Blackberry used to be the preferred choice of governments and enterprises, but lately many government organizations and companies have started to make the switch to other operating systems such as iOS and Android. While some government agencies are looking to give Blackberry 10 a chance, it looks like that will not be the case in the UK as the British government claims that the Blackberry 10 operating system has failed security tests. Blackberry themselves acknowledge that the Blackberry 10 platform has yet to pass the CESG (Computer Experts Security Group), but did state that a revised software will be submitted but no word on when that will be the case.
It’s a bit odd considering that BES used to be a popular choice, and you would have expected Blackberry to adhere to the minimum security standards. Then again, it is possible that they have done just that but with technology advancing the way it is, and with other companies offering newer types of security, there is a good chance that standards of governments and companies have gone up along with their requirements. A statement released by Blackberry sort of confirms this.
We have a long-established relationship with CESG and we remain the only mobile solution approved for use at ‘Restricted’ when configured in accordance with CESG guidelines. This level of approval only comes following a process which is rigorous and absolutely necessary given the highly confidential nature of the communications being transmitted. The current re-structuring of this approval process, due to the Government Protective Marking Scheme review and the new CESG Commercial Product Assurance scheme has an impact on the timeline for BlackBerry 10 to receive a similar level of approval. The U.S. government’s FIPS 140-2 certification of BlackBerry 10 and the selection of BlackBerry 10 by the German Procurement Office and Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) underline how our new platform continues to set the standard for government communications. We are continuing to work closely with CESG on the approval of BlackBerry 10 and we’re confident that BlackBerry 10 will only strengthen our position as the mobile solution of choice for the U.K. government.
Filed in . Read more about BlackBerry 10.