The mobile landscape might be changing again as word of a potential buyout of BlackBerry from Samsung has BlackBerry's stock soaring by almost 30 percent.
Samsung proposed a buyout worth $7.5 billion to the Canadian-based company. According to Reuters, that would be about $13.49 - $15.49 for each share. That would value Samsung's asking price to 35 to 60 percent over BlackBerry's actual value. Apparently, the reason for Samsung's proposal is to gain access to BlackBerry's patent portfolio.
One guess for the buyout could be for BlackBerry's security software. Last August, BlackBerry's Secure Work Space solution was given the Security Technical Implementation Guide approval by the Defense Integration Systems Agency (DISA). Secure Work Space is managed by the BlackBerry 10 platform, which the company boasted at the time was the only mobile operating system that has the Full Operating Capability certification, meaning that it can run on networks owned by the United States Department of Defense.
However, Samsung has its own security accolades. Last October, its Knox software was approved for classified use by the U.S. government and was added onto the Commercial for Classified Program Component List. That list is used by the NSA and other agencies that are looking for an additional and advanced level of security.
In May 2014, Knox was also approved by the DISA for use on sensitive, but unclassified, material on the networks of the Department of Defense. Google also partnered with Samsung last July to bring Knox to Android 5.0. Additionally, Samsung smartphones with Knox were also approved for official use by the UK government.
The buyout might also be beneficial for BlackBerry in order to get some financial support. The three-year layoffs, which saw the company cut by 60 percent just ended last year, but BlackBerry is already bolstering up its ranks in some areas, according to a memo.
Samsung has yet to comment on the talks, but BlackBerry issued a statement saying that the company "has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry." The press release did not provide any further details.
If it does come to fruition, Samsung could be a major player in software security. With the combined efforts of its Knox software as well as the BlackBerry 10 platform, Samsung would enjoy a bolstered reputation from its security IP being used on U.S. defense networks as well as being in the smartphone of U.K. government officials.
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