Originally reported by cso.com.au. This article is based on the official BlackBerry press announcement dated October 2019.
BlackBerry Brings Enterprise Security Portfolio to Azure Marketplace
BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) announced that a set of its enterprise cybersecurity and endpoint management solutions are now purchasable and deployable directly through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. The move gives existing Azure customers a faster path to evaluating, procuring, and deploying BlackBerry software within an environment they already manage and trust.
The listing covers four distinct products spanning crisis communications, unified endpoint management, secure content collaboration, and embedded secure messaging. Each solution is certified to run on Azure, meaning organizations can consolidate procurement and billing within their existing Azure agreements.
Why This Matters for DevOps and Security Teams
For DevOps and IT operations teams already running workloads on Azure, marketplace availability removes several friction points:
- Consolidated billing: Azure Marketplace purchases can be rolled into existing Azure spend commitments and invoices.
- Pre-validated deployments: Solutions listed on the Azure Marketplace are tested and certified to run on the Azure platform, reducing integration risk.
- Faster provisioning: Teams can deploy directly from the marketplace rather than negotiating separate vendor contracts or configuring manual integrations.
- Zero-trust alignment: BlackBerry’s portfolio is positioned around zero-trust security principles, which map directly to modern enterprise security postures for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
The Four BlackBerry Solutions on Azure Marketplace
BlackBerry AtHoc
A crisis communications platform designed to improve organizational coordination during emergencies. AtHoc enables targeted, multi-channel alerting across personnel groups, making it particularly relevant for government agencies, healthcare organizations, and large enterprises with distributed workforces.
BlackBerry UEM (Unified Endpoint Management)
BlackBerry UEM provides centralized policy control across an organization’s entire device and application fleet, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and IoT endpoints. For DevOps teams managing device fleets alongside cloud infrastructure, UEM offers a single control plane to enforce security policies without fragmenting tooling.
BlackBerry Workspaces
A secure content collaboration platform that applies file-level digital rights management (DRM) to protect sensitive documents and intellectual property. Unlike perimeter-based controls, file-level DRM keeps protections attached to the document itself regardless of where it travels, which is relevant for teams sharing data across organizational boundaries.
BlackBerry Spark Communications Services
A Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offering that lets developers embed end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, and collaboration capabilities directly into enterprise applications and smart devices. This is notable for teams building IoT-connected products or internal tooling that requires secure, auditable communication channels without building cryptographic infrastructure from scratch.
Partnership Context: BlackBerry as a Microsoft Gold Partner
BlackBerry holds Gold Partner status within the Microsoft Azure Partner Network, which reflects a validated level of technical competency and commitment to the Azure ecosystem. Richard McLeod, Global Vice President of Enterprise Software Channels at BlackBerry, framed the marketplace listing as part of a broader distribution strategy:
“We want to ensure that BlackBerry’s trusted solutions are available to customers wherever they choose to seek out our products. As a Gold Partner within the Microsoft Azure Partner Network, we are pleased to offer some of those solutions—key to navigating today’s zero trust environment—on the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.”
— Richard McLeod, Global Vice President, Enterprise Software Channels, BlackBerry
Sajan Parihar, Senior Director of Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft, confirmed the certification process behind the listing:
“Through Microsoft Azure Marketplace, customers around the world can easily find, buy, and deploy partner solutions they can trust, all certified and optimized to run on Azure. We’re happy to welcome BlackBerry’s cybersecurity solutions to the growing Azure Marketplace ecosystem.”
— Sajan Parihar, Senior Director, Microsoft Azure Platform, Microsoft Corp.
About the Microsoft Azure Marketplace
The Azure Marketplace is Microsoft’s online storefront for cloud solutions that are certified and optimized to run on Azure. It serves as a distribution channel connecting enterprises looking for ready-to-deploy software with independent software vendors (ISVs) and managed service providers. Solutions available through the marketplace span infrastructure, security, analytics, developer tools, and industry-specific applications.
About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) is a security software and services company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The company focuses on enterprise and government markets, with product lines covering endpoint security and management, encryption, embedded systems, and AI-assisted threat detection. BlackBerry has repositioned itself over the past decade from a hardware manufacturer to a software-centric cybersecurity vendor. More information is available at blackberry.com.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design, are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.