[Thunderbuck]

I don't disagree, but I do wonder if potentially losing the consumer battle would not impact its Enterprise position.

Their current enterprise position is eroding away under them, not unlike the island nation of Tuvalu. The enterprise business as they originally built it isn't sustainable. Fortunately, they seem to know that because they're already taking measures to deal with it.

For the Pentagon to use multiple mobile platforms, they need MDM. I realize they'll customize heavily (and they should!), but I don't believe they're going to build their own from scratch. If they're already heavily invested in BES infrastructure, the easiest MDM platform to adopt is... BES10! They may not go that way, and they may segment and use different solutions in different contexts, but BlackBerry stands to be the preferred MDM provider not just for the Pentagon, but for all kinds of businesses that are currently on BES.

FORTUNATELY, the enterprise that runs BES10 can deploy one app that will run on iOS, Android, and BB10, easing development costs. This is where they'll keep their fingers in the enterprise pie.

[trynacu2]

If they do that, i will laugh because only morons will pick IOS & Android over BB security. If the Pentagon goes that way, i am say for sure many will get their **** hacked & have issues. I could care less anyways as i do not live in the states.

You think if there is a problem at the Pentagon it would only affect the US?

[greyw0lf01]

"The networks will remain closed to personal wireless devices for now, according to the Defense Department. The recent bring-your-own-device trend in the civilian workplace “presents many compelling benefits,” though existing Pentagon policies and security vulnerabilities “prevent the adoption of devices that are unapproved and procured outside of official government acquisition,” Takai said in an attachment to a memo dated Feb. 15 and released today."

This is the important paragraph in the press release.... No BYOD happening at the Pentagon, now or in the future. And you can bet that any of the 100,000 non-Blackberry devices that they might allow won't be getting near touching any secured/hardened internal system!

Agreed, but the fact that they are level setting on any level within the Pentagon iOS/Android devices with anything Blackberry speaks volumes.

So depending on function/ security clearance you might only be able to use

BB: highest level
Apple & Samsung: next tier
iOS/Droid: general.

It wouldn't surprise me if Apple bought a security company like Good to bake right into their platform for their own Blackberry Balance type product... Samsung is doing it w/ their own FIPS level security.

[lnichols]

Interesting advantage re: upgradeability. I didn't realize that.

Does BES10 supporting Apple Android: does this hurt BB, or do they make revenue from it? Does it shift BBRY towards being the software services entity some have been suggesting?

Each device is a CAL on the BES10. For BB10 you need an EMM Standard BlackBerry CAL, and with Android/iOS you need an EMM Standard iOS/Android CAL. Pricing depends on Quantity, but 1 CAL is $99. If you buy a 1000+ they drop to $90 each. So they make money off the CAL sale, and then their will be support contracts for the larger deployments which is likely a yearly recurring fee.

Here is the link to the page:

https://enterprise.ecomm.webapps.bla...000000001.html

[jrohland]

First off, you have no idea what has been hacked and what hasn't. If spy agencies have broken security in devices, they are not going to tell anyone.

An argument can be made that it is very bad for personal liberty when government keeps secrets. If these devices expose everything, some may say that may not be a bad thing.

The Chinese and others know it is far easier to bribe politicians ("with campaign contributions") to get secrets than counting on hacking.

[lnichols]

First off, you have no idea what has been hacked and what hasn't. If spy agencies have broken security in devices, they are not going to tell anyone.

An argument can be made that it is very bad for personal liberty when government keeps secrets. If these devices expose everything, some may say that may not be a bad thing.

The Chinese and others know it is far easier to bribe politicians ("with campaign contributions") to get secrets than counting on hacking.

It is all about the amount of risk an agency/entity is will to accept, and mitigation of as many risks as possible. I know that their are some agencies that won't use any solution that isn't FIPS approved, and some that don't care or waver it off quickly, even though they are all supposed to be using FIPS approved encryption/protection per guidelines.

FISMA, OMB policy, and NIST standards and guidelines require agency security programs to be risk-based. Who is responsible for deciding the acceptable level of risk (e.g., the CIO, program officials and system owners, or the IG)? Are the IGs' independent evaluations also to be risk-based? What if they disagree?

