iTnews

BlackBerrys no longer a must for UK Govt workers

By Juha Saarinen on Aug 24, 2012 2:57PM
BlackBerrys no longer a must for UK Govt workers

iPhones and Android handsets get look-in.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry may lose its mantle as the only smartphone accredited for the communication of 'restricted' British Government information.

The British Government is changing its protective marking system (GPMS) for documents and communications that will bundle existing Impact Levels 1-3 (covering unclassified, protected and restricted materials) together as 'Tier 1', according to a ComputerWeekly report.

The new GPMS will shrink the six-scale Impact Level rating system for information sensitivity into three tiers.

The new classification is intended to open up the government market to more smartphone providers.

Presently, only Blackberrys are accredited to the IL3 'restricted' level while Apple's iPhone is accredited at the lower IL2 'protected' level.

As a result of the GPMS changes, which come into effect early next year, government workers restricted to Blackberrys in the past could be allowed to use iPhones as well as Samsung and HTC handsets.

The changes are part of reforms to break the British Government's dependency on a few large suppliers and to introduce greater diversity of vendors for procurement set in motion by the Home Office IT Director Denise McDonagh.

McDonagh credited the works with savings of almost $250 million in the past 18 months when she appeared at the CIO Summit in Auckland.

In February this year, the main procurement agency for the US government, the General Services Administration, said it would issue iPhones and Android-based smartphones to some of its 17,000 workers.

Furthermore, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced at the same time that it would dump RIM's enterprise servers and Blackberry devices in favour of iOS. It has 25,000 staff.

Since last year, RIM has been in steady decline, losing market share worldwide to Apple's iPhone and smartphones running Google's Android operating system — even in its traditional government strongholds, which value the strong security and encryption of the BlackBerry devices and servers.

The company has announced swinging cost and staff cuts, hoping to achieve over US$1 billion in savings for the first quarter of next year, along with trimming 5000 jobs.

Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright © iTnews.com.au . All rights reserved.
Tags:
blackberrygovernmenthandheld & connected devicesmobile devicepolitics & governmentrimsmartphonestechnology & electronicstelco/ispuk governmentuk government information

Partner Content

Operationalising net zero to be centre stage at IoT Impact conference
Partner Content Operationalising net zero to be centre stage at IoT Impact conference
Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services
Promoted Content Top 5 Benefits of Managed IT Services
Matt Tett to lead essential primer session on security by design
Partner Content Matt Tett to lead essential primer session on security by design
Security "mindset shift" needed to protect organisations
Promoted Content Security "mindset shift" needed to protect organisations

Sponsored Whitepapers

Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Planning before the breach: You can’t protect what you can’t see
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
Beyond FTP: Securing and Managing File Transfers
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
NextGen Security Operations: A Roadmap for the Future
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Video: Watch Juniper talk about its Aston Martin partnership
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection
Don’t pay the ransom: A three-step guide to ransomware protection

Events

  • iTnews Benchmark Awards 2022 - Finalist Showcase
  • IoT Impact Conference
  • Cyber Security for Government Summit
By Juha Saarinen
Aug 24 2012
2:57PM
0 Comments

Related Articles

  • Gov puts low-income broadband issue back on NBN Co
  • Huawei 2021 profit leaps on asset sales
  • NSW gov targets Sky Muster satellite users with $100m gig state upgrade
  • NSW gov reworks $100m gig state regional internet upgrade project
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Whatsapp Email A Friend

Most Read Articles

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co sizes up six-figure customer exodus a year to fixed wireless

NBN Co to cut 160 applications under $200m IT simplification

NBN Co to cut 160 applications under $200m IT simplification

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

NBN Co's 250Mbps and gigabit growth is finally clear

What to expect from the incoming Labor government

What to expect from the incoming Labor government

Digital Nation

COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
COVER STORY: Data and IoT set digital agriculture on a sustainable future
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
Lendlease launches its own metaverse in Milan
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
Why do DeFi and DAOs matter to business?
CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
CTO Juergen Mueller offers a glimpse into SAP's metaverse play
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
COVER STORY: A Year in the Metaverse
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.