By Ben Dummett
BlackBerry Ltd. announced Monday a cloud version of its mobile
security software, its latest move to win business from its
traditional government and business customers.
The Canadian smartphone maker designed the BES12 technology,
launched in November, to work across mobile operating platforms to
help it generate sales even though its share of the smartphone
market has dwindled to less than 1%. The mobile-device management
software allows companies to securely manage employee BlackBerrys,
iPhones and Android-powered devices among others used on corporate
networks.
With the cloud version of BES12, BlackBerry aims to win new
business from small and midsize companies that don't have the
resources to install BES12 on site, by making the software
available online. BlackBerry also expects the offering to appeal to
divisions and subsidiaries of larger enterprise customers.
It is "enabling us to really broaden our footprint," Marty
Beard, BlackBerry's chief operating officer, told reporters ahead
of the announcement.
BlackBerry has no plans to stop selling its own devices. But
after a failed effort in 2013 to compete against Apple Inc. and
Samsung Electronics Co. in the consumer market, the company is
placing greater emphasis on selling higher margin mobile software
that companies can deploy, no matter the type of device their
employees use, to reboot revenue and profit growth.
The company is counting on BES12 sales to double its software
sales next fiscal year to $500 million.
Still, BlackBerry's on-premise and cloud versions of its
mobile-device management software face competition from several
rivals including Citrix Systems Inc. and MobileIron Inc.
Write to Ben Dummett at ben.dummett@wsj.com
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