Un articulo interesantes en relación al tema de BlackBerry y el resumen 2014 con 10 aspectos a considerar:

BlackBerry: A Year In Review

Source: Forbes

Can BlackBerry Be The Comeback Kid?

For years the market has pronounced the death of BlackBerry. As another year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on what has transpired with BlackBerry and the mobile industry. The name BlackBerry was synonymous with mobile phones, keyboards and email. Today, some of these elements still hold true. In a market where all smartphones look similar, BlackBerry returned to its signature physical QWERTY keyboard on the recently released Classic and also offered a keyboard on a square shaped phone called the Passport. I had the opportunity to use the Passport and appreciated its screen size and keyboard.

Yet, the mobile market has evolved and so too has BlackBerry. It would be foolish to think of BlackBerry as solely a mobile phone manufacturer.  It’s clear that phones are a part of its vision but not the entirety of its vision.  Smartphone sales won’t be the linchpin for a market turnaround.

A Year of Big Announcements

For a theoretically dying company, BlackBerry has been very busy. It returned to its roots as an enterprise company and strengthened its position as a security company. It’s defining a path to evolve from a hardware company to a software and services firm. Let’s recap a few of BlackBerry’s accomplishments over the past year. The company:

ü  Bolstered its consumer app story via a partnership. One of the big knocks against BlackBerry (and Microsoft for that matter) was its lack of consumer mobile apps. The ability to run Android apps on a BlackBerry has lessened this concern. To further alleviate this problem, BlackBerry struck a deal with the Amazon Appstore to make it easier to download apps. It also expanded its enterprise focused mobile application ecosystem through partnerships with Bloomberg LP, Box, CellTrak, Cisco, Entrust, SAP, and others.

ü  Made a significant play for the enterprise mobile management market. EMM is a critical part of any enterprise mobile strategy. BlackBerry was known for management of its devices but needed to offer these services across a wider range of mobile operating systems. The company offered cross-platform mobile device management in BES12. It also inked deals with BrightStar and Ingram Micro to distribute BES12.

ü  Bolstered its security across all product categories from phones through software. It purchased Secusmart to provide additional voice and data encryption and anti-eavesdropping solutions. It acquired Movirtu, a Virtual SIM platform that allows employees to have two phone numbers (read split between corporate and personal use) on a single device. It announced BlackBerry Blend for the enterprise which makes it possible for employees to securely accessing personal and work data from their BlackBerry smartphone on any desktop or tablet. It also offeredEnterprise Identity by BlackBerry, VPN Authentication by BlackBerry, and BBM Protected (for Android, BlackBerry and iOS platforms). In general, the company has been heavily focused on providing a wide range of security solutions.

ü  Added new partners. In a surprise move, BlackBerry partnered with Samsung to deliver richer mobile security for Android. It also signed a strategic agreement with Salesforce.com to connect Salesforce.com customer relationship management (CRM) apps and platforms to BlackBerry’s EMM solution.

These are just a selection of the company’s announcements. Overall, it was a good year for BlackBerry. The company invested heavily in developing and acquiring solutions to meet enterprise mobility demands. It also quelled fears that it would run out of cash by effectively managing its supply chain, inventory, and expenses.

While it still declined in smartphone market share, phones aren’t the future lifeblood of the company. (In fact, it’s hard for anyone except Apple and Samsung to earn a living at making phones.) I expect smartphones will become just one piece of an integrated, highly secure portfolio that includes software and services. A business customer can either purchase these devices as part of the holistic solution or simply choose to use the software and services.

As I look around the globe, the studies from Lopez Research highlight that companies are reevaluating BYOD. They’re still offering BYO program but many are also considering purchasing devices for their employees (especially for tablets and next generation PCs). In certain areas, specifically regulated and security conscious industries, BlackBerry could see new device purchases as the corporate-liable market regains steam. For example, MackenzieHealth, a regional healthcare provider serving a population of more than half a million people, announced that it will use the BlackBerry Classic and BES12.But the real win for BlackBerry will be in providing new security and identity/authentication services and management for non-traditional devices, such as IoT.

