14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry has just announced that it will be opening up some of its secure messaging and file sharing technology for developers to start building apps and thus create new revenue for the company. The developer kit will be released this month.
BlackBerry’s developer kit will include tools for building chat apps, video and voice calling, as well as secure file sharing and sending out push notifications to smartphones. BlackBerry’s Chief Operating Officer Marty Beard said, “We don’t think current providers are meeting the needs of the enterprise.”
These services are already offered by competing companies like Twilio, Bandwidth.com, Nexmo or Plivo, but BlackBerry’s advantage is its reputation for security. The SDK is part of BlackBerry’s Development Platform, which offers a secure hosted cloud service for developers to create messaging, voice and video apps.
BBM Enterprise is built on enterprise-grade security
BlackBerry mentioned that BBM Enterprise builds upon the company’s proven security model and protects encrypted messages, voice calls and video calls. “More importantly, it’s fast, reliable, and easy to use, both for end users and for IT.”
BBM Enterprise SDK reduces the need to work with multiple APIs, so that businesses can focus on increased productivity, immerse scalability and reduced development. Moreover, developers can reduce operational costs with BBM Enterprise.
A few days ago, BlackBerry announced that it partnered with Optiemus in India to design, manufacture and support BlackBerry devices. Through this move, the company makes sure that its smartphones are produced and marketed all over the world through its three partners.
BlackBerry is thus continuing its transition from smartphone maker to an exclusive provider of software and security solutions. In fact, all smartphones sold under the BlackBerry brand will receive software and security support from BlackBerry.
BlackBerry’s BBM Enterprise SDK will be made available for iOS and Android developers soon, while more details will be provided at the end of this month.