BlackBerry acquires mobile security firm Secusmart

NEW YORK — BlackBerry is ramping up its security offerings with a new acquisition today.

The company just announced that it has acquired Secusmart, a Dusseldorf, Germany-based company that secures all aspects of mobile communications, including calls, texts, and data. The deal is still pending regulatory approval.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen used the announcement to kick off its Security Summit in New York City today, pointing out that Secusmart will play a big role in the company’s globalization plans. BlackBerry and Secusmart have been partners since 2009, and Chen noted that the firm has “many big government customers.”

Secusmart will operate independently and remain based in Germany. The company recently launched an “anti-eavesdropping” solution, something that will likely appeal to both governments and businesses in a post-NSA spying world. The company’s core technology is a secure SD card that’s installed on phones to encrypt communications.

“Secusmart and BlackBerry’s solution already meets the highest security requirements of the German federal authorities and NATO for restricted communications,” said Secusmart managing director Hans-Christoph Quelle in a statement. “We see significant opportunities to introduce Secusmart’s solutions to more of BlackBerry’s government and enterprise customers around the world.”

With its consumer market share shrinking, BlackBerry is now focusing heavily on enterprise and government clients. And instead of trying to compete with the iPhone and Android devices, it’s trying to build on its reputation as a reliable and trustworthy solution for organizations that demand secure communications. BlackBerry is sending a clear signal about its future ambitions by snapping up Secusmart, and it’ll be interesting to see if competitors respond in any fashion.