In the Long Run, BlackBerry Is A Software Company

While I’m certain that BlackBerry bashing will continue, BlackBerry has survived yet another year and in far better shape than any of us had expected. It’s stabilized and proven that it can shift its focus to upcoming growth markets such as security, identity and the Internet of Things. The challenge in the coming year is growth as a software company. This is no small feat given that almost half of BlackBerry’s revenue comes from hardware sales. It’s also not easy to grow into a software behemoth. For example, it took Salesforce.com years to become a software powerhouse. It’s not impossible. It just takes time and the financial market is an unforgiving place.

This will be a multiyear journey for BlackBerry. The market should expect BlackBerry’s revenue to take a hit as it manages this transition. With careful money management, the company should the cash ($3 billion) to navigate the transition to a software company. Businesses should evaluate BlackBerry based on its stated direction and execution against that vision. This year has been a good start.

Maribel is the founder of Lopez Research LLC, a market research firm focused on mobility. She’s also the author of the Wiley book “Right-time Experiences: Driving Revenue with Mobile and Big Data.”

Your Top 10 Favorite BlackBerry Business Blog Posts

By Brea Watts

Source: bizblog.blackberry.com

2014 was a year of major transition of BlackBerry, as we pivoted from a device maker that just happened to have top-notch security software and services, into an all-around enterprise-focused vendor of software, services AND devices.

Our most important product release was BES12, which we think begins to usher in a new era of EMM, but there were numerous other software launches and news that we covered in-depth on this blog:

• BlackBerry Blend’s ability to deliver your BlackBerry device into a laptop or tablet screen;
• The secure messaging capabilities of BBM Protected;
• The powerful BYOD expense management capabilities of WorkLife;
• How BBM Meetings solves the pain points of today’s mobile-first enterprises;
• Our partnerships with Nanthealth on the cancer-busting BlackBerry Passport app, as well as with others including Samsung, Salesforce, and Brightstar;
• Our acquisition of anti-surveillance vendor, Secusmart, trusted by German chancellor Angela Merkel;

,,and many others. As we close out 2014, we’re looking back at the blogs that you the readers deemed your favorites. Here are the top 10 most-read articles for 2014 on the BlackBerry Business Blog.

(Don’t forget to read the top 10 favorite reader posts on the Inside BlackBerry blog, too.)

10) How BlackBerry is Driving the Mobile Payments Revolution (June 12th)

Paying for purchases with cash or credit cards is fast becoming a thing of the past. We’ve simply grown tired of losing our Visa cards amongst rubbish in our wallets and want easier ways to handle our transactions.

BlackBerry was proud to introduce Near Field Communication (NFC) technology into its devices several years ago – far longer than I’ve been employed here. NFC makes mobile payments as simple as 1-2-3, and is a technology that enables companies to better connect and service their customers. But our blogger, Senior Vice-President Matthew Talbot, also notes other ways that BlackBerry, especially via BBM Money, continues to pioneer in mobile payments.

9) Q and A: Software Manager Says BlackBerry Passport is ‘Perfectly Brilliant’ (October 20th)

The BlackBerry Passport, acclaimed by media reviewers and users, has revolutionized the way we get things done while on the go. It has become “an office in your pocket” for many professionals around the globe who need to stay connected with clients and colleagues via mobile.

Don’t believe me? Then maybe you missed this interview with a German software manager who says the BlackBerry Passport is “perfectly brilliant” and helps him respond to messages, schedule meetings and remain accessible to those who need him better than other phones he’s owned in the psat.

8) How BlackBerry And Trend Micro Protect You From Malicious Android Apps (July 29th)

Protecting our customers has been BlackBerry’s priority since day one. With BlackBerry you know your device, data and applications are secure, and we regularly update our systems to keep security in check. Earlier this year we were happy to announce updates to managing applications with BlackBerry Guardian, a service that checks all apps downloaded onto your device, for malware and suspicious activity. Even the Android apps installed from the Amazon app store, which you can now do with all BlackBerry 10 devices running the latest OS update.

In addition to BlackBerry Guardian, we use a multi-tiered approach to protection and privacy that includes separating personal and work data, top of the line security, and end-user ability to manage application permissions.

We’re always happy to keep our customers first in mind – and apparently you guys are, too.

