... BlackBerry’s long difficulties with messaging and marketing will also hinder its efforts. Beard stated that the company was in the midst of figuring out how to package its security offering in a way its sales and marketing teams can jump on, but the security summit clearly indicated there is more work to be done. The event as a whole was disjointed and meandering, often presenting the right content at the wrong time – BlackBerry would have been much better off not burying Beard and its hacking demonstration in the event’s back half.
For all his relatability, Chen can also get in trouble when speaking with lazy journalists who know it’s the smartphone stories that push impressions. But referencing the recent Jeep hack story at a security summit when the vehicle runs on QNX is just bad staff work.
BlackBerry has come a long way in the past year expanding its security portfolio to position itself for sustained success. The next year will prove telling as to whether the company is ready to capitalize.