BlackBerry Teams Up With Microsoft

Technology giant Microsoft Corporation MSFT is teaming up with BlackBerry Ltd BB to offer enterprises a solution that combines BlackBerry's expertise in mobility and security with Microsoft's cloud and productivity products.

What Happened

As part of the new partnership between former rivals, Microsoft and Canada's BlackBerry created a first-of-its-kind solution called BlackBerry Enterprise BRIDGE, the companies said in a joint press release. The technology will prove a highly-secured way for customers of both companies to seamlessly use native Microsoft mobile apps from within BlackBerry Dynamics.

Enterprise users will benefit from a more consistent experience when opening, editing, and saving a Microsoft Office 365 file from any iOS or Android device. Corporate IT departments will also benefit from a greater return on their existing investments with added assurance that the company's data and privacy is secured at the highest possible standard.

Why It's Important

"In an era when digital technology is driving rapid transformation, customers are looking for a trusted partner," said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Worldwide Commercial Business at Microsoft. "Our customers choose Microsoft 365 for productivity and collaboration tools that deliver continuous innovation, and do so securely. Together with BlackBerry, we will take this to the next level and provide enterprises with a new standard for secure productivity."

What's Next

Microsoft and BlackBerry's partnership could be seen as an alliance to better compete with Google's GOOGL G Suite in the future, Engadget said. Both companies see G Suite and other Google services as a "threat to their bottom line" so working collaboratively may give both companies an edge over time as opposed to struggling on their own.

BlackBerry was trading up 6 percent at $13.49 in Tuesday's pre-market session.

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Image credit: Enrique Dans, Flickr