Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY)’s Mega-Move Is Crucial: Have You Heard?

BBES 10.1 will let corporate IT departments to choose what applications are accessible to employees and will separate work and personal data on their devices. This essentially ports the “BlackBerry Balance” feature of the BB10 OS to iOS and Android.

From a business perspective, BBES could be quite lucrative as a mobile device management system. It’s being positioned as a software-as-a-service offering, at $59 annually per device. Since most governments and enterprises have worked with BlackBerry (even if they now have BYOD policies), the company has an opportunity to take a leadership position in this market, which is expected to surpass $1 billion annually in the near future.

Foolish conclusion
By opening up its BlackBerry Messenger service and mobile security features to the iOS and Android platforms, BlackBerry is admitting that it’s no longer a dominant player in the mobile market. However, that was already obvious from the company’s shrinking market share. Supporting iOS and Android devices will allow BlackBerry to diversify away from its hardware business into new software and service opportunities. It could also help expose a new generation of consumers to the BlackBerry brand. Both of these initiatives seem like positive steps for BlackBerry’s turnaround.

The article Did BlackBerry Just Surrender to Apple and Android? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of Apple and BlackBerry and has long January 2014 $13 calls on BlackBerry. The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Apple and Google.

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