TORONTO-- BlackBerry Ltd. on Wednesday partnered with Google
Inc. to ensure its latest mobile security software works with
technology the search engine giant offers to separate an employee's
personal and work data on a smartphone.
The deal is BlackBerry's latest move to broaden the potential
customer base for its BES12 software, which enables companies to
remotely manage devices to prevent security breaches and data loss.
Last November, the Canada-based company partnered with South Korean
mobile-phone maker Samsung Electronics Co. on mobile-security
technology offerings to gain access to Samsung's enterprise
customers.
BlackBerry's management device software anchors its strategy to
double software sales to $500 million next fiscal year as part of
its plan to revive growth. Because BlackBerry's global share of the
smartphone market has fallen below 1%, the company needs to make
its security software appealing to customers whose employees use
competitors' devices. That includes businesses whose employees use
mobile phones powered by Google's Android operating system.
Companies can already use BlackBerry's BES12 technology to
manage Android devices that aren't also loaded with Google's
so-called Android for Work solution. That technology allows users
to separate personal and work data to ensure corporate security and
employee privacy.
The combination of BlackBerry's BES12 and Google's Android for
Work "will provide customers with another option to enhance their
mobile security and the productivity of their employees," Billy Ho,
senior executive in BlackBerry's enterprise group, said in a
statement.
BlackBerry said it will start offering the service in the second
quarter of this year.
Write to Ben Dummett at ben.dummett@wsj.com
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