BlackBerry wins two major Australian MDM contracts as John Chen’s turnaround continues

BlackBerry has announced it has won two major Australian enterprise contracts for its BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES10) mobile device management (MDM) system as the company’s turnaround under new chief executive John Chen continues.

In a statement, the company announced the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has signed a deal to use a combination of BES 10 and BlackBerry 10 handsets, as well as BlackBerry Secure Work Space for iOS and Android devices.

The BES 10 MDM allows employees to set up a secure work space on their iOS, Android or BlackBerry 10 smartphone that keeps their work apps and data separate from their personal apps and data.

In a statement, Gary Pettigrove, chief information officer of ANAO, says security was a key deciding factor for his department.

“About 86% of our workforce is mobile and needs to work fast and flexibly across multiple functions of Parliament, whilst maintaining the integrity and security of national information.

“By enabling and protecting our workforce with control over the use of work and personal data, we are driving significant efficiencies among our workforce whilst leveraging the capabilities of BES10.”

The company also announced it has struck a deal with diversified professional services company.

BlackBerry claims more than 65% of its customer base has either migrated to BES 10 or are currently evaluating the software.

In a statement, Matthew Ball, managing director for Australia and New Zealand at BlackBerry, says the company is gaining momentum in the Australian MDM sector.

“While we continue to win the trust of Australian government departments, we are also seeing significant traction in other regulated and private industries that want to enable workforce mobility with multiple devices, while maintaining company IP and data is protected and secure.

“We are looking forward to working with our partners and customers in the region in 2014 as we continue BlackBerry’s global enterprise momentum.”

In the statement, Ball also announced he is participating in an Enterprise Mobility Summit panel at Connect 2014 in Melbourne on Friday March 14, where he will discuss mobility strategies for businesses and governments.