BlackBerry is setting up a completely separate subsidiary in Washington, D.C., to strengthen the company’s ties with critical U.S. federal agencies that require highly secure cloud-based services.
The new subsidiary will be focused on ensuring that more BlackBerry products and services meet the strict U.S. requirements for assessing, authorising and monitoring products and services that use cloud computing.
This independent wholly-owned subsidiary would be headed by Rear Admiral Bob Day, who has been with the firm since 2016.
As the President of BlackBerry Government Solutions, Day will continue to guide BlackBerry products through FedRAMP and Agency/Component Authority to Operate (ATO) certifications, as well as oversee the mandated continuous monitoring and maintenance of BlackBerry FedRAMP cloud services.
The new subsidiary would be headquartered in Washington DC and will have a governance structure that is different from its corporate parent, in order to adhere to the requirements of national security.
The company didn’t disclose how many people report to Day but said that BlackBerry Government Solutions will have its own offices, board of directors, IT infrastructure, security systems, and employee badges.
Currently, BlackBerry’s crisis communication solution is used by over 70% of US federal employees.
CEO John Chen said,
“A tidal wave of connected devices is in sight and I believe BlackBerry is uniquely positioned to help the U.S. government securely build and connect all ‘things’ from ATVs and drones to documents, emails, and the data that flows between,”
“This new subsidiary allows us to deepen our reach within the U.S. government sector by ensuring our next-generation cybersecurity solutions and Spark platform meet FedRAMP and ATO (authority to operate) certifications, as well as provide our customers with a higher-level of service.”
