BlackBerry expanding in Asia as employers want more security

Blackberry has reinvented itself from a handset manufacturer to a cybersecurity company. As part of this transformation, Blackberry is looking to expand in Asia and raise its share of revenue from this region from about 8% to 10-12%.
Public concern over privacy, sparked by high-profile data breaches, is creating heightened demand for cybersecurity solutions, like those offered by BlackBerry.
CEO John Chen said Asia will be the main focus for the Canadian company in its “expansion phase’’. His initial targets are the developed economies of Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
BlackBerry’s latest offering uses AI to monitor mobile devices in real time, tracking the user’s location, along with how they use their devices. Any change in a user’s behaviour will trigger a security action, such as locking down the device or wiping its data.
Mobile security is becoming increasingly important as more companies allow employees to work from home or other remote locations. Smartphones are very popular in Asia, where they are used for a wide range of services from shopping and hailing cabs to taking out loans and making investments.