BlackBerry Buys Up Good Technology For Enterprise Mobile Push

BlackBerry has made a major move for dominance of the enterprise mobile market by announcing it plans to acquire Good Technology for $425m (£280m).

The deal, which should be completed by the middle of next year, will see BlackBerry’s push towards enterprise mobile software benefit from a range of new technologies that offer a secure and safe mobility platform for business users, the company says.

This will allow BlackBerry, which has refocused its attentions away from smartphones towards software in recent years, to develop and release more in-depth solutions for BYOD devices.

Strong presence

“By acquiring Good, BlackBerry will better solve one of the biggest struggles for CIOs today, especially those in regulated industries: securely managing devices across any platform. By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise on their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security,” said BlackBerry CEO John Chen.

“Like BlackBerry, Good has a very strong presence in enterprises and governments around the world and, with this transaction, BlackBerry will enhance its sales and distribution capabilities and further grow its enterprise software revenue stream.”

BlackBerry says that Good’s technology will integrate with its existing enterprise portfolio, creating a “comprehensive management solution for all mobile devices that protects customers’ security and privacy”.

BlackBerry has been restructuring itself in recent times to focus on software for mobile device management and security for businesses and government bodies. Its mobile management software is now capable of managing iOS and Android devices as well as its own handsets.

Good offers BlackBerry a prestigious existing customer base made up of more than 6,200 organisations, including more than half of the Fortune 100, all of the Fortune 100 commercial banks, aerospace and defense firms, and leaders across healthcare, manufacturing and retail.

“Enterprise customers today demand stringent security and the most flexible platform across all mobility strategies,” said Christy Wyatt, Good chairman and CEO.

“We are excited to join BlackBerry, where together we will be the most comprehensive mobile platform in the market. Good has worked hard to deliver the highest levels of security across operating systems and applications. Our trusted Good solutions will also help BlackBerry to accelerate its Internet of Things platform for managing endpoints beyond mobile devices.”

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