10 Ways BlackBerry Is Trying to Get Back on a Sustainable Growth Path

BlackBerry has been through tough times over the past few years, but it’s now showing signs of renewal. Will its new investment areas provide sustained growth?

BlackBerry’s innovation center in Ottawa is focused solely on expanding the company’s role in autonomous vehicles. BlackBerry says the researchers there will get self-driving software “production-ready” and work with partners in both the private and public sectors to bring the technology to cars. In its announcement, BlackBerry cited industry research that found half of all cars will be connected to the cloud by 2020. It wants a share of that market.

BlackBerry is no longer designing, engineering and manufacturing smartphones. Instead, the company announced Dec. 15 a global partnership with TCL Communication to have that company build smartphones under the BlackBerry banner. TCL will pay BlackBerry for the right to use its brand.

Despite BlackBerry’s decision to stop designing and manufacturing its own smartphones, the company is still selling handsets. In October, BlackBerry released the DTEK60, an Android-based device that’s focused solely on corporate enterprise security. BlackBerry plans to continue selling that handset—and some of the others it recently manufactured—for the foreseeable future. It’s part of a broader plan to appeal to enterprise users who want to go mobile.

Also in December, BlackBerry announced plans to offer a mobile security platform for the enterprise of things. The platform is the result of a collaboration between several recent BlackBerry acquisitions, including Good Technology, WatchDox and Encription, and features endpoint security solutions, mobile app security and a software development kit. Think of the platform as an all-in-one solution for companies to improve mobile security.

The internet of things industry has been identified as a core growth area for BlackBerry in the coming years. As such, BlackBerry has expanded its efforts there in recent years. The company’s efforts include its Core IoT platform, which IoT devices can work atop, as well as software tools and other solutions. BlackBerry wants to be the behind-the-scenes partner for IoT device makers.

BlackBerry is making strides in becoming a prominent behind-the-curtain player in the logistics industry. With BlackBerry Radar, companies can track a fleet of trucks, see what their load status is and get information on where they’re headed. BlackBerry Radar is hosted in the cloud.

While Blackberry isn’t competing in the smartphone market any longer, the company is generating income by licensing its name and certain patents to companies in emerging markets. In September, BlackBerry signed a device software licensing agreement with PT BB Merah Putih in Indonesia.

Last year, BlackBerry completed its acquisition of security company AtHoc. Since then, the company has been using its technology not only in its aforementioned mobile security platform but also for public safety and emergency response. With AtHoc’s help, BlackBerry works with law enforcement agencies around the world to provide a range of security and crisis communications services. Most recently in December, BlackBerry signed a deal with a city in France to deliver technology solutions that could be used in response to possible terrorist attacks.

QNX, another company BlackBerry acquired, is another important BlackBerry division. Through QNX, BlackBerry is deepening its relationships with different industry verticals by offering its security to everything from hospitals to nuclear power plants. QNX real-time operating system is even embedded in casino gaming terminals and in-car infotainment systems.

If the preceding slides say anything, it’s that BlackBerry is focusing its operations on the enterprise. While consumers still might be using its older devices or BBM for messaging, BlackBerry’s focus is on corporate customers. That was a core component in CEO John Chen’s turnaround, and will remain so for as long as he’s in office. For the foreseeable future, BlackBerry is leaving consumers behind in favor of the enterprise.