On Tuesday, June 18, BlackBerry CEO John Chen sat down for a fireside chat with Bloomberg Executive Editor Tom Giles as part of their #TheFutureOf event. Below is a recap of the discussion which focused on the future of data, devoting specific attention to how data will serve as the fuel for the autonomous transportation and smart city revolution.
No matter your previous association with BlackBerry, chances are high you’ve interacted with our technology in some capacity before. That’s because, as CEO John Chen noted during his fireside chat with Bloomberg, the underpinning of everything BlackBerry does is based on algorithms and security hardening and encryption technology to secure all aspects of your life, from the ways you communicate to the ways you travel around to everything in between. What results is a productive, predictable and safe experience for all.
So, how is BlackBerry going about creating that experience? John broke down a number of different ways, the first being through patents.
BlackBerry holds more than 40,000 patents, but only 26% are related to hardware. The remainder are all based on security algorithms, cryptology and software that protects data—from how it’s transported to how it’s applied and used in embedded solutions.
This brings us to the next approach John mentioned: how BlackBerry is securing the growing number of endpoints.
John noted that as our world becomes more hyperconnected, be it the cars we drive or the cities we live in, BlackBerry’s security know-how as a company is laser-focused on securing the vast amount of data that goes into these systems.
We’re seeing a rapid influx of people in cities, which will impact the way we work, live and get around. Using technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G will help improve the way these cities run and the quality of life for citizens.
At the crux of this new wave of smart cities is transportation. Cars today are running more on data than gasoline. That’s because the auto industry is at the verge of complete change. “The money is not so much in the autonomous vehicle; it’s in the connected car,” John said. “The data is the money.”
Real-time security analytics can utilize this data to achieve life-saving benefits that make connected, smart cities safer and more efficient. This is why every city wants and is striving to become a smart city, John observed.
Bubbling up from this hyperconnectivity is the concept of data privacy—a concept that is unfortunately not getting the focus it deserves.
John was adamant that privacy and safety are the most important things when it comes to connected cars, cities, etc. That’s why BlackBerry’s mission is to build algorithmic, AI technologies and security solutions that secure data, protect the transfer of data and, ultimately, make data more private. We’re applying this approach to all hardware, not just our own.
By ringing the bell about the importance of data privacy and actively creating solutions to achieve it, John hopes that the public and private sector will take note and develop an approach moving forward that addresses this major concern as our lives and world become more connected. If we can achieve this, then all the benefits that come from this incredible smart technology—productivity, convenience, safety—will quickly follow suit.
To learn more about how BlackBerry is working to secure our connected world, watch CEO John Chen’s full fireside chat from Bloomberg’s #TheFutureOf event.