BlackBerry gets help from Trend Micro in the fight against malware
In the race to the starting line, BlackBerry pulled out all the stops in order to deliver an app library that's 70,000 strong, but now the firm's looking to Trend Micro in an effort to keep malicious software at bay.
Context & Ripple Effects
BlackBerry entered its BlackBerry 10 launch period focused on filling out its software catalog, with 15,000