BlackBerry acquires file security firm WatchDox

BlackBerry  has acquired file sync and share platform WatchDox. The Canadian handset maker, however, didn’t disclose the financial terms of the transaction; but according to some reports, BlackBerry is paying between $100 million and $150 million for the company. Headquartered in California, with R&D facilities in Israel, WatchDox is a data security company offering the most secure enterprise file-sync-and-share (EFSS) solutions that allow users to protect, share and work with their files on any device. WatchDox security travels with shared files on both mobile and desktop devices to give organisations full visibility and control over how files are edited, copied, printed or forwarded. The solution also allows end users to revoke access or delete files remotely, enables secure mobile productivity for repositories both in the cloud and on premises, and gives administrators the ability to lock or remove access to files compromised in a data breach. [caption id=“attachment_2007161” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The addition of WatchDox will enable BlackBerry to help organisations securely connect employees with each other and with corporate information across all mobile and desktop platforms. WatchDox’s technology will be offered as a value-added service that complements BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) portfolio, and will be available with BES12, a multi-OS EMM solution. “The acquisition of WatchDox will form the basis of a new security-focused BlackBerry R&D center in Israel,” the company said. “BlackBerry is constantly expanding the potential of data security so that it enables more collaboration and sharing rather than creating limitations,” said John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO. “This acquisition represents another key step forward as we transition BlackBerry into the premier platform for secure mobile communications software and applications, supporting all devices and operating systems. Together with last year’s Secusmart acquisition, Samsung partnership, our own internal development efforts, and now the acquisition of WatchDox, we now have capabilities to secure communications end-to-end from voice, text, messaging, data and now enterprise file-sync-and share.” WatchDox serves leading organisations across a variety of industry sectors, including government, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, law and media.