BlackBerry pushes further into security as it announces an R&D initiative dubbed Centre for High Assurance Computing Excellence (CHACE) and acquires enterprise data security specialist WatchDox.
The aim of CHACE is to reverse the current fail-then-patch security approach by developing tools and techniques for "far higher level" security. It also promises "nation-state level sophistication" in vulnerability assessment and will collaborate with academic institutions and other industry groups.
“There’s a belief that the key to the world’s security issues is to patch faster, but this hamster wheel fails to address the root issue," the company says. "Systems that require regular patching always contain vulnerabilities unknown to developers, and some of these vulnerabilities are in fact known by would-be attackers."
Further bolstering BlackBerry's security efforts is WatchDox, which the mobile vendor has acquired for an undisclosed sum. WatchDox develops enterprise file-sync-and-share (EFSS) solutions allowing users to securely share and work with files on any device.
The WatchDox buy also covers R&D facilities in Petah Tikva, Israel. The company's offerings will be folded into the BES12 multi-OS mobility management solution.
Go BlackBerry Advances Security of Mobile and Internet of Things with New High Assurance Initiative