Friday 9 November 2012

RIM’S BLACKBERRY OS 10 GETS APPROVAL; SET FOR RELEASE EARLY NEXT YEAR


Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd. said its new BlackBerry 10 operating system has won security certification from the U.S. government as the debut approaches of the smartphone platform it’s counting on to revive sales.
 
BlackBerry 10 handsets and tablet computers have earned a stamp of approval for secure communications known as FIPS 140-2 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said Michael Brown, RIM’s vice president for security product management. It’s the first time that BlackBerrys have been certified for FIPS, or Federal Information Processing Standards, before their commercial debut. 

“It’s a very important tick in the box that the other guys don’t have,” said John Jackson, a mobile platforms analyst at research firm IDC in Boston. “The sooner they can get a head start in actively engaging these markets with BB10, the better.” 

RIM, which plans to introduce the operating system in next year’s first quarter, is looking to shore up its support among U.S. government agencies that have been among its biggest and staunchest clients. The company is relying on those customers as it cedes market share among U.S. consumers to Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone and devices running Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android software.

There has been a “tide of Apple devices coming into the enterprise, but there will be core enterprise markets and government markets where this sort of security is non- negotiable,” said Jackson. FIPS certification “is a very important step for RIM in securing its right to continue to address those markets with BB10.” 

RIM slipped 0.5 percent to $8.20 at the close in New York, adding to yesterday’s decline (RIMM), the biggest since June, after a Pacific Crest Securities report said BlackBerry 10 will struggle to attract buyers. 

RIM last week said more than 50 carriers have begun lab- testing the new smartphones, spurring a rally in the shares from investors betting that the debut will come early next year.

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