The agency head ultimately is responsible for deciding the acceptable level of risk for their agency. System owners, program officials, and CIOs provide input for this decision. Such decisions must reflect policies from OMB and standards and guidelines from NIST (particularly FIPS publication 199, Standards for Security Categorization ofFederal Information and Information Systems, and FIPS publication 200, Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Security, as well as SP 800-39, Managing Information Security Risk). An information system' s Authorizing Official takes responsibility for accepting any residual risk, thus they are held accountable for managing the security for that system.

IG evaluations are intended to independently assess if the agency is applying a risk-based approach to their information security programs and the information systems that support the conduct of agency missions and business functions. For example, when reviewing the assessment in support of an individual security authorization, the IG would generally assess whether: 1) the assessment was performed in the manner prescribed in NIST guidelines and agency policy; 2) controls are being implemented as stated in any planning documentation; and 3) continuous monitoring is adequate given the system impact level of the system and information.

In the end it all depends on how they implement the solution, but no matter what, this will have an impact on BlackBerry's grasp on the Federal Government. They are going to have to use this next year plus where they are still the only game in town to win back people so that when BYOD does kick in, BlackBerry is seriously considered by the end user.

[dbmalloy]

Must be a really slow news day... this was actually announced last November......

[kcdist]

In other news, my kid's school is hiring a former pedophile as a Grade One teacher. Although he's had issues in the past, he's assured the hiring committee that nothing bad could ever happen again. Just the other day, our local police department hired a reformed crackhead to operate it's drug evidence locker.

So, yeah. Android and Apple devices at the Pentagon are just fine. I mean really....what could go wrong?

[greggebhardt]

I�m guessing the folks in the security business probably don�t care for the consumer aspect outside of a particular platform user experience. Do you like iOS simplified experience, Droid optionality or BB10 Flow...

I�m guessing the recent iOS security issues and android malware issues aren�t that concerning because these devices will be locked down well beyond what and ordinary user would ever want.

I guess the bigger question is, will corporations see the Pentagon moving in this direction and jump on the BYOD bandwagon faster.

They will be just a secure as Blackberry. Most of the workers/users WANT Apple and Android devices.

[hurds]

Future article. "Huge security breach at Pentagon".

Looks as though they already allow some iOS and 'droid. You gotta assume they will use a instituion wide MDM solution that supports BB, android and iOS. I wonder which one.

Maybe this will help 'droid and apple with all tthe marketshare BB is going to steal from them in the next year.


Apparently this is old news though that was released in December....But for some reason there needs to be a constant stream of negative news in the media, so repeating old info is now considered 'news'.

[ralfyguy]

Yeah, gotta keep that BB thing to the chin in mud, no matter what it takes...

[njblackberry]

From that anti-BlackBerry rag Forbes: BlackBerry Losing Grip On DoD; Pentagon Opening Networks To iOS, Android Devices - Forbes

@Hurds - it may be old news, but the DoD plan was announced today. Tuesday. Not months ago.

But keep trying.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/...evices-in-2014

AHHHH - APPLE!

[Tre Lawrence]

In other news, my kid's school is hiring a former pedophile as a Grade One teacher. Although he's had issues in the past, he's assured the hiring committee that nothing bad could ever happen again. Just the other day, our local police department hired a reformed crackhead to operate it's drug evidence locker.

So, yeah. Android and Apple devices at the Pentagon are just fine. I mean really....what could go wrong?

Does the school rank degrees of... nah, never mind.

I really want to continue with this, but I'll refrain.

[greyw0lf01]

Must be a really slow news day... this was actually announced last November......

The release from the DOD was dated 2/26/13:

Defense.gov News Release: DOD Releases Commercial Mobile Device Implementation Plan

Maybe there were hints of it before but today is the first news blurb I've noticed.

[RECOOL]

This is funny considering I saw this today.Its only techbuffalo I have seen report it.Below was supoose to be the patch that fixed the last breach.

Another iOS 6.1 Passcode Exploit Exposed | TechnoBuffalo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=oKOj0GMf810#!

