BlackBerry is buying Sunnyvale-based Good Technology for $425 million in cash, the Canadian company announced today.
Good, which makes mobile software, has more than 6,000 enterprise and government customers worldwide. Among other things, its offerings allow employees using mobile devices to securely connect to their employers networks.
More than half the devices running on Good s technology are Apple products, according to Reuters. With the acquisition of a rival and former patent foe, BlackBerry can expand support for customers who use different mobile operating systems.
By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise on their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security, said John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO, in a press release.
Good Chairman and CEO Christy also said in the press release that her company s technology will boost BlackBerry s Internet of Things efforts.
BlackBerry has turned its focus to the enterprise after being overtaken long ago by Android and Apple s iOS in the consumer smartphone market. In the U.S., for example, the BlackBerry operating system s market share for the quarter ended in July was 1.3 percent, according to comScore.
Wyatt said in the press release that we are excited to join BlackBerry, but it s unclear what the deal will mean for Good s 650 employees worldwide. A spokesman for Good would not break out the number of employees working in Sunnyvale.
In an email to SiliconBeat, a BlackBerry spokesperson said: Staffing is always subject to business conditions, but we recognize that the strength of a company lies in its people and we value the expertise that the Good team will bring to BlackBerry, and that the company will have more details after the acquisition is approved. The deal is expected to close at the end of BlackBerry s 2016 fiscal third quarter.
Photo: A Canadian flag flies at BlackBerry s headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, July 9, 2013. (The Canadian Press via Associated Press)
