BlackBerry Acquiring WatchDox to Bolster Mobile Content Security and Enterprise Collaboration

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – April 21, 2015) – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire WatchDox Ltd. to further enhance BlackBerry’s best-in-class mobile security and give enterprises unmatched control over their files even after data leaves the corporate network. WatchDox’s technology will be offered as a value-added service that complements BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) portfolio, and will be available with BES12, a multi-OS EMM solution.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

WatchDox is a data security company offering the most secure enterprise file-sync-and-share (EFSS) solutions that allow users to protect, share and work with their files on any device⁽¹⁾. WatchDox security travels with shared files on both mobile and desktop devices to give organizations full visibility and control over how files are edited, copied, printed or forwarded. The solution also allows end users to revoke access or delete files remotely, enables secure mobile productivity for repositories both in the cloud and on premises, and gives administrators the ability to lock or remove access to files compromised in a data breach.

The addition of WatchDox will extend BlackBerry’s commitment to help organizations securely connect employees with each other and with corporate information across all mobile and desktop platforms. BES12 is the foundation for BlackBerry’s extensive portfolio of enterprise security, productivity, and communication and collaboration services.

„BlackBerry is constantly expanding the potential of data security so that it enables more collaboration and sharing rather than creating limitations,“ said John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO. „This acquisition represents another key step forward as we transition BlackBerry into the premier platform for secure mobile communications software and applications, supporting all devices and operating systems. Together with last year’s Secusmart acquisition, Samsung partnership, our own internal development efforts, and now the acquisition of WatchDox, we now have capabilities to secure communications end-to-end from voice, text, messaging, data and now enterprise file-sync-and share.“

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with research and development facilities in Petah Tikva, Israel, WatchDox serves leading organizations across a variety of industry sectors in which secure collaboration and mobility are essential, including government, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, law and media.

„Enterprises require secure mobile solutions that enable users to more easily collaborate and increase their productivity. WatchDox meets this need by uniting data-centric security with a user-friendly experience that is highly valued by our customers,“ said Moti Rafalin, WatchDox CEO and founder. „The combination of BlackBerry’s security leadership and EMM portfolio with WatchDox technology will bring the most productive and collaborative mobility solution to organizations that need innovative ways to conduct business securely and efficiently.“

„Sharing data outside the corporate walls can significantly increase workforce productivity, but can open an enterprise to serious financial and reputational risk if not implemented with the proper control,“ said Maribel Lopez, Principal and Founder, Lopez Research. „WatchDox provides this control and truly focuses on data-centric security. Their enterprise file-sync-and-share technology will be an important enhancement to BlackBerry’s cross-platform EMM portfolio, as it delivers new capabilities while ensuring the level of security that enterprises have come to expect from BlackBerry.“

The acquisition of WatchDox will form the basis of a new security-focused BlackBerry R&D center in Israel. BlackBerry’s acquisition of WatchDox follows last year’s purchase of Secusmart, a leader in high-security voice and data encryption, and is the latest demonstration of the company’s commitment to being the first name in enterprise mobile security. This commitment is why BlackBerry customers include all G7 governments, 16 of the G20 governments, 10 out of 10 of the largest global banks and law firms, and the top five largest managed healthcare, investment services, and oil and gas companies. BlackBerry also has more security certifications than any other vendor and BlackBerry 10 is the only mobility solution to receive „Full Operational Capability“ (FOC) approval to run on U.S. Department of Defense networks.

⁽¹⁾ „Critical Capabilities for Enterprise File Synchronization and Sharing,“ 13 August 2014, Gartner

About BlackBerry

A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols „BB“ on the Toronto Stock Exchange and „BBRY“ on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.

About WatchDox

WatchDox is the leading secure enterprise file-sync-and-share (EFSS) solution, enabling users to share, work with and control their files on every device. Available as SaaS, a virtual appliance or a hybrid, the award-winning WatchDox platform provides a single pane of glass to work with personal and enterprise content, uniquely combining consumer-style app interfaces with security that can be dialed up to suit any enterprise use case. More than 150 of the Fortune 1000 – including the largest civilian federal agencies, six of the top twelve private equity firms and five of the six major Hollywood studios, healthcare firms and manufacturers – depend on WatchDox secure file-sharing solutions. For more information, visit www.WatchDox.com.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the „safe harbor“ provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as „expect“, „anticipate“, „estimate“, „may“, „will“, „should“, „intend“, „believe“, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BlackBerry Limited in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BlackBerry believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause BlackBerry’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the „Risk Factors“ section of BlackBerry’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BlackBerry’s forward-looking statements. BlackBerry has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of BlackBerry Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.

