BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) management took another significant step by allowing mobile device management (MDM) companies to directly manage its devices powered by the BlackBerry 10 operating system (BB10). The Canadian smartphone manufacturer decided to provide more options to organizations to embrace multi-operating system mobile environments.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) made the decision after AirWatch, Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) expressed their intentions to be the first to work with the company to enable a more open mobile environment.
A natural next step
In a statement, Ron Louks, president of devices and emerging solutions at BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), explained that enabling MDM companies to manage BB10 devices is a “natural next step” in the company’s enterprise services as it seeks to provide customers with the maximum number of choices to be able to fulfill a wide array of employee mobility needs.
Louks also said, “Offering the end-to-end secure solutions valued by our customers in government and other regulated industries remains central to our strategy; however, BlackBerry understands the opportunity and importance of opening our BlackBerry 10 software.”
Top priority
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) noted a report from Gartner that mobile device management is still the top priority of IT buyers, as investment levels are growing steadily, and competition among players drive commoditization. The Canadian smartphone manufacturer is also aware of Gartner’s findings that “proliferation of and demand for workplace mobility necessitate the need for quality and flexible management tools.”
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) decided to work with AirWatch, Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) to offer customers the most flexible solution to support a broader enterprise mobility strategy because of the demand mentioned above.
BlackBerry good move
Christian Kane, an analyst at Forrester, opined that opening BB10 devices to be managed by MDM companies is a good move for the Canadian smartphone manufacturer. According to him, “I think it’s about time, necessary, and a good move for BlackBerry. This should continue to show customers that they truly want to be cross-platform across the company.”
Meanwhile, BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) officially launched its BlackBerry Z3, Jakarta Edition during an event in Jakarta, Indonesia. The device costs 2,199,000 Indonesian rupiah, and it is exclusively developed for customers in Indonesia.
