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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