BlackBerry Appoints Marty Beard as COO

 

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – June 19, 2014) – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today reported financial results for the three months ended May 31, 2014 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

Q1 Highlights:

• Cash and investments balance of $3.1 billion at the end of the fiscal first quarter, up from $2.7 billion in the prior quarter
• Adjusted Q1 gross margin of 48%, up from 43% in the prior quarter
• Reduced adjusted operating expenses by 57% year over year and 13% quarter over quarter
• Successfully launched the new Z3 device in Indonesia; 8 additional countries to follow
• EZ Pass Program resulted in a total of 1.2 million licenses issued for BES10, including more than 10% of total licenses traded in from competitors‘ Mobile Device Management platforms
• Launched Project Ion focused on the „Internet of Things“ market

Q1 Results

Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2015 was $966 million, down $10 million or 1% from $976 million in the previous quarter. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 39% for hardware, 54% for services and 7% for software and other revenue. During the first quarter, the Company recognized hardware revenue on approximately 1.6 million BlackBerry smartphones compared to approximately 1.3 million BlackBerry smartphones in the previous quarter. During the first quarter, approximately 2.6 million BlackBerry smartphones were sold through to end customers, which included shipments made and recognized prior to the first quarter and which reduced the Company’s inventory in channel.

GAAP net income for the first quarter was $23 million, or $0.04 earnings per share („EPS“). The net income includes non-cash income associated with the change in the fair value of the Debentures of $287 million (the „Q1 Fiscal 2015 Debentures Fair Value Adjustment“) and pre-tax restructuring charges of $226 million related to the Cost Optimization and Resource Efficiency („CORE“) program. Excluding these items, adjusted loss for the first quarter was $60 million, or $0.11 per share. These impacts on GAAP net income and EPS are summarized in the table below.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $3.1 billion as of May 31, 2014, compared to $2.7 billion at the end of the previous quarter – a net increase of $429 million. Excluding receipt of a tax refund of $397 million and proceeds on the sale of real estate of $287 million, the Company used $255 million in the first quarter. This represents a decrease from $784 million used last quarter, after excluding proceeds of $250 million related to convertible debt issuance. Purchase obligations and other commitments amounted to approximately $1.8 billion as at May 31, 2014, with purchase orders with contract manufacturers representing approximately $317 million of the total.

„Our performance in fiscal Q1 demonstrates that we are firmly on track to achieve important milestones, including our financial objectives and delivering a strong product portfolio,“ said John Chen, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BlackBerry. „Over the past six months, we have focused on improving efficiency in all aspects of our operations to drive cost reductions and margin improvement. Looking forward, we are focusing on our growth plan to enable our return to profitability.“

Outlook

The Company anticipates maintaining its strong cash position, while increasingly looking for opportunities to prudently invest in growth. The Company is targeting break-even cash flow results by the end of fiscal 2015.

Reconciliation of GAAP gross margin, gross margin percentage, loss before income taxes, and net income to adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted loss before income taxes, adjusted net loss and adjusted loss per share:

(United States dollars, in millions except per share data)

Note: Adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted loss before income taxes, adjusted net loss and adjusted loss per share do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP measures enables the Company and its shareholders to better assess the Company’s operating results relative to its operating results in prior periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Investors should consider these non-GAAP measures in the context of the Company’s GAAP results.

http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/blackberry-reports-2015-fiscal-first-quarter-gaap-profitability-nasdaq-bbry-1922283.htm

BlackBerry startet mit eBBM Suite

BBM Protected für sicheres Mobile Messaging in Unternehmen

 

Waterloo, Ontario – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), ein weltweit führender Anbieter von mobilen Kommunikationslösungen, hat heute bekannt gegeben, dass ab sofort BBM Protected verfügbar ist. BBM Protected ist die erste Lösung der neuen eBBM Suite für sicheres und professionelles Mobile Messaging.

 

Die eBBM Suite ist eine neue Service- und Produktlinie für Unternehmen, die den Komfort und die Benutzerfreundlichkeit von BBM mit zusätzlichen Sicherheitsstandards und von Unternehmen geforderten Richtlinien verbindet. Die eBBM Suite wird neue Dienste beinhalten, die es Nutzern ermöglichen, auch unterwegs extrem produktiv zu sein und zugleich den Unternehmensanforderungen an Sicherheit, Bedienbarkeit und Kontrolle zu entsprechen. BBM Protected ist das erste Produkt der eBBM Suite und ist früher als ursprünglich geplant bereits ab sofort verfügbar.

 

Als Teil der eBBM Suite liefert BBM Protected ein verbessertes Sicherheitsmodell für BBM Nachrichten, die zwischen BlackBerry Smartphones verschickt werden. BBM Protected bietet damit regulierten Branchen die sicherste und zuverlässigste Echtzeitkommunikation der gesamten Industrie an. BBM Protected ist die einzige sichere Mobile Instant Messaging App, die eine FIPS 140-2 validierte Verschlüsslungstechnologie nutzt . BBM Protected ermöglicht es Mitarbeitern, die gleiche App zum sicheren Kommunizieren mit Kollegen innerhalb der Firma zu nutzen, die sie auch für den Privatbereich mit Freunden und Familie verwenden. Die sicheren Unterhaltungen von BBM Protected sind nicht nur auf Mitarbeiter innerhalb eines Unternehmens beschränkt. Vielmehr kann man auch mit BBM Protected Nutzern aus anderen Firmen sicher kommunizieren, ohne dass beide Parteien denselben BES Server nutzen oder direkte Verbindungen zwischen den Servern vorliegen müssen.

