BlackBerry acquires Encription to provide customers
industry-leading threat mitigation and cybersecurity services
Waterloo,
Ontario — February 24 — BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:
BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in secure mobile communications, today announced
the launch of its new Professional Cybersecurity Services practice that will further
expand BlackBerry’s security portfolio by offering organizations new consulting
services, tools and best practices to assess and thwart ever-changing cybersecurity
risks.
Cybersecurity is a persistent and increasing business
risk for organizations that depend on mobile endpoints that connect through
networked and cloud-enabled platforms. It is estimated that data breaches
currently cost the global economy more than $400 billion every year.[1] Some
industry sectors, such as automotive, are being forced to grapple with
cybersecurity threats for the first time as cars become more connected,
intelligent and self-sufficient. As cybersecurity threats become more pervasive
with increasing Internet connectivity, there is a greater demand for more
robust defensive tactics to combat these risks. BlackBerry’s Professional
Cybersecurity Practice is intended to address that market demand.
Cybersecurity consulting is currently estimated to be a
$16.5 billion annual global business that is forecast to grow to $23 billion per
annum by 2019[2].
As such, cybersecurity consulting represents a natural market opportunity for
BlackBerry since it already securely manages hundreds of millions of mobile
endpoints and provides critical systems software for more than 60 million
connected cars.
BlackBerry’s new cybersecurity consulting services and
tools, combined with BlackBerry’s existing security solutions will help customers
identify the latest cybersecurity threats, develop risk appropriate mitigation
strategies, implement and maintain IT security standards and techniques and
defend against the risk of future attacks. BlackBerry’s new global Professional
Cybersecurity Services practice will address:
· Strategic Security: best practices in IT
operation ranging across enterprise mobility management and cloud services.
· Technical Security: technical assistance
for infrastructure and product development lifecycle.
· Automotive and IoT Security: security
consulting services as the rapid commercialization of IoT solutions makes
security and privacy a top priority.
· Detection, Testing and Analysis: threat
detection and mitigation penetration testing, vulnerability assessment and
incident response analysis. This includes forensic services, business security
status via IT health checks, training, regulatory compliance and security
breach management through incident response.
As part of the new Professional Cybersecurity Services
practice – and aligned with BlackBerry’s core emphasis on securing mobile
communications across all platforms – BlackBerry acquired UK-based Encription
Limited, which brings years of cybersecurity consulting experience to the
organization. The acquisition of Encription was completed on February 19, 2016.
Specific terms of the deal are not being disclosed.
Encription’s specialties range from deep technical
skills in software security to hardware capabilities. This includes
industry-leading assessments in penetration testing, mimicking the techniques
of malicious hackers to ensure organizations are aware of cyber risks posed by
criminal hackers and how to address them. Additionally, Encription has been
entrusted by one of the UK government’s highest security standards with the
CESG CHECK IT and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications. This adds another significant
security certification to BlackBerry’s portfolio in order to meet the stringent
standards and requirements for countries the company serves.
“BlackBerry is the gold standard when it comes to
security and we’re always evolving to maintain this high standard as the
complexity of enterprise mobility and security increases,” said John Chen,
Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry. “We recognize that security
vulnerabilities are a top risk concern for public and private sector
organizations alike. The creation of our Professional Cybersecurity Services practice
and acquisition of Encription reinforces our commitment to providing customers
the industry’s most secure mobility solutions and helping them to assess and
mitigate risks.”
BlackBerry has provided the world’s most secure
mobility solutions for more than two decades, and has earned more than 70
government certifications and approvals - greater than any other mobile vendor.
BlackBerry is also the trusted mobility partner of all G7 governments, 16 of
the G20 governments, 10 out of 10 of the largest global banks and law firms,
and the top five largest managed healthcare, investment services, and oil and
gas companies.
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