Thread: Discuss: Why BlackBerry Is The Number One Choice For Government Users

BlackBerry devices and government organizations flow together so easily, it's almost as though the two were meant to be. The choice from government organizations to use BlackBerry devices as their primary means of communications is not only a testimony of the portability and security of the BlackBerry device; but it is also a testimony of something RIM got right.

Although the competition has been trying their best to enter into the world of the federal mobile device market, they all have fallen short of the underlying requirements; security. Yes, it's that word again security. Tired of hearing about it? Some may be, but the federal government is not. Security has to be and will be the number one concern when it comes to big government IT, and a large chunk or government IT is mobile device management.

This is an area where RIM has gotten it right from the beginning, and it seems as though the competition, Apple, Android have gone backwards in regards to security. Just take a look at the latest issue with LinkedIn's iOS application, in which it leaks sensitive user information as the app communicates with LinkedIn's servers. Malware on Android devices have spiked significantly over the past year and are only getting worse. The point here is that security can't be ignored, brushed off, or poorly practice in any type of government organization.

What BlackBerry Has To Offer

BlackBerry smartphones with FIPS 140-2 validation, are already prepped by design to work in a government organization and meet DOD requirements. Having out of the box organizational requirements is already a step above the competition. AES point-to-point encryption along with a BES server ensures that data gets from point A to B with no outside interference. The S/MIME support package can add an additional one-two punch that can make data even more secure. Lets not forget to mention PGP and the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader. That's a mouth full of security protocols that would leave any security researcher wanting to do their research on some other platform and any hacker thinking twice before they tried to intercept data. IT management do not have to lobby to their superiors to purchase even more expensive hardware and software to meet their organizations requirements.

Eliminate the Middleman

Now days with the nasty trend of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to work, IT admins are scrambling to get a grasp on all of these rouge devices entering into their domain. The BYOD philosophy simply does not work in a truly secure environment, and frankly does not even belong there. The problem with the BYOD mentality is that it creates new issues to deal with like the poor level of mobile security across other smartphone. Using BlackBerry devices can ensure uniformity and complete control over mobile devices within an organization.


The BlackBerry just works in big government. It fits right like it was supposed to be there from day one. According to RIM's Senior Vice President for BlackBerry security Scott Totzke, RIM has had more that 400,000 government devices upgraded to OS 7 over the last year. Although the over all market upgrades to OS 7 have been slow, this number shows that BlackBerry is still quite dominant in within the government.

I personally think that it's like what Thor said, BB is for ppl who need to get stuff done. When someone has a BB you see them as a person who takes their business serious. Security is a given but practicality and unquestionable battery are the biggest appeal.

Please check out this article from last week regarding U.S. Army gets smart phones.

U.S. Army gets smart....(phones) by Richard de Silva

And especially the para on: The Air Force is procuring 18,000 iPads for its pilots to engage in virtual cockpit training, helping to orient new aviators and keep the skill of seasoned officers fine-tuned.

This seems to show that there is a shared spreading of the wealth across the various platforms. I would rather they all worked more closely with RIM. The PB is ideal for cockpit operations as the 7" size better fits for helicopter operations for example. But were are RIM's military Key Account managers to make these things happen????

Originally Posted by Pblakeney

Please check out this article from last week regarding U.S. Army gets smart phones.

U.S. Army gets smart....(phones) by Richard de Silva

And especially the para on: The Air Force is procuring 18,000 iPads for its pilots to engage in virtual cockpit training, helping to orient new aviators and keep the skill of seasoned officers fine-tuned.

This seems to show that there is a shared spreading of the wealth across the various platforms. I would rather they all worked more closely with RIM. The PB is ideal for cockpit operations as the 7" size better fits for helicopter operations for example. But were are RIM's military Key Account managers to make these things happen????

That's a good point but you have to wonder why? Was it a matter of application support? If I am not mistaken the PlayBook is the only tablet certified for government use.

I don't know about that but 18,000 units says something. You would think RIM would have a lock on it but doesn't look like it. Maybe it's an app issue as well.

Originally Posted by Pblakeney

I don't know about that but 18,000 units says something. You would think RIM would have a lock on it but doesn't look like it. Maybe it's an app issue as well.

It tells me that the government is more concerned about application availability than security. Just wait until the first government breach through an iOS device.

I would rather they all worked more closely with RIM.

I work for the Army and we still use BBs. They integrate well with our e-mail system.

Apple has some desirable features.

Once BB10, the '10 inch' playbook, and the SDKs are more-or-less out, the deciding factor will be security. But RIM also stated their platform will have a more sophisticated level of collaboration between devices...this will also be a deciding factor - for people that wanna get things done!

And BB10 devices will play excellent games...the deciding factor for BYOD

A lot of reasons why the blackberry become number one choice.........
gm.kochar.com

Completely agree with you

I think as technology and development progress, I think RIM and BB are going to have a harder time maintaining this current government usage advantage. I hope that is not the case and RIM keeps up, but things always change.

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