14 DAY TRIAL // Canadian company BlackBerry has just announced it has acquired UK-based startup Movirtu in order “to improve adoption of BYOD (bring your own devices) and COPE (corporate owned personally enabled environments).”
Movirtu offers a virtual identity solution for carriers, which allows smartphone owners to use multiple phone numbers on the same device without having to use multiple SIM cards.
According to Movirtu, its virtual solution enables users to use the same device for both business and personal use. The solution makes it easier for those who need their smartphones at their job to use the same device for business and pleasure.
The acquisition will really help BlackBerry complete its business solution for enterprise customers. By allowing employees to use a single device for both work and home without having to use multiple SIM cards, BlackBerry gives its clients the freedom and privacy they want while keeping the same level of security.
In fact, the Canadian company has confirmed that Movirtu’s virtual identity solution complements its Secure Work Space, BlackBerry Balance and other technologies.
But what does this mean for end-users? It’s pretty simple, it means that you will only have to carry a single device with you even if you have multiple numbers. There’s no need to switch SIM cards, as Movirtu’s virtual solution allows users to switch between profiles for calls, data and messages, even in roaming situations.
BlackBerry will offer the virtual SIM platform to all smartphone OSes
More importantly, the bills will be split between employees and the employer, as the solution offers separate billing for voice, data and messaging usage on each number.
BlackBerry also confirmed that “in conjunction with the BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) platform, enterprise customers will be able to apply IT policies to the business number without impacting the usability of the device for personal use.”
Last but not least, the Canadian company announced that the new virtual SIM capabilities would be offered through carriers on all major smartphone operating systems. So there you have it, Android, iOS and Windows Phone users, you will be able to take advantage of this service as well.
“In a BYOD and COPE world, there remain a number of efficiency and convenience challenges facing enterprises, employees and mobile operators alike.
“The acquisition of Movirtu complements our core strategy of providing additional value added services, and it will leverage our key assets, including our BES platform, along with our existing global infrastructure which is connected to a large number of mobile operators around the world,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry.