BlackBerry launches cyber security consulting services

Mobile phone company BlackBerry is branching out into cyber security consulting services.

The new venture will aim to safeguard people, privacy and assets, as well as help organisations comply with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is set to take effect from May 2018.

GDPR will require major changes in how organisations can collect, use and store data about customers and employees.

BlackBerry Cybersecurity Consulting hopes to cash in on this by guiding organisations through the process of understanding how to manage company data, how GDPR applies to the organisation, and how to achieve a competitive readiness posture.

Carl Wiese, BlackBerry’s global head of sales, said he wants to make BlackBerry a one-stop shop for GDPR compliance.

“Having been engaged with the EU Justice Directorate-General since 2012, we understand the GDPR requirements and have developed expertise to help address the full range of GDPR implications for enterprises, from situational assessment to offering DPO (Data Protection Officer)-as-a-service,” he commented.

BlackBerry will also focus on cybersecurity for connected cars, offering new services directly and through a new partner program aimed at helping to eliminate security vulnerabilities within connected and autonomous vehicles.

“When it comes to connected cars, there is no safety without security," added Carl Weise.

“BlackBerry's cybersecurity consulting practice builds on decades of experience in information security, data protection and cyber-resilience to support our clients in protecting their most valuable assets.

“As hacking evolves and new threats arise, our new cybersecurity consulting services will help play a critical role in the development of secure connected and autonomous vehicles.”

BlackBerry admitted defeat in the smartphone market 12 months ago with the announcement it would no longer be designing its own phones, licensing the work out to partners instead.