BlackBerry, Samsung Energize SME Software Push

It’s been only a month since BlackBerry announced the launch of a new enterprise-focused Software-as-a-Service tool, BES12 Cloud. The solution aims to address the rising Bring Your Own Device trend and offers a range of mobile-friendly business solutions.

At the time, BlackBerry had also revealed a collaboration with Samsung that saw the BES12 Cloud tool compatible with Samsung’s Knox security devices. According to new reports, BlackBerry and Samsung are strengthening their ties, this time to target small- and medium-sized enterprises in India.

BlackBerry’s head of India operations, Sunil Lalvani, told reporters that the company has already cornered the Indian market in enterprise mobile and security solutions among large corporations. But that leaves 7 million SMEs in India for BlackBerry to now tackle, Lalvani said.

According to the company, the majority of BlackBerry’s growth in the enterprise market is attributed to the BES12 solution and its use on the Android platform. That growth led to a 20 percent global expansion in the quarter ending Feb. 28, with double-digit growth seen in India through software and enterprise services.

Reports added that BlackBerry is closing in on a renewed relationship with Samsung to integrate the Knox solution into BlackBerry services. “Wherever there’s a possibility for Samsung to position their devices but needs layers of security, it would bring BlackBerry security architecture,” Lalvani said.

In addition to the BES12 Cloud tool, BlackBerry has also seen success with its BBM Meeting and BBM Protected enterprise tools in the nation. Reports said that BlackBerry has already nabbed high-profile corporate clients for these solutions across the financial, insurance and pharmaceutical industries, though reports did not indicate which companies will implement the BlackBerry collaboration and instant messenger tools.

Software makes up 58 percent of BlackBerry’s global revenue, reports said, with a similar ratio seen in its India operations. The company’s efforts to turn its performance around appears to be working. Since BlackBerry has shifted towards a B2B business model as it lost smartphone market share to rivals like
Apple, the firm has finally gotten back in black. The company reported a net profit of $28 million in the most recent quarter, compared with a $148 million loss in the same quarter the previous year, reports said.