I guess a serious problems needs to happen before people can learn.

[xBURK]

Hey KcDist, I used to steal women's shoes at a Canadian Kmart. Tell me if there are any more job openings in your town. Shawn

Posted via CB10

[greyw0lf01]

This is funny considering I saw this today.Its only techbuffalo I have seen report it.Below was supoose to be the patch that fixed the last breach.

Another iOS 6.1 Passcode Exploit Exposed | TechnoBuffalo

Apple iOS v6.1 (iPhone5) - 2 x Mobile Pass Code (Auth) Bypass Vulnerabilities #2013 - YouTube!

I guess a serious problems needs to happen before people can learn.

And yet a serious problem hasn't happened yet since 2007 (that we know of). I think we can probably all agree that whatever security issue(s) the average Iphone user has with iOS 6.1.1, the DoD has many more layers well beyond that.

The government doesn’t want to be locked into a single company to source their hardware. Is it any different than any military wanting to have multiple supply lines (even if some of those supply lines aren’t as secure as the primary)? A safe “enough” will do for all except the most sensitive I’m guessing.

Technology is moving quickly to allow 3rd parties to step in and lock down these off the shelf items. Good Technology offers a FIPS level wrapper around any Iphone/Android product...

The security blanket that BBRY once had isn’t deemed to be the be all end all anymore. I think the idea that BES10 now supports iOS/Droid is a testament to that.

[njblackberry]

The release from the DOD was dated 2/26/13:

Defense.gov News Release: DOD Releases Commercial Mobile Device Implementation Plan

Maybe there were hints of it before but today is the first news blurb I've noticed.

Obviously our good friends to the north know about DoD press releases months before they occur.
Or they simply want to believe that BlackBerry is the monopoly it once was.

[greggebhardt]

China has already got everything from the DoD. Mostly they want corp info now for financial gain.

[Gnomesane]

Their current enterprise position is eroding away under them, not unlike the island nation of Tuvalu. The enterprise business as they originally built it isn't sustainable. Fortunately, they seem to know that because they're already taking measures to deal with it.

I think Android and iOS support in BES10 was a smart, forward looking move on Blackberry's part. As Thorstein Heins himself has repeatedly said, the phones are just a foot in the door for the new OS. They are looking beyond, much further beyond!

[Gnomesane]

Obviously our good friends to the north know about DoD press releases months before they occur.
Or they simply want to believe that BlackBerry is the monopoly it once was.

Been meaning to say, I like your sig quoting Thorsten Heins. Not sure if you mean it as an insult but I actually think a #3 position in mobility would be perfect for Blackberry. It will allow them as a company to be profitable and grow, while keeping them less concerned about making a Herd device that tries to appeal to everyone (impossible in my opinion). Blackberry used to be #1, and look what happened. Then Apple was #1, and then we got iOS 6.0 (which basically removed Google Maps and YouTube and gave everyone the not ready for prime time Apple Maps). Now Samsung is #1, or approaching? I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop...

Maybe it's the Canadian in me, but I'm like **** Ya, #3! Go Blackberry!

[RubberChicken76]

Must be a slow news day when this gets recycled at places like iBGR.

Meanwhile, almost 4 months ago ...Pentagon drops RIM exclusivity; eyes up iPhones, Android phones | ZDNet

[kill_9]

In other news, my kid's school is hiring a former pedophile as a Grade One teacher. Although he's had issues in the past, he's assured the hiring committee that nothing bad could ever happen again. Just the other day, our local police department hired a reformed crackhead to operate it's drug evidence locker.

So, yeah. Android and Apple devices at the Pentagon are just fine. I mean really....what could go wrong?

Don't laugh. Stranger things have happened in real life.

[Moonbase0ne]

A lot of people seem to think that when the Pentagon and other big companies and agencies decide to try a new phone and OS, they walk into Att, Verizon, Tmobile, Sprint, etc... and order a phone and that's it. As if they don't spend time doing their research and talking directly with the developers of the phones they're looking into.

[Dapper37]

Am I missing something here! i believe I read this already? whats with reposting news like its something new? Oh right its @BloombergNews Nuf said.