The BlackBerry Movie: Are You Ready for the ‘Sequel’?
People around the globe are watching and streaming a feature film — recently serialized for TV — that recounts an entertaining version of BlackBerry’s early days as a device maker. The story deserves its sequel, so here it is: 40 years after its founding near Toronto, and 15 years after the events in the movie conclude, BlackBerry is alive and well, busily pioneering new ways to improve our lives.
In fact, while the company no longer sells phones, it still focuses on offering best-in-class technology that prioritizes your security, connectivity, and privacy. So what BlackBerry did with the smartphone, it now does across your life. In other words, BlackBerry rebounded from the tumultuous events chronicled in the movie and is still working hard to improve the way you live and work. Now that’s a movie worthy of a sequel. (Hello Hollywood, are you listening?)
Get a taste of how BlackBerry has evolved in this video:
BlackBerry History
In the early 2000s, BlackBerry was the No. 1 smartphone maker in the U.S., controlling 43% of the market. BlackBerry was a household name, known for its famously secure — and even “addictive” (aka, the “CrackBerry”) — smartphones.
Fans included movie stars, rock legends, and an array of world leaders, from the late Queen Elizabeth to former U.S. President Barack Obama — who famously told reporters that despite having to relinquish many aspects of normal life when he moved into the White House, he drew the line at giving up his beloved phone: “I'm still clinging to my BlackBerry."
Many people around the world felt the same way, allowing BlackBerry to sell more than 100 million smartphones, becoming one of Canada’s most valuable companies.
The decade since then has been an amazing journey that most people are unaware of. It saw BlackBerry exiting the hardware and handset business, and focusing instead on expanding its portfolio of innovative software-based products and services. As the company shifted from the consumer market to selling directly to industry and enterprise customers, many consumers lost track of BlackBerry. But as it turns out, BlackBerry never left their side.
What Does BlackBerry Do Now?
BlackBerry currently serves two hot markets: Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT). From its not-so-humble beginnings as a hardware maker, the proud Canadian company now provides its leading-edge cybersecurity and IoT software and services to enterprises, industries, and government entities around the world.
BlackBerry and Cybersecurity
BlackBerry’s Cylance AI cybersecurity software protects organizations of all sizes, around the world. The company pioneered the use of AI in cybersecurity to protect against the most sophisticated modern threats, including zero-day and ransomware attacks. BlackBerry holds more related patents than its competitors, and has recently announced plans to integrate generative AI technology with its existing cyber portfolio.
BlackBerry UEM (unified endpoint management) software means you can be productive from anywhere, securely. Most of the G20 governments, along with the biggest banks and other enterprises around the world, use BlackBerry UEM to enable their workforce to securely connect and collaborate on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac devices.
BlackBerry Secure Communications. Yes, the company that brought you the smartphone still offers secure communications, via BlackBerry SecuSUITE. Numerous companies and governments around the world rely on SecuSUITE to protect their calls and texts from eavesdropping and hacking.
There is much more to this BlackBerry movie “sequel,” but those are a few of the highlights.
Now Playing: BlackBerry Movie, the “Sequel”
The BlackBerry movie is no longer in theatres, but BlackBerry’s “real-life sequel” is already playing on a device near you. And like the BlackBerry of old, today’s BlackBerry is hard at work for you: changing your world by connecting the IoT, and securing the digital world we all rely on.
