RIM's BlackBerry 10 Platform Wins Coveted U.S. Security Clearance

 

The company said its BlackBerry 10 platform has received the FIPS 140-2 certification that would allow government agencies to deploy the devices, along with the new enterprise management platform on which they run, as soon as the new smartphones are launched.

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM said this is the first time BlackBerry products have been FIPS certified ahead of launch.

"Achieving FIPS certification for an entirely new platform in a very short period of time, and before launch, is quite remarkable," RIM's head of security certifications, David MacFarlane, said in a statement.

The fortunes of RIM, a one-time pioneer in the smartphone industry, have faded in recent years as nimbler rivals such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co have come up with faster and snazzier devices.

RIM's fate now depends almost entirely on the long-awaited line of so-called BB 10 devices.

Last month, RIM said it had begun carrier tests on the new line of devices, which the company hopes will help it regain some market share it has ceded to Apple's iPhone and a slew of other devices that run on Google Inc's Android operating system.

FIPS certification, given by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is one of the minimum criteria required for products used by U.S. government agencies and regulated industries that collect, store, transfer, share and disseminate sensitive information.

The stamp of approval gives confidence to security-conscious organizations - including some of RIM's top clients like U.S. and Canadian government agencies - that the data stored on smartphones running BlackBerry 10 can be properly secured and encrypted.

Despite winning the coveted security clearance, RIM still faces the tough task of convincing government agencies to stick with RIM and deploy the new BB 10 devices. Some U.S. government agencies have begun to look at other options.

Last month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) said it would end its contract with the BlackBerry maker in favor of Apple's iPhone. The agency said it intends to buy iPhones for more than 17,000 employees.

The Pentagon recently said it will continue to support "large numbers" of BlackBerry phones, even as it moves forward with plans that would allow the U.S. military to begin using Apple's iPhone and other devices.