Blackberry announced that it has agreed to acquire mobile security company Good Technology for $425 million. BlackBerry expects the transition to be completed at the end of the company’s 2016 fiscal third quarter.
BlackBerry Acquires Good Technology, Aims to Enhance Security and Mobile Enterprise
Blackberry acquires Good Technology with plans to offer customers the most complete end-to-end solution that secures the entire mobile enterprise across all platforms. Blackberry plans to expand its secure mobility platform, which is supported by a security that has been certified by governments around the world.
With the acquisition, Blackberry hopes to remedy “one of the biggest struggles for CIOs today”: securely managing devices across different platforms.
John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO stated, By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise in their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security.”
Christy Wyatt, Good Chairman and CEO, maintains the alignment will advance mobile security and flexibility. She states, “We are excited to join BlackBerry, where together we will be the most comprehensive mobile platform in the market. Good has worked hard to deliver the highest levels of security across operating systems and applications. Our trusted Good Solutions will also help BlackBerry to accelerate its Internet of Things platform for managing endpoints beyond mobile devices.”
Will The Good Acquisition Help BlackBerry Gain Back Corporate Customers?
Once the Smartphone of choice among corporations, BlackBerry lost customers to the Iphone and Android due to its lack of available applications and BYOD (bring your own device) options. Through the Good acquisition, BlackBerry refocuses its attention on security, an issue of concern for government, corporations, and general users alike as fears of hacking and cyber terrorism increase.
Blackberry acquires Good Technology with plans to expand its presence with global enterprise and government customers. Good’s customer list includes: more than 6,200 organizations, more than half of the Fortune 100, all of the Fortune 100 commercial banks, aerospace and defense firms, and leaders across healthcare, manufacturing and retail.
