When people think about the largest and most powerful mobile phone manufacturers today, very few will include BlackBerry in the mix. There’s a good reason for that, and it’s not because BlackBerry has disappeared from the scene altogether. Although it has been touch and go on whether the historically popular business phone maker would survive, it seems that it has – by shifting its focus.
In 2013, BlackBerry brought in a new CEO in the hopes he could help change the narrative and revive the failing giant. Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen has changed the company’s focus from handsets to cybersecurity.
Since 2013, BlackBerry has focused on embedded software, secure mobile communications, and crisis communications – a booming industry that continues to gain ground as cyber security becomes more and more important.
Fortunately, BlackBerry already had a stellar reputation for data security – one that earned it the preferences of banks and government organizations throughout the world. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t be an uphill battle. Although BlackBerry is aiming for a $1 billion sales goal for 2019, that’s still a far cry from the $20 million it reported in 2011.
The niche the new CEO has picked to fill continues to grow through strategic acquisitions and focusing on up-and-coming technology. This includes their investment in creating security for Internet of Things (IoT) technology, plus its QNX automotive software, embedded in 150 million vehicles to help prevent hacking.
However, just because the company doesn’t make the mobile phones themselves doesn’t mean they’re no longer available. The company has outsourced their smartphone manufacturing to TCL Communication, but the phones still bear the Blackberry name. BlackBerry fans can still look forward to the secure, easy-to-use phones they’ve always had.