BlackBerry has just received the OK from the U.S. Defense Information System Agency (DISA) to use the Q10 and Z10 handsets on the Department of Defense’s networks. DISA is currently developing the infrastructure to support the BlackBerry 10 smartphones, with support for 10,000 BlackBerry Q10 and Z10 devices by the fall, and 30,000 by the end of the year.
“Being the first smartphones to be supported on U.S. Department of Defense networks further establishes BlackBerry’s proven and validated security model. With foreign entities – governmental and criminal – ramping up attacks on electronic communications and information systems, BlackBerry provides government agencies with a proven partner that follows top-to-bottom security protocols.” – Scott Totzke, SVP, BlackBerry Security Group at BlackBerry
This news couldn’t come at a better time for BlackBerry, who has faced slow sales of their smartphones as of late. With the DoD throwing their support behind the Q10 and Z10, BlackBerry will undoubtedly see a rise in sales, as well as continued support for the devices in the future.
Press release follows below.
BlackBerry Awarded “Authority to Operate” on U.S. Department of Defense Networks
BlackBerry® (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB) today announced the U.S. Defense Information System Agency (DISA) has given BlackBerry® Z10 and BlackBerry® Q10 smartphones with BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10, the Authority to Operate (ATO) on Department of Defense (DoD) networks. BlackBerry is the first Mobile Device Management (MDM) provider to obtain an ATO.
With the ATO, DISA is now developing the infrastructure to support BlackBerry 10 smartphones. DISA is architecting the capacity to support 10,000 BlackBerry 10 smartphones by this fall and 30,000 by the end of 2013 on DoD networks.
“Being the first smartphones to be supported on U.S. Department of Defense networks further establishes BlackBerry’s proven and validated security model,” said Scott Totzke, SVP, BlackBerry Security Group at BlackBerry. “With foreign entities – governmental and criminal – ramping up attacks on electronic communications and information systems, BlackBerry provides government agencies with a proven partner that follows top-to-bottom security protocols.”
Receiving the ATO is a critical step forward in the security certification process. The approval demonstrates that BlackBerry 10 smartphones meet DoD’s most stringent security requirements. BlackBerry 10 smartphones will enable DoD personnel to have the ability to securely connect to networks and access assets from work. The BlackBerry mobile infrastructure provides a highly responsive, intelligent and intuitive mobile computing experience while ensuring the personal and the corporate information on a user’s phone are kept separate and safe.
For more information about BlackBerry 10, please visit: www.blackberry.com/BB10.