BlackBerry boosts cyber security offerings with purchase of UK firm Encription

Firm bolsters its fledgling cyber security division

BlackBerry has acquired UK security company Encription, which will form part of the Canadian firm's new cyber security division.

BlackBerry said the deal for Encription will boost its security portfolio with services such as penetration testing and it also touted the fact Encription is accredited to the UK government's highest security standard of CESG CHECK IT and ISO/IEC 27001 certifications.

The firm's website boasts of a wide-ranging customer base from central and local government departments to large corporates and SMEs, financial institutions, manufacturers, and charities, which no doubt enticed BlackBerry.

The acquisition forms a core part of BlackBerry's new Professional Cybersecurity Services division.

"BlackBerry is the gold standard when it comes to security and we're always evolving to maintain this high standard as the complexity of enterprise mobility and security increases," said BlackBerry CEO John Chen (pictured).

"We recognise that security vulnerabilities are a top risk concern for public and private sector organisations alike.

"The creation of our Professional Cybersecurity Services practice and acquisition of Encription reinforces our commitment to providing customers the industry's most secure mobility solutions and helping them to assess and mitigate risks."

BlackBerry said the new division would focus on providing services and tools for a raft of requirements, including best practice IT security consulting and technical hands-on security services for key infrastructure and product development.

It will also focus on automotive and Internet of Things security services as these areas grow, as well as offering testing and analysis of networks and products to uncover issues before hackers.

Security services are key to BlackBerry's plans to turn around its ailing business, having already acquired Good Technology and WatchDox.

To hear more about security challenges, the threats they pose and how to combat them, make sure you sign-up for the Computing Enterprise Security and Risk Management conference on 24 November.