BlackBerry Upgrades Enterprise IoT Platform

“…perhaps the most important new feature of the BlackBerry Spark platform is ‘Spark Intelligent Security’, a continuous authentication system designed to leverage a range of data including ‘geographic location, biometrics, time, and usage,’ according to a statement from BlackBerry.”

BlackBerry is seeking to extend its presence in the web of the Internet of Things with new software and services for BlackBerry Spark, a solutions platform aimed at offering IoT solutions to the enterprise.

In announcing the upgraded platform, BlackBerry outlined a number of new BlackBerry Spark components. One allows enterprise administrators to add devices to an Amazon Web Services-based corporate network with custom management protocols, while another solution, called “BlackBerry Secure Global Directory”, enables secure messaging between individuals across different organizations via the BBM Enterprise service. A hardware solution, meanwhile, enables OEMs to install a BlackBerry Secure element into their devices, which can then provision security tokens and certificates through the BlackBerry Network Operations Center.

But perhaps the most important new feature of the BlackBerry Spark platform is “Spark Intelligent Security”, a continuous authentication system designed to leverage a range of data including “geographic location, biometrics, time, and usage”, according to a statement from BlackBerry. The company did not specify which biometric mechanisms this system supports, but it added that “because BlackBerry Spark integrates seamlessly with other identity providers and systems, the data can be securely and easily shared.”

The upgraded BlackBerry Spark platform was unveiled today at the company’s Security Summit in London.