After announcing some new BBM Protected features at this year’s Mobile World Congress 2015, BlackBerry has extended the same service to both Android and iOS users.
The company made this known in a blog post, where it also explained the cost of data breach for a firm, which it puts at $6 million according to a report made available by the Ponemon Institute.
With BlackBerry Protect, users of Android and iOS devices will now be able to access a more secure enterprise-based version of its BBM messaging service. Organizations using the service will now be able to allow their employees chat securely by using the BBM Protected to non-BBM Protected workers at other companies, or customers. This means users will be able to enjoy more protection and secure messaging communications within partners outside their enterprise.
Here is how BlackBerry explained the service in a blog post announcing the extension of BBM Protected to both Android and iOS devices:
“BBM Protected offers an enterprise-grade secure instant messaging service with all the features of a consumer IM app, the hardening of on-premise security together with the convenience of a cloud service. All messages are encrypted using keys generated by the communicating mobile devices themselves. This BlackBerry innovation effectively prevents ‘man in the middle’ hacker attacks, providing greater security than competing encryption schemes, and earning BBM Protected FIPS 140-2 validation by the U.S. Department of Defense.
With the announcement this week, organizations using BBM Protected can now let their employees chat securely using BBM Protected to non-BBM Protected workers at other companies, or customers. The result: instant federation and bulletproof security for messaging communications with partners outside of your enterprise.”
BBM Protected, which is available via an extra subscription service, and via BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES), will also be available on a 30-day free trial. It will work on iOS 6 and above and with BBM 2.6 or higher, while the Android version works with Android 4.0 or higher and with BBM 2.6 or higher.
BlackBerry now makes it easier to connect with your high-profile clients in a secure and trusted environment, which has become vital these days where there have been hue and cry for improved security among chat apps.
Recall that BlackBerry announced the new BBM Protected feature at this year’s Mobile World Congress, which gives users a way to send and receive secure messages with their customers, clients and partners.
