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BlackBerry announced that it has signed a licensing deal with the United Kingdom-based smartphone manufacturer Bullitt Group that will allow the device maker to incorporate the BlackBerry Secure software suite into its handsets. Bullitt Group manufactures smartphones under the CAT and Land Rover brands, and its rugged devices are sold in around 100 countries worldwide. By licensing the BlackBerry Secure software platform, buyers of CAT and Land Rover smartphones will soon see BlackBerry-developed security software on their devices. This software platform, the Canadian tech firm mentions, should guard users against attackers that may take advantage of vulnerabilities found in the operating system of the mobile devices.
It has been reported last year that the Canadian tech company has been speaking with a number of device manufacturers for the licensing of its BlackBerry Secure platform. Aside from Bullitt Group, BlackBerry has already licensed its software to the Switzerland-based consumer electronics firm Punkt Tronics. Previous reports already mentioned that under these licensing deals, the Canadian software company will work with the OEM to develop software that is compatible with the hardware of their partner’s handset. These licensing deals benefit the device manufacturers by allowing the companies to release more secure smartphones without having to deal with the costs associated with software development. BlackBerry states on its website that it employs a variety of methods to protect smartphone users from attacks. For example, security keys are used to ensure that both the hardware and the software of the devices have not been tampered, while the internal storage of the devices are fully encrypted so that the data stored in the devices are protected just in case the handsets are stolen.
These licensing deals are a part of the tech firm’s recent efforts to generate profits by capitalizing on its expertise on the development of security software and other enterprise-focused software solutions. The company already shut down its hardware operations back in 2016 due to lackluster performance. Aside from mobile device security, the company is also developing software solutions for other industries like healthcare and autonomous vehicles. For example, BlackBerry has partnered with companies like Delphi and Baidu for the development of self-driving technologies.