Once upon a time, when people thought of trendy technology in the business world, a BlackBerry came to mind. Yes, it’s true. But now? – not so much. While BlackBerry revolutionized the fine art of working from anywhere at any time on a phone, it failed to keep up with its own trend and before long, lost its stronghold. But as PR takes the business world by storm, BlackBerry now aims to capitalize on the momentum.
BlackBerry’s Solution to Crisis Communications
How? Well, according to CrackBerry, Blackberry just launched a brand new platform for companies. Its use? – to distribute sensitive information in times of crises. Called “AtHoc,” the platform makes crisis communication a breeze for European-based firms.
The platform boasts “full compliance with European data protection requirements ensuring the world’s most demanding organizations can deliver security, life safety, and business continuity to their community and personnel.” Blackberry also promises fast delivery of messages to allow rapid communication during a crisis.
Why Now?
In spite of the resounding success BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) enjoyed back in the day, BlackBerry slowly lost its position to other apps like Whatsapp and iMessage. In response, it then did the unthinkable. releasing a version of BBM for all phone users, but it was too late. Since then, RIM and BlackBerry mostly left any further attempts to revolutionize communication platforms alone.
So, why now?
According to the company’s press release:
In light of recent events, security communication is of paramount importance to both public safety agencies and commercial organizations concerned with the safety of their personnel and community.
Basically, PR did not become more in-demand of late by chance, but as a result of serious privacy breaches (hacking), and mishandled information. It’s also been the result of a team, neither focused nor acting as one unit. For this reason, BlackBerry also emphasizes the importance of collaboration via the new platform.
Blackberry – Less of a Target
When Apple first became popular, one of the things users often bragged about was that Apple tended to not be as big a target as PC-users, because fewer people owned and used Macs. BlackBerry can benefit from this advantage as well. Why would hackers target BlackBerry’s network, when the iCloud, OneDrive, and Samsung’s Google Drive promises a bigger pool to pick from?
BlackBerry can also enjoy its place as less of a target because it’s not obligated to the US federal government like other technologies. Based in Canada, it operates separately and targeting a European market with AtHoc further separates it from obligations to US federal law. Deliberate or not, this was genius – even though it means losing the international flexibility of the platform.
This new delve into the world of PR could open new doors and opportunities for BlackBerry if they continue in this fashion. They capitalized on an amazing opportunity and provided a solution to a growing security problem. But whether companies actually adopt the technology remains to be seen and is a major determining factor in its success.
With this technology, BlackBerry may very well dominate the business phone market once again… at least, in Europe. We can only wait and see.