BlackBerry announced BlackBerry Secure Thursday, the company’s new platform designed to be the foundation that enables the company to move to software and addresses the entire enterprise from end-point to end-point.
BlackBerry is enabling channel partners to play a consulting and integration role with BlackBerry Secure. The company has 1,200 partners globally that work with the software side of its business. Many of those partners came through the consolidation of the acquired companies’ channel programs. However, about 450 out of the 1,200 companies are new partners that have signed on with BlackBerry since the company revamped its channel program in May 2016.
Richard McLeod, global vice president, Enterprise Software Channels, at BlackBerry said,
“We are looking for partners that want to continue to move up the application curve and continue to grow services capabilities and application integration capabilities,”
An emerging role for BlackBerry partners is in integrating BlackBerry platform components into applications. BlackBerry Secure includes an SDK that lets partners integrate such technologies as BlackBerry UEM endpoint security (formerly BES12), BlackBerry Workspaces enterprise file sync and share software (formerly WatchDox), and BlackBerry Dynamics mobile security (formerly Good Dynamics), for example.
BlackBerry partners in the Gold and Platinum levels of the company’s partner program can become accredited in the Customer Success Management competency. Partners in that role work with customers to make sure they “get the maximum return and usage” out of the suite-oriented software, McLeod noted
“Customer Success Management partners conduct quarterly reviews with customers, consulting on new applications and use cases that a business may explore”.
The Applications Consultancy and Integration competency, meanwhile, is a specialization in which partners use BlackBerry’s SDK, APIs and connectors to link the security platform with horizontal or vertical business applications. Partners in this role can use the SDK to integrate with commercially available applications and work with clients to integrate BlackBerry Secure into custom applications.
BlackBerry Secure helps companies manage and secure their mobile devices and connected things and secures communications for all messaging and file types – ultimately opening up new markets for BlackBerry where multiple endpoint mobile security management and applications are critical.
For example, BlackBerry’s platform will prevent hackers from penetrating devices and computers, provide intelligence for secure supply chain communications, ensure patient confidentiality in healthcare and safeguard assets in the financial industry.
