BlackBerry is buying a privately held German firm that specializes in voice and data encryption, it said on Tuesday, in a bid to burnish its credentials with highly security-conscious clients like government agencies.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone maker did not disclose the terms of its deal to acquire Secusmart GmbH, which specializes in encryption and anti-eavesdropping services for governments, companies and telecommunications service providers. The acquisition is the latest by the smartphone pioneer to build on niche areas in an attempt to reinvent itself under new Chief Executive John Chen and recover ground ceded to Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy devices. Chen wants to remain a competitor in the smartphone segment, but is focused on building on BlackBerry’s strong mobile device management abilities by beefing up its security and corporate app offerings.