New updates for BlackBerry communications programs
by CM Staff
SecuSUITE for Government and BlackBerry AtHoc have new enhancements
BlackBerry corporate headquarters in Waterloo, Ont. PHOTO: BlackBerry
On Mar. 4, BlackBerry Ltd. announced new enhancements and feature updates to SecuSUITE for Government and BlackBerry AtHoc, programs that it says enable government agencies to securely communicate and safeguard sensitive data.
BlackBerry says SecuSUITE for Government protects governments against threats to local and national security by enabling secure voice and messaging communication on standard iOS and Android devices. New features include secure group messaging, enhanced voice quality for clearer sound and enhanced interoperability with private branch exchange (PBX) telephone systems.
SecuSUITE for Government 4.0 was recently awarded updated certification from the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP), a U.S. government IT standards program, and listed as a Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) compliant product by the NSA.
According to BlackBerry, AtHoc is a networked crisis communication system that delivers protection for personnel and provides leaders with the information they need to make critical safety decisions.
The AtHoc system has expanded to include a new solution called AtHoc Situation Response, which BlackBerry says organizations can use to plan and securely orchestrate the entire incident response lifecycle. Before a crisis, an organization can use AtHoc Situation Response to create plans, assign reviewers to plans and send a plan through the review process. During a crisis, emergency managers can create an incident report based on the previously reviewed plan. They can also adjust a plan during an incident to respond to events as they occur. AtHoc Situation Response also allows crisis managers to use real-time, encrypted chats.
“We have a long history of supporting the public sector with secure and innovative solutions. BlackBerry is trusted by seven of the G7 and 16 of the G20 governments, and more than 70% of U.S. Federal government personnel are protected by BlackBerry AtHoc,” said David Wiseman, vice-president, Secure Communications at BlackBerry, in a prepared statement.
