With the rapid expansion of remote working in response to the COVID-19 crisis, enterprise mobility technologies and BYO challenges have expanded the attack surface dramatically. Attackers continue to develop more sophisticated methods to compromise critical networks, and many government agencies still struggle to meet the stringent security requirements for safeguarding and monitoring federal data.
Cloud computing has created opportunities to streamline networks, speed the roll-out of new applications, and reduce IT costs in ways that weren’t possible a decade ago. With cloud, individual government agencies don’t have to maintain hardware and software on-premises – technologies that were duplicated from agency to agency and often department to department. The agency IT team, likely operating on a very tight budget, doesn’t have to deal with patches, upgrades, and adherence to strict government-mandated security requirements. Instead, that burden is completely shifted to the cloud service provider, and as a result, agencies can realize significant savings on security-related costs.
The FedRAMP Certification Advantage
The U.S. government sees the benefits of cloud computing. Therefore, any government agency or organization that handles federal data can use a cloud solution as long as it’s certified with FedRAMP status. FedRAMP – the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program – provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products.
Essentially, if a cloud product or service provider is FedRAMP-certified, the agency or contractor knows the cloud solution can be trusted to meet the stringent cybersecurity capabilities and processes required to handle federal data. That’s precisely why FedRAMP is a game changer for government agencies and contractors: the certification immediately provides peace-of-mind to IT decision-makers and procurement officers that the solution meets the rigorous standards for federal cloud service security.
BlackBerry Government Mobility Suite: FedRAMP Certified
Our end-to-end cloud-based solution, hosted on the FedRAMP-approved Microsoft® Azure™ Government platform, allows U.S. government agencies and contractors to securely manage connected smartphones and tablets. The solution protects sensitive data, whether stored or transmitted over email and text, and allows secure browsing and access to applications behind government agency firewalls. This means employees can work efficiently, as well as communicate and collaborate securely, to conduct the business of the U.S. government.
Here are the key benefits of BlackBerry® Government Mobility Suite:
- Streamlined Management of Devices, Apps, Files, and Users – Using a single, centralized dashboard, the IT team has unparalleled control to manage devices, apps, files, and users.
- Supports Multiple Operating Systems – With the growing use of both iOS® and AndroidTM connected devices, IT teams can securely manage government-issued and BYO devices.
- Integration with Microsoft Office Mobile Apps – Given the ubiquitous use of Microsoft® Office productivity apps, it only makes sense that BlackBerry Government Mobility Suite seamlessly integrates with Microsoft® Word, Excel®, and PowerPoint®, as well as Office 365®, whether on-premises or in the Microsoft Azure Government cloud. IT admins can apply policies to Microsoft Office mobile apps in the same dashboard that they manage other corporate apps.
- Productivity and Collaboration Apps – Supports third-party and custom apps, including the enterprise app catalog, iOS managed apps, and many more.
- Secure Access To Work Resources Without a VPN – Allows users to access behind-the-firewall government resources, apps, and files with personal or government-issued devices without requiring mobile VPN access, saving users’ time and boosting productivity.
- Streamlined, Flexible Identity and Access Management – Offers multiple security options for browser access, including Kerberos and SAML, as well as integrations with Microsoft® Active Directory® and KPI, and advanced capabilities, like single sign-on, token-based two-factor authentication, and complete cloud federation.
- Advanced Productivity Apps Built-In – Available on both iOS and Android devices, the solution provides secure browsing, email, calendaring, contacts, and document editing.
- Industry-Leading Scalability – Without the need to install additional servers or procure and maintain on-premises infrastructure, you can scale rapidly with secure community cloud deployment.
- Software Development Kits and APIs To Develop and Deploy Secure Apps – Your IT team can build custom mobile apps with BlackBerry security to ensure consistent protection across devices and key platforms, including encryption, secure communications, and DLP policies.
The BlackBerry U.S. Cybersecurity Operations Center
Because BlackBerry is committed to serving our federal government customers with FedRAMP certification, we established the BlackBerry U.S. Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC) in Washington, D.C. The CSOC, staffed with U.S. citizens, is focused on providing the best level of service for BlackBerry government customers and will oversee all FedRAMP security functions, required monthly reporting, and annual reassessments.
Learn more about BlackBerry Government Mobility Suite.
