BlackBerry is taking its expertise in the enterprise and is offering it to iOS and Android users. BlackBerry’s Secure Work Space is managed through the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and offers third party platforms a secure email client along with a secured calendar app, one for secured browsing, memos, contacts, tasks and document editing.
BlackBerry is touting Secure Work Space as a “secure and reliable solution” for government and business and hopes that it becomes the top choice for corporations and government agencies that allow employees to BYOD. The Bring Your Own Device craze has taken off with many companies believing that workers will be more productive by bringing their own smartphone into the office, because they are more familiar with it than they would be with another platform.
Robert Enderle, principal analyst with Enderle Group, said that most smartphones on the market are not secure for government or corporate work. According to the analyst, BES 10 combined with BlackBerry Balance or Secure Work Space is the only solution that provides the security for smartphone users that IT departments seek. BlackBerry Balance is a feature on BB10 that allows a user to switch between a work theme and a play theme on a single handset. The work setting prevents the user from accessing certain apps without approval from the IT department. Contacts, emails and features are limited to those related to work. The play setting allows access to all apps and shows contacts related to personal relationships. Business info is locked.
“With BlackBerry Balance technology, we offer the industry’s only true compromise-free separation of work and personal data and applications. With Secure Work Space for iOS and Android devices, we’re extending as many of these features as possible to other platforms, critical in today’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) world. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers administrators a single, intuitive platform enabling them to effectively and securely manage a variety of devices while protecting their corporate assets and at the same time providing employees the flexibility they desire.”-David J. Smith, executive vice president of Enterprise Mobile Computing
We should learn more information in May at the BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando.
