Company attributes
Other attributes
BlackBerry, formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM), is a technology company specializing in the development and implementation of cybersecurity and internet of things (IoT) solutions. It was founded in 1984 and is best known for its smartphone line of the same name that was popular in the early 2000s. The smartphone was discontinued in 2022, and BlackBerry now focuses on creating IoT solutions that can be used in various industries, including automotive, government, and cybersecurity.
BlackBerry has a variety of products that fall under the categories of cybersecurity, embedded systems, transportation asset tracking, automotive, and consumer products. Its products are designed for businesses, enterprises, and consumers for protection against malware, critical event management, and IoT applications.
Blackberry's cybersecurity products are designed to be used as a security option for hybrid workforces that are collaborating virtually using systems like the cloud. The products use artificial intelligence (AI) that was developed by Cylance, a cybersecurity company that BlackBerry acquired in 2019. The company offers cybersecurity products to secure devices, apps, and data, as well as products to enable secure collaboration among virtual teams.
The embedded systems solutions offered by BlackBerry are composed of various software products that can be used by embedded developers to streamline the development process for their own solutions. The embedded systems solutions can be used in various industries, including automotive, medical devices, industrial automation, semiconductors, and IoT.
BlackBerry has a product called BlackBerry Radar, which can be used for asset tracking. It is intended to be used at a business and enterprise level to track transportation assets, such as trailers, intermodal containers and chassis, equipment, and railcars. The product consists of a device that is installed in or on the asset, which then transmits data to a fleet management dashboard.
BlackBerry has developed an in-vehicle software platform that can extract data that is being collected by vehicle use. This data can then be used by automakers for research and development of their own products or solutions, or the data can be monetized through the sale to other parties.
The company's name is mostly associated with its wildly popular smartphone of the same name, which was released in 2000. Its first smartphone, the BlackBerry 957, was one of the first of its kind on the market. At its peak in the 2000s, there were more than 50 million BlackBerry smartphones bought every year. However, BlackBerry no longer has smartphones available for purchase as of January 2022 due to the company's pivot to software development and sales.