Research in Motion Ltd. (BBRY): Security Begets German Purchase

Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) – also known as BlackBerry Ltd. – has been trying to build some momentum thank to positive reviews for its new BlackBerry 10 operating system and the Z10 handset, which has seen modest if not impressive sales in the countries where it is currently being sold. Leading up to the anticipated U.S. launch of the OS sometime this month, BlackBerry has announced a deal that will make its Z10 handset very secure – so much so that even classified information can be stored on it.

This has impressed the German government so much that it has ordered Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) BlackBerry 10 devices for its government officials. This major order comes in the wake of a security partnership with a technology security company called Secusmart, which has developed SD card-mounted security chips which, in conjunction with a BB10 feature called Partition, partition classified, official work information from personal data on the smartphone. This partition divides work data and applications from personal applications and information, to the point that access to a work application requires a PIN. If the login is unsuccessful, a person is locked out of the work mode on the phone. But if the login is accepted, the user will get access to encrypted information like e-mails, Web browsing history and text messages, among other things.

“You can have classified information on your phone, but you can use it for your regular phone,” said Sinisha Patkovic, vice president of BlackBerry’s security advisory service. This new concept is claimed to give BlackBerry 10 and Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) a distinct advantage over rival OSs like Android by Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) and iOS by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). For one part, Apple iOS devices do not have a slot for a microSD card in order to use the Secusmart chips. On the other part, “Android doesn’t have platform security down to the chipset,” said Secusmart chief tech officer Christoph Erdmann. “In Android, you’re not able to ensure the operating system has not been manipulated.”

What do you think? Does this enhanced security make BB10 and Research in Motion Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) attractive for users and perhaps build its market share over the course of the coming months? What are your thoughts about the BB10 operating system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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