BlackBerry entered the Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) market today with the introduction of its BBM Enterprise SDK (software development kit) that will enable developers to integrate secure messaging, voice and video capabilities into applications and services. Available worldwide this month, the BBM Enterprise SDK allows BlackBerry to be competitive with other cloud communications platforms by presenting enterprises and developers APIs to enhance overall business processes.

“We are constantly innovating and looking for ways to leverage our legacy and expertise in secure mobility to solve real business problems,” said Marty Beard, chief operating officer, BlackBerry. “We are opening up a new revenue stream for the company with a fully cloud-based communication service that is designed to help developers, ISVs, and enterprises meet the most demanding security and compliance requirements.”

High-quality Features with Security at the Core

As instant messaging becomes a primary means of communication in the enterprise, current market offerings do not provide the same level of security and encryption for which BlackBerry is known, putting businesses at risk. With more than 80 security certifications and approvals to date – more than any other mobile vendor – BBM Enterprise SDK leverages this expertise to provide the highest-level of security for messages, voice, and video for iOS and Android.

Examples of capabilities being provided to developers include:

• Secure Messaging:  1:1 chat and group chatting; message quoting, retraction, editing and deletion
• Secure Voice and Video Communications:  1:1 voice and video calling; accept an incoming voice or video call while app is running in the background; display a thumbnail preview of the video call; view video call in full screen
• Secure File Sharing and Collaboration: share files, text, contact cards, media, data, and location
• Secure Real-time Notifications: push notifications; messaging and collaboration-related notifications

Benefits of using BBM Enterprise SDK include:

• Enterprise-Grade Security with BlackBerry’s renowned NOC architecture: BlackBerry’s global infrastructure with data centers around the world was built with security in mind and is designed to meet the most demanding enterprise needs. It provides global network coverage and built-in redundancies help to ensure optimal performance, flexibility, QoS and availability for products being built for mass scale.
• Faster Time to Market: By leveraging BlackBerry’s comprehensive, secure communications framework for mobile applications and services, developers can focus more on what matters most versus worrying about the complexities of developing secure messaging capabilities and an IT infrastructure.
• Greater Scalability: Developers can help guard against unforeseen spikes in usage that may affect service availability through a secure, hosted cloud, all without having to deploy a complex and costly infrastructure.
• Reduced Costs: Enterprises can avoid upfront investments in hardware infrastructure by utilising BBM Enterprise’s fully cloud-based model, as well as control operational costs with an affordable subscription-based per-user licensing model.

Partner Pipeline for Success

BlackBerry’s existing ecosystem of developers, which has created more than 4000 third-party enterprise applications on the BlackBerry Development Platform, can now easily integrate real-time communications. The company has a pipeline of partners ready to use the BBM Enterprise SDK when it becomes available. Below are quotes from a few of these partners, which support various industries such as healthcare, law enforcement, and financial services.