BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in mobile communications, and Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd. announced today continued progress in their partnership with the planned integration of Samsung KNOX with two new BlackBerry enterprise services: WorkLife by BlackBerry® and SecuSUITE. The companies also announced that BlackBerry enterprise solutions will be offered through Samsung Business Services.
WorkLife by BlackBerry brings to KNOX the most comprehensive solution available for enterprises to accurately split mobile billing, respect employee privacy and protect corporate assets. It is the only solution that can separate work and personal voice and SMS as well as data usage. WorkLife will integrate seamlessly with Samsung KNOX, making it straightforward to split work and personal use. It’s a very flexible approach; enterprises can choose to pay for all employee usage within the KNOX container, or they can select specific work applications to be billed to the company.
BlackBerry subsidiary Secusmart and its SecuSUITE solution offers highly security-conscious organizations like governments virtually tap-proof voice and SMS communications that are secure enough for world leaders. BlackBerry and Samsung are working closely together to bring this government-grade security to KNOX-enabled smartphones, including the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S6. SecuSUITE for KNOX will use the Secusmart Security Card that, in conjunction with BES12, will provide hardware-based end-to-end encryption and cryptographically secured subscriber authentication. Voice and SMS as well as data from the KNOX Workspace will be fully encrypted and protected.
In addition to integrating solutions, Samsung will offer the growing selection of BlackBerry enterprise products and services through its new Samsung Business Services. This service will offer enterprise customers a single point of contact to help manage and support their Samsung mobile devices, along with a range of associated services and solutions. Samsung Business Services’ enterprise technology specialists will be able to provide customers guidance and technical support through the deployment and implementation of the tightly integrated, end-to-end secure solution that will bring together BES12 and Samsung devices with built-in KNOX security. That will include the new Samsung Galaxy S6, which offers mobile security through the newly launched Samsung KNOX 2.4, Samsung’s premier platform for enterprise mobile security, safety and two-factor authentication.
“Working with BlackBerry allows us both to bring more compelling solutions to the enterprise,” said Injong Rhee, Executive Vice President of Enterprise Business, IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “Workers are tired of carrying two devices and companies are growing sensitive to the risks of having company assets tied to personal smartphones. With the introduction of these new services from BlackBerry, the needs of both enterprises and their employees will be met with Samsung KNOX devices.”
“Customers tell us that enterprise solutions have to provide flexibility in terms of device choice and mobile deployment models such as BYOD or COPE,” said Billy Ho, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Product and Value Added Solutions, BlackBerry. “Working with Samsung, we’ll be able to provide a great experience for both SecuSUITE and WorkLife on Samsung’s KNOX-enabled devices. With these great choices, companies won’t need to choose between security and compliance on one hand and employee choice and productivity on the other. With these easy-to-deploy services, they will have both.”
Key customer benefits of WorkLife by BlackBerry:
- An option to give employees a company-owned work phone number on employee-owned devices that can be retained and reused when the employee leaves the company. Employees can quickly and easily switch between personal and company phone numbers for both voice and SMS communications.
- The ability to add a personal line to corporately owned, personally-enabled (COPE) devices, allowing employees to carry one device for both work and personal use.
- A split-billing solution that works when roaming, separating work and personal use even if the user is travelling in different countries.
- The option to add a work line to an employee device using a simple management console, regardless of their mobile device management (MDM) provider.
- Easy deployment by enabling companies to continue working with their carrier as traffic does not need to be routed through a different proxy server.
Key customer benefits of SecuSUITE:
- State-of-the art hardware based encryption technology that provides virtually tap-proof mobile voice and SMS communications.
- An anti-eavesdropping solution already successfully used by several governments.
- Security that is easy and intuitive to use.
“Samsung and BlackBerry are combining their long-standing reputation and experience to develop compelling solutions that meet unique industry challenges. The amount of sensitive corporate information transferred via voice as opposed to email/data is very large, and subject to relatively easy interception,” explains Jack Gold, Founder and Principal Analyst of J.Gold Associates, LLC. “So the need to include enhanced encryption/security of voice communications is becoming mission critical. Further, as more regulations come about to separate accounting of personal and corporate use of devices, the ability to offer multiple SIM and/or split billing is moving from a ‘nice to have’ to a critical requirement for most companies.”
Pricing and Availability
WorkLife by BlackBerry will be available on all Samsung KNOX-enabled devices and will be activated through carrier partners. BlackBerry and Samsung are working with carriers worldwide to enable the service and expect the service to launch later in 2015. Pricing and availability will be announced on a carrier-by-carrier basis. Enterprises can sign up here to be notified of availability.
SecuSUITE for Samsung KNOX will be available in the fall 2015. Pricing details will be announced at availability.
Samsung Business Services will launch later in 2015. Customers will be able to get BES12, including deployment and technical support, directly from Samsung. Other BlackBerry value added services will be added in the future.
About BlackBerry
A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies, redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, medical equipment, network systems and semiconductors. We are also leading in the Internet of Things space through, among others, our Digital Health and Smart Home initiatives. We employ 307,000 people across 84 countries. To discover more, please visit our official website at www.samsung.com and our official blog at global.samsungtomorrow.com.
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "believe", and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BlackBerry Limited in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BlackBerry believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause BlackBerry's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of BlackBerry's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BlackBerry's forward-looking statements. BlackBerry has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of BlackBerry Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.