 

„Wir haben BBM Protected für unsere Kunden getestet und sind beeindruckt“, sagt Zekeria Oezdemir, Technical Director bei NovaLink. „BBM Protected ist die ideale Lösung für unsere Kunden aus dem Banken- und Versicherungsbereich, bei denen die Notwendigkeit von Sicherheit weiter steigt.“

 

Die aktuelle Version von BBM Protected kann auf BlackBerry Smartphones mit BBOS 6.0 oder einer neueren Version sowie auf BlackBerry 10 in einer regulierten Umgebung verwendet werden. Weitere Versionen von BBM Protected für BlackBerry 10 Smartphones, die BlackBerry Balance nutzen, sowie für iOS- und Android-Geräte werden im Laufe des Jahres erwartet.

 

Weitere Informationen zu BBM Suite finden Sie unter: http://www.blackberry.com/BBMprotected.

 

 

Über BBM

Der 2005 eingeführte BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) setzte einen neuen Standard für Instant Messaging und steht auch weiterhin für Innovationen im Bereich Messaging und private soziale Netzwerke. Heute ist BBM eines der größten privaten mobilen sozialen Netzwerke, das eine lebendige Kommunikation seiner Nutzer ermöglicht. Anwender schätzen BBM aufgrund seiner Privatsphäre, Kontrolle und Unmittelbarkeit, beispielsweise mit Gesendet- und Gelesen-Statusmitteilungen sowie Mitteilungen zum Fortschritt bei der Übertragung von Mitteilungen.

 

Über BlackBerry

Der weltweit führende Anbieter von Wireless-Innovationen BlackBerry® revolutionierte die Mobilfunkbranche mit der Einführung der BlackBerry®-Lösung im Jahre 1999. Heute hat sich BlackBerry dem Ziel verschrieben, den Erfolg von Millionen unserer Kunden weltweit zu beflügeln, indem wir kontinuierlich die Grenzen der mobilen Erfahrung ausweiten. RIM wurde 1984 gegründet, der Hauptsitz liegt in Waterloo, im kanadischen Ontario. Darüber hinaus betreibt RIM Niederlassungen in Nordamerika, Europa, im asiatisch-pazifischen Raum und in Lateinamerika. BlackBerry ist bei den Aktienmärkten NASDAQ (NASDAQ: BBRY) und der Börse Toronto (TSX: BB) notiert. Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter www.blackberry.com.

Mobile World Congress 2014, Barcelona – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today announced that BBM will be made available to Windows Phone and Nokia X customers in the coming months.

BBM is a premier mobile messaging platform that offers best-in-class collaboration tools such as BBM Groups, BBM Voice and BBM Channels. BBM users rely on the privacy, immediacy and control that are at the core of BBM.

“BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community,” said John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry.

„Today marks an exciting moment for Nokia,“ said Bryan Biniak, Vice President and GM of Developer Relations, Nokia Corporation.  „By bringing BBM to the Windows Phone and Nokia X communities, our customers will be able to experience this popular global messaging app.“

Windows Phone and Nokia X customers will soon have access to a comprehensive suite of messaging and collaboration features, including:

• BBM Chats: Have instant BBM Chats, including a Multi-Chat option, and receive real-time confirmations when messages are delivered and read (Ds & Rs)
• Personalization: Create a profile that can be easily personalized with profile pictures/avatars and status updates that contacts can see in the Updates area of BBM
• BBM Groups: Now, with BBM Groups, up to 50 people can be added to the conversation. Chat, share photos and schedules with even more friends
• BBM Voice: Free voice calls between BBM contacts on Windows Phone, Nokia X, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry anywhere in the world using data or WiFi connection (*Data Plan or WiFi required for BBM Voice)
• BBM Channels: Join conversations on BBM Channels between people, brands and communities. Create a BBM channel to share thoughts, ideas and passions. Or, subscribe to a channel to join conversations with others who have shared interests.
• One-click sharing:  BBM users on Windows Phone, Nokia X, Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices have access to fast one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes and more
• New Emoticons: We now have over 100 new emoticons to help people say what they mean and make their point in a fun and visual way.

 

Pricing and Availability

BBM will be available as a free download from the Windows Phone Store this summer. BBM for Nokia X will be available from the Nokia Store when the Nokia X platform launches.

Useful Links

Inside BlackBerry Blog Post (http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/02/bbm-windows-phone/‎)

BBM information (www.bbm.com)

BBM PIN Card Generator (http://mypin.bbm.com/)

About BBM

Introduced in 2005, BBM set the standard for mobile messaging and continues to drive innovation in messaging and private social networking. Today, BBM is one of the largest private social mobile networks, driving real, active conversations. Customers love BBM for its privacy, controls and immediacy with Delivered and Read statuses and message-in-progress notices.

About BlackBerry

A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols „BB“ on the Toronto Stock Exchange and „BBRY“ on the NASDAQ. For more information, visitwww.blackberry.com.