BlackBerry Ltd. states that, globally, cybersecurity consulting pulls in an estimated $16.5 billion annually.
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Encription’s specialties range from technical skills in software security to hardware capabilities.
“We recognise that security vulnerabilities are a top risk concern for public and private sector organisations alike”.
As part of the move, BlackBerry announced at the Mobile World Congress that it has acquired UK-based Encription Limited, which brings years of cybersecurity consulting experience to the organisation.
The industry giant’s entry into consultancy will be facilitated by the fact that it already offers security solutions to hundreds of millions of mobile endpoints. This is where Encription comes in as the foundation of its new Professional Cybersecurity Services unit.
The Ontario smartphone vendor, an early standard bearer for multifunction mobile phones, announced Wednesday it has acquired United Kingdom cyber security consulting firm Encription. The Firm is engaged primarily in the provision of the BlackBerry wireless solution, consisting of smartphones, service and software. Building on its reputation for security, the Waterloo-based company’s new cybersecurity consulting service will provide companies with the tool and know-how to ensure they stay on top of the latest cybersecurity threats.
With enterprise mobility management solutions moving increasingly to the cloud and away from legacy on-site installations, the need for secure systems with high-end capabilities like file management, app stores, single sign-in and data security will only increase, a need that BlackBerry is now well-positioned to supply given its capacity to do so and the trust enterprise users see in its reputation for security.
Meanwhile, it is also reported that the company has partnered with Sharecare, a leading digital health platform, in order to offer customers a more improved and secure insight into their biological well-being, via the Sharecare BBM channel.
The company has significant cyber security expertise in house, and the new cyber security consulting practice will build on those assets, a spokeswoman said.
During last fall, the company took over rival security software developer Good Technology.
BlackBerry may continue to gobble up security-focused companies, but the company may also choose to focus on integrating some of its recent acquisitions and getting the word out on some of its new partnerships that haven’t born products yet, Hill said.
The company will specialize in automotive and Internet of Things security and in detection, testing and analysis.
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The Professional Cybersecurity Services program will be useful for organizations with strict regulatory compliance where people still use BlackBerry.
