Research In Motion says its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 platform has received FIPS 140-2 certification, which means it meets security standards demanded by government departments in the USA and Canada. As a result, government agencies will be able to use BlackBerry 10 smartphones as soon as they’re launched.
This is the first time that BlackBerry products have been FIPS-certified before going on sale.
FIPS is the Federal Information Processing Standard; it is issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and certifies products that collect, store, transfer and share sensitive information.
Michael K Brown, Vice President of Security Product Management and Research at RIM, said “Achieving FIPS 140-2 certification means that BlackBerry 10 is ready to meet the strict security requirements of government agencies and enterprises at launch. What differentiates BlackBerry is that it integrates end-to-end security, and includes certified encryption algorithms for data at rest and data in transit. No other mobile solution has achieved the level of security accreditation that the BlackBerry solution has.”
The news came as James Faucette, who leads the wireless communications research practice at investment bank Pacific Crest, was reported to have told clients that BlackBerry 10 was unlikely to be successful.
His research report warned “We believe BB10 is likely to be DOA”, adding that the new operating system would be “met with a lukewarm response at best and ultimately likely to fail.”