, return to our core strength in enterprise and security, and maximize efficiencies," he adds.
He said that when it comes to mobile Enterprise, BlackBerry remains the clear leader. The company still has over 80,000 enterprise customers, which is three times the number of customers compared to the combined numbers of three of BlackBerry's biggest competitors.
"Many in the regulated industries—those with the most stringent security needs—still depend solely on BlackBerry to secure their mobile infrastructure," Chen writes. "For governments, BlackBerry cannot just be replaced—we are the only MDM provider to obtain "Authority to Operate" on U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) networks. This means the DoD is allowed to use only BlackBerry. Across the globe, seven out of seven of the G7 governments are also BlackBerry customers."
Chen also boasts about the success of BlackBerry Messenger, which just landed on Android and iOS. Corporations love it because it's highly secure; consumers just love it, period. In just 60 days, the chat client has reeled in more than 40 million new users. BlackBerry will continue to invest in this platform, and expects to make money in a couple of years.
"QNX has always been one of our most exciting technologies and it is poised for further growth. Already the dominant machine-to-machine technology of the automotive industry, new capabilities and cloud services are being unveiled at CES in January, and we're looking toward adjacent verticals for expansion," Chen writes.
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Finally, he talks about Devices, echoing previous reports that BlackBerry teamed up with Foxconn to produce smartphones in Indonesia and other fast growing markets. The Foxconn deal is expected to boost BlackBerry's time-to-market, allowing the company to design and ship phones faster. The hardware team is also focusing on high-quality products at competitive prices.
To read the entire letter, head here.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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thundervore Its security is still #1 because day by day more and more companies are jumping ship and implementing "Bring Your Own Device" policies.Reply
It is easier for them to install Good for Enterprise or Mobile Iron on someone's own personal device than buy a BB and maintain a BES license for that device. Not to mention replace it, if it gets damaged or lost.
So who is going to try and waste their time cracking RIM security when nothing is on the other side worth while taking because there are no customers? -
sixdegree I guess things like "innovation" or "design" is taking a backseat in BB roadmap to success.Reply -
eddieroolz With the NSA spying scandals I'm surprised people are still mocking security today. If Apple or Google had mentioned "Security is #1" I'm sure there would be only praises.Reply -
wdmfiber Reply
No, ~10% of the population controls 90% of the money. If your a thief you want to raid the castle, not the ghettos.12320699 said:Its security is still #1 because day by day more and more companies are jumping ship and implementing "Bring Your Own Device" policies.
It is easier for them to install Good for Enterprise or Mobile Iron on someone's own personal device than buy a BB and maintain a BES license for that device. Not to mention replace it, if it gets damaged or lost.
So who is going to try and waste their time cracking RIM security when nothing is on the other side worth while taking because there are no customers?
Anyway... you can say the opposite about any article; maybe someone will think you're smart.
But the elite do use BB's. And with all the out of control hacking/spying now, security is very important. BB is likely wishing they would have told the UAE and all the other countries... NO! When they wanted a "backdoor" in. Users would have remembered that.
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brandonjclark 10%? Try 1%. But as a social libertarian I'd like tonsaynthat in don't believe that to be the problem. It is GOVERNMENT that has created this 1%, plain and simple. Without crony capitalism we'd never have this problem. The federal government is the enemy. Along with property tax.Reply -
acadia11 I'm sorry anyone who is so naive as to the economics of history to make a statement like "without th federal government we wouldn't have the problem of 1% of the population controlling 90% of the capital" is a f ing idiot.Reply
It has always been the case that a very few have controlled the vast majority of resources and this has been the case with or without a federal government. As a consumer the federal government gives you at least a shot for several reasons, regardless of class you are guaranteed a vote. This is irrespective of your personal capital , the dynamics of a global economy, or the power of influence of those with the vast majority of the wealth. The anti-dote is as those who wish to disenfranchise you and reduce this common sense point is to convince you a federal government is the cause of the problem of those with the most wealth even taking a bigger part of the pie?... I'll let you think about how asinine your comment based on this simple paradox alone. -
acadia11 I'm sorry anyone who is so naive as to the economics of history to make a statement like "without th federal government we wouldn't have the problem of 1% of the population controlling 90% of the capital" is a f ing idiot.Reply
It has always been the case that a very few have controlled the vast majority of resources and this has been the case with or without a federal government. As a consumer the federal government gives you at least a shot for several reasons, regardless of class you are guaranteed a vote. This is irrespective of your personal capital , the dynamics of a global economy, or the power of influence of those with the vast majority of the wealth. The anti-dote is as those who wish to disenfranchise you and reduce this common sense point is to convince you a federal government is the cause of the problem of those with the most wealth even taking a bigger part of the pie?... I'll let you think about how asinine your comment based on this simple paradox alone.