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While the BlackBerry® platform is already synonymous in many circles with security, it’s important to our customers that the BlackBerry solution is not only functionally secure, but is recognized and certified as such. Our ongoing commitment to security was recently recognized as the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet from Research In Motion® (RIM®) became the first (and only) tablet device to achieve Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 security certification.

Beyond being a mandatory requirement for US government purchases and use, FIPS certification recognizes the BlackBerry platform’s ongoing commitment to security. This unwavering approach to product development is designed to enable our customers to focus on solving real business issues – navigating uncharted waters and moving their organizations forwards – instead of wasting time constantly trying to ‘batten down the hatches’ security-wise.

I was eager to congratulate my colleague Michael K. Brown, Director of Security Product Management at RIM, and was able to steal a few minutes of his time to chat further about what the FIPS certification of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet means for our customers.

We have very significant news to share with our government customers – today the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet officially received FIPS 140-2 certification, the first tablet to ever have received this certification. With FIPS 140-2 certification, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can now be used by the U.S. federal government with confidence, knowing that it meets their policy requirements for securing and protecting sensitive data.

This absolutely underscores the commitment by Research In Motion® (RIM®) to building products that meet stringent security requirements of the US Federal Government.

There are a wide variety of smartphone and tablet products available on the market today, many of which don’t meet the highest level of security standards that government agencies demand. The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry smartphones are clear exceptions.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is a natural extension to the hundreds of thousands of BlackBerry® smartphones that are used in the Federal Government today. With the BlackBerry® Bridge™ application, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can be paired with a BlackBerry smartphone to provide secure access to information on the larger screen while keeping the data stored safely on the BlackBerry smartphone. Secure network communication is also extended to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in this manner, designed to allow the government to be assured that they can securely access applications and other critical data.

I’m pretty excited about the opportunities that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet presents for government agencies. Pilot projects to use the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet are already underway across the government and the use case scenarios are impressive. Give me a shout in the comments if you would like to discuss how the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet would fit into your agency or department.

As WES 2010 draws closer, it’s time to think about how to best spend your time at the show. In our previous post, we gave attendees an important WES 2010 checklist, but if you’re an IT administrator attending WES 2010, we heartily recommend becoming BlackBerry® Certified or participating in the Hands-on Labs!

This year, WES 2010 is offering three different certification streams: Plan and Design, Manage and Monitor, and Support and Troubleshoot. Each exam is available to full and executive conference registrants at WES 2010 for $75 USD, a 50% discount from the regular price! To find out more about becoming BlackBerry Certified, please go to the WES 2010 Certification page. Note that spots are limited, so sign up early to avoid disappointment.

The WES 2010 Hands-on Labs teach you the latest information about the BlackBerry® solution software by allowing you to work through exercises and problem solving scenarios at your own pace. A $249 USD Hands-on Labs pass offers the full conference and executive conference registrants the opportunity to learn about Installing and upgrading the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, Role Based Administration, Security, Monitoring and more! For more information please visit the WES 2010 Hands-on Labs page. Registration is also subject to availability, so sign up now!

Ready to sign up? You can register for BlackBerry Certification or the Hands-on Labs while registering for WES 2010. If you’ve already registered for WES 2010, you can easily add the Hands-on Labs and BlackBerry Certification to your account by logging into http://www.attendwes.com with your username and password.