BlackBerry to Help Enable Remote Working Initiatives, Announces Free Availability of Secure Communication Solutions

WATERLOO, OntarioMarch 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced it will be offering businesses additional assistance in implementing their own remote working programs, at no cost. Recognizing the gravity of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, BlackBerry is committed to helping its current customers and other companies support their business continuity plans and remote working policies by enabling a secure, productive and connected environment for workers. This includes quick onboarding and enablement that can be delivered remotely with our services.

As part of this commitment, BlackBerry will be offering a range of its secure communication solutions for enterprises – free of charge for a 60-day period – in order to help manage and secure employees in the ways they are most likely to be working. These mission critical solutions include:

  • BlackBerry Desktop: To continue to enable secure and productive remote working practices, companies will be able to access this solution for a simple way to onboard and offboard employees as work policies shift. Whether this is through a personal laptop, desktop or mobile and tablet device, the ability to provide secure remote access across any device is paramount. The solution provides customers with:
    • Secure connectivity within a containerized environment, along with simple access to key productivity apps along with a secure browser for web based corporate apps, eliminating the need for individual VPN access
    • Increased secure collaboration through the integration of BlackBerry® DynamicsTM with Zoom and Cisco Webex®, allowing for the immediate securitization of web meetings when employees connect from their phones or tablets
    • Simple data path controls which securely route traffic through firewalls, while simultaneously keeping internal and SaaS data within a secure containerized environment
    • Quick onboarding by allowing IT to provide a single access key to employees, which will allow workers to access corporate resources with a single sign-on and keep personal applications separate
  • SecuSUITE for Government and Enterprises for Secure Messaging and Phone Calls: Enabling high security voice and messaging across iOS® and Android™ environments so government bodies, first responders, law enforcement, healthcare providers, and enterprises can enable workers to continue with activities that require the highest level of security. Customers will have access to secure communications with uncompromised usability, allowing employees to make secure phone calls, exchange secure messages using the devices workers already own.
  • BlackBerry AtHoc for Employee Safety: Allowing organizations globally to unify their crisis communications, BlackBerry AtHoc enables companies to offer a level of protection for their staff and give leadership the information they need to make critical safety decisions, including capabilities such as:
    • Pre-configured Enterprise Package for Employee Safety
    • Rapidly alert recipients via SMS, mobile app, voice calls, and secure email
    • Easily target notification recipients by location or groups
    • Access live on-line “Ask the Trainer” sessions
  • BlackBerry Protect: Advanced endpoint protection using AI to prevent breaches and provide added controls for safeguarding against sophisticated threats.

“This is an unprecedented time. Organizations have worked quickly to ensure the safety of their employees through enabling remote work policies, however many of those people are new to working from home, which poses its own challenge,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO of BlackBerry.  “Our hope is that we can play our part, through our world-class BYOD security solutions, to enable companies impacted by the global pandemic – whether they are currently our customer or not – to remain successful by maintaining continuity of operations, communications, productivity, and security.”

BlackBerry Desktop, SecuSUITE for Government, BlackBerry AtHoc for Employee Safety and BlackBerry Protect will be available free for 60 days. Those interested can contact your BlackBerry representative or email us at covid19help@blackberry.com

About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including 150M cars on the road today.  Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security management, encryption, and embedded systems.