BlackBerry announces Secure Work Space for Android and iPhone

BlackBerry has announced the release of Secure Work Spaces for Android and Apple iOS devices, with a release expected in the second quarter of 2013.

Secure Work Spaces will allow integration with BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 and provide users of Android or iOS smartphones secure environment separate from their regular users and contacts, in a manner similar to BlackBerry Balance on the BlackBerry Z10.

It will incorporate a range of features, including work email, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, secure browsing and document editing.

“With Secure Work Space for iOS and Android devices, we’re extending as many of these features as possible to other platforms, critical in today’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) world,” says BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobile Computing executive vice president David J Smith.

“BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers administrators a single, intuitive platform enabling them to effectively and securely manage a variety of devices while protecting their corporate assets and at the same time providing employees the flexibility they desire.

“Currently, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 combined with BlackBerry Balance or Secure Work Space has the only volume solution which has been designed from the ground up to provide the security most IT departments require.”

The release comes after delays in the release of new smartphones based on the BlackBerry 10 platform through 2012 cost the enterprise smartphone giant key enterprise and government contracts to Apple and Android smartphone makers.

The release of Secure Work Spaces will potentially allow these enterprises to continue using encrypted BlackBerry communications after migrating to other smartphone platforms.