BlackBerry’s legacy of enterprise mobility should not be forgotten

Earlier this week, news that BlackBerry devices would stop working sparked a wave of nostalgia, not just in the mobile industry, but the world at large.

The shutdown of an aging and largely abandoned tech service (in this case BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS)) rarely makes headlines, TV reports, and social media discussions, but the response has demonstrated strength. of sentiment for Iconic BlackBerry devices.

BBC Radio 1 even made a point of playing a song by Swedish House Mafia and Tinie Tempah that referred to a “Bold BB”, itself proof of the cross-appeal of cellphones that were originally designed for executives and executives. office workers.

Cross call

The fact that the devices were designed for business users only increased their appeal, while the associated price tag made them ambitious items in the late 2000s, but BlackBerrys were the first evidence for many. people that cell phones could be more than just making calls and texting.

BlackBerry offered email, instant messaging, and physical keyboards – capabilities that were previously limited to PCs. And, what’s more, BIS enabled unlimited data consumption at a time when data plans were often not included in regular contracts. BlackBerrys offered an attractive cocktail of functionality and prestige.

Many retrospectives have examined the impact of BlackBerry devices in the same way the industry might mirror other iconic mobile phones like the Nokia 3310, Motorola RAZR, or the original iPhone.

However, BlackBerry’s impact on mobility and the corporate computing world goes much further. Its software and security capabilities, its contributions to industry standard patents, and the innovation of its devices are still relevant today.

BlackBerry began life as Research in Motion (RIM) in 1984 when two engineering students, Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, established a business in Waterloo in the Canadian province of Ontario. RIM quickly made a name for itself in wireless connectivity and email, creating the world’s first two-way pager, devices that can access corporate email, and eventually a smartphone.

Two decades of technological development, three generations of mobile connectivity and a pandemic later mean we’re all used to flexible working. But the ability to securely access email from any location and respond using a QWERTY keyboard rather than an alphanumeric keypad was truly revolutionary for businessmen around the turn of the century. .

Business revolution

In an era when computing is still dominated by desktops and perimeter-based security, even for those with access to laptops, the behind-the-scenes capabilities of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) made it all possible. . BES could manage devices, authenticate users, and secure data transmission beyond office boundaries, meaning new freedoms didn’t come at the expense of security.

The functionality, design and price have made BlackBerry a highly desirable and attractive device for consumers. RIM responded by making sure its latest devices had built-in cameras and updating the BlackBerry operating system multiple times during its lifespan. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) became one of the main selling points of its unlimited messaging and multimedia features that went beyond SMS. This is because BBM PIN codes were once considered a status symbol.

Even when Apple and Google prepared the first iPhone and Android devices in 2007, BlackBerry showed no signs of stopping, increasing sales and market share. As recently as 2011, a four-day BlackBerry infrastructure outage that saw BBM taken offline was worldwide news. The business was hanging on, but signs of decline were emerging. BlackBerry OS was designed for an earlier era of mobile, which relied on more primitive hardware and network standards. As mobile technology became more advanced and cellular networks performed better in the era of 4G, the BlackBerry OS and its devices were increasingly obsolete.

Attempts to remain competitive in the market have proved unsuccessful. The BlackBerry Storm touchscreen was a flop and although the BlackBerry 10 was well received by critics, it was repeatedly delayed and arrived far too late in 2013. In an increasingly mobile world driven by application ecosystems, BlackBerry simply did not have the critical mass to support the interest of developers. .

BlackBerry Legacy

By 2013, BlackBerry hit its peak of 85 million subscribers, with many companies still valuing its security and management capabilities. Consumers were moving away, however, as many employees now wanted to use the same technology at work as they did in their personal lives, despite the BlackBerry phone’s many flaws and IT restrictions.

Apple, Samsung, and Google slowly eroded BlackBerry’s security advantage, and the rise of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend were arguably the last nails in the company’s coffin of device ambition.

A name change (from RIM to BlackBerry), layoffs and a shift in focus from handsets to services followed. The pain of downsizing has given way to a smaller, more focused and financially secure organization that continues to serve the industry and maximize the value of its patent portfolio. The company released new devices to serve its die-hard fan base before deciding to discontinue it in 2016. The only BlackBerry devices sold since then have been manufactured by licensed third parties.

It’s tempting to fantasize about what might have happened if BlackBerry 10 had released a few years earlier or if BBM had gone multiplatform before Facebook and WhatsApp took hold of the mobile messaging market. But the shutdown of the company’s mobile infrastructure is an opportunity to celebrate the BlackBerry’s legacy in mobility. This has helped foster convergence between the mobile and IT industries, laid some of the foundations for flexible working, and forced other vendors to follow suit.

The parallels with Nokia are obvious and just as the Finnish company has moved to telecommunications infrastructure, BlackBerry is working on security and management platforms for a mobile computing world that also includes emerging areas like the Internet of Things. (IoT) and connected cars.

Both the world of business mobility and BlackBerry itself have taken on new horizons and an important chapter in the history of the industry has come to an end.