BlackBerry Work Space for iOS, Android gets US clearance

BlackBerry's Android and iOS device management service has won a key security clearance from the US Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

The DISA clearance will allow the company's customers in various US Department of Defense agencies to begin to use its BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10 system to manage and secure devices powered by Google's Android operating system and Apple's iOS software.

BlackBerry launched the service to run on rival devices a year ago, as part of a move to help it sell high-margin services to its large clients even if many, or all, their workers use smartphones made by competitors.

The new feature, Secure Work Space, is managed through BES 10, the latest version of BlackBerry's enterprise mobility solution.

The decision to service non-BlackBerry devices is part of the company's move to reinvent itself as its own devices have waned in popularity.

BlackBerry intends to remain a competitor in the smartphone business, but it is also pivoting to build on core strengths in areas like mobile data security and mobile device management, as part of a move to boost revenues and return to profitability.

The US Department of Defense, a long-time stronghold for BlackBerry, has over the course of the last year begun to test and use Apple devices and Samsung's line of Android-based Galaxy devices, in addition to the new line of BlackBerry 10 devices.