BlackBerry Announces Upgrade to Mobile-Security Software

TORONTO—BlackBerry Ltd. announced Thursday an upgrade of its mobile-security software in its latest move to win more business from its traditional government and business customer base.

Chief Executive John Chen said the new release, available Thursday, will consolidate BlackBerry mobile security software in one product, a shift from selling a lineup of individual products.

Mr. Chen said the new platform will simplify BlackBerry's offering for customers by integrating BES12, the company's device management tool, with products from the five niche software companies BlackBerry acquired throughout the past two years, including Good Technology, AtHoc, and WatchDox into one package.

Under Mr. Chen, BlackBerry has put increasing emphasis on its software business, as its once-dominant share of the smartphone market dwindled to less than 1%. In September, the company said it would outsource the making of its iconic handsets.

BlackBerry's mobile-security software business is built on the strength of its data encryption, which makes it harder to hackers to breach. The company has previously struck partnerships with companies ranging from Microsoft Corp., Salesforce.com Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. to boost the security of their cloud-based platforms.

BlackBerry generated $494 million in software and services revenue in its last fiscal year, nearly double what it made in its fiscal 2015 year. The company continues to lose money, posting a net loss of $208 million in its most recent fiscal year due to steep restructuring costs and declining handset sales.

The company remains on track to grow its software business by 30% this year, Mr. Chen said.

Mr. Chen also said that BlackBerry plans to release one more keyboard-equipped smartphone before fully ceding handset development to third-party manufacturers. Images of the device—code-named "Mercury"—were leaked online in recent days.

Mr. Chen said the device is going through internal checks ahead of its anticipated release in the next few months.

The company is close to announcing new partners for those types of handsets from manufacturers based in China and India, Mr. Chen added.

Write to David George-Cosh at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 08, 2016 16:35 ET (21:35 GMT)

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