7) BlackBerry Introduces New Foundation for Enterprise Mobility (February 25th)

You were with us in November when we launched the new era of enterprise mobility management – also known as BES12, to the public. Back in February however, we garnered excitement by letting you in on what to expect from the next generation of the BES platform.

This included support for any device running BlackBerry OS, as well as iOS, Android, and Windows; enhancement of our top-notch security features; an easier way for IT to manage everyone’s devices; cloud and mobile connectivity; and our highly-successful EZ-Pass migration program that has attracted 6.8 million new licenses from 4,900 companies.

6) Comprehensive catalog of Secure Work Space Applications for iOS and Android available! Download Apps Now (August 10th)

BYOD has invaded enterprises everywhere, and isn’t going away anytime soon and neither are we. We know today’s workers are multi-device users so we gave you Secure Work Space – a containerization solution that keeps personal and work data separate, wraps applications, and easily controls iOS and Android devices from a single BES console.

5) What ‎Makes BlackBerry So Secure? Let’s Look at Five Fundamentals of Security (August 26th)

Everyone needs security, but not just anyone can provide it. There are principles that must be kept in mind when developing mobile security solutions such as: what data needs to be protected, being aware of weak links, building security into the foundation of the solution, and time to test and improve the platform.

As our expert Alex Manea notes, security isn’t a new idea to BlackBerry, it’s in our DNA. Our software and hardware are built by us for end-to-end security encryption on our devices, the data transmitted on them, and the networks and corporate fire walls that keep us connected to our work. Our security runs the QNX platform, a foundation strong enough to safely power cars and nuclear plants across the globe while protecting against malware, tampering and data leakage.

Alex’s post attracted a 12 Comments and copious views. Read it and you’ll understand why President Obamaand other world leaders are only allowed to use BlackBerry devices.

4) Q and A: The BlackBerry Passport Is the Best Device This California Engineer Has Ever Had (November 19th)

The BlackBerry Passport fits right into the heart of the world’s leading center of high-tech innovation, the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. It’s the perfect phone for professionals who need productivity devices and not playthings to get things done.

Of course, don’t take my word for it. See why this engineer, Paul BIllings (left), said it’s the best device he’s ever had and make the decision for yourself.

3) BlackBerry Security Summit: BlackBerry Issues Cybersecurity Call to Action (July 30th)

The average total cost of a data breach increased by 15% just within the past year, so it makes sense that cybersecurity is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Business leaders and IT professionals gathered at the BlackBerry Security Summit to discuss long-term solutions to protecting their businesses, customers, information and data.

We previewed our release of BES12, announced our pending acquisition of encryption vendor Secusmart, and also released some key findings on what CIOs think – and act upon – security today. Because you care about protecting your data, identity and voice as much as we do, this post jumped into our top three.

2) How to Connect a BlackBerry 10 Smartphone Directly to your Mail Servers Using ActiveSync (March 15th)

So you own a BlackBerry 10 smartphone that needs to be connected to your email servers via ActiveSync? We have instructions to connect BlackBerry 10 devices to the mail server of your choice – Microsoft Exchange server, an IBM Lotus Domino server, a Novell GroupWise mail server or Microsoft Office 365.

You’re not the only one who needs this information – this post ranked no. 2 for the year.

1) BBM Money Adds Two New Payment Capabilities (September 18th)

BBM has evolved from a mobile messaging system into full marketplace-enabled communications platform. We’ve merged mass media and social media into one. We gave you BMM Voice to talk with colleagues or loved ones, BBM stickers to keep your conversations lively, and BBM Channels to interact with your favorite brands.

Then in September we released BBM Money – two new ways to transfer payments through mobile messaging. With TransferTo you can transfer airtime credits to your contacts, while BBM Money now lets Indonesian users – our most popular market for BBM, by the way – send money to their contacts, pay bills and buy goods from retailers.

Seems like this service is something many of you were waiting for – this was the most-read post of 2014.

So there you have it! We can only get ready for 2015 by reflecting on what went well this past year. Thanks for sticking with us throughout 2014, and let us know what your favorite posts were this year on the BlackBerry Business Blog.

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About Brea Watts

Brea Watts is Community Manager for BlackBerry Enterprise social channels, and occasional contributor to the BlackBerry Business Blog. A Bay Area native who loves cooking, creative writing, and content marketing - primarily through social media.