In ongoing search for a reason to exist, BlackBerry launches cybersecurity consulting service

While BlackBerry continues to watch what little remains of its mobile marketshare evaporate into the atmosphere, the Canadian company has decided to place a bigger bet on cybersecurity.

And why not? In a press release today, the company noted that cybersecurity consulting “is currently estimated to be a $16.5 billion annual global business that is forecast to grow to $23 billion per annum by 2019.”

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In slipping the word “annum” into a press release, the company is off to a good start.

Of course, once upon a time BlackBerry was (and still is?) known as being more secure that all those other randy mobile operating systems. So BlackBerry has decided to launch Professional Cybersecurity Services.

To give PCS a boost, the company also said it was acquiring U.K.-based cybersecurity consulting firm Encription Limited. The amount of the deal was not disclosed.

“BlackBerry is the gold standard when it comes to security and we’re always evolving to maintain this high standard as the complexity of enterprise mobility and security increases,” said John Chen, BlackBerry’s executive chairman and CEO, in a statement. “We recognize that security vulnerabilities are a top risk concern for public and private sector organizations alike. The creation of our Professional Cybersecurity Services practice and acquisition of Encription reinforces our commitment to providing customers the industry’s most secure mobility solutions and helping them to assess and mitigate risks.”