WATERLOO, ON – BlackBerry is buying California-based data security company WatchDox in an effort to bolster its mobile data security offerings. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
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, the company said Tuesday.
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.
"BlackBerry is constantly expanding the potential of data security so that it enables more collaboration and sharing rather than creating limitations," said BlackBerry executive chairman and CEO John Chen, in the announcement. "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.”
Headquartered in Palo Alto, with research and development facilities in Petah Tikva, Israel, WatchDox serves organizations across a variety of industry sectors in which secure collaboration and mobility are essential, including government, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, law and media.
BlackBerry added that the acquisition of WatchDox will form the basis of a new security-focused BlackBerry R&D center in Israel.
The company also announced the establishment of the BlackBerry Center for High Assurance Computing (CHACE) to collaborate with academic institutions and industry groups to drive innovation and improvement in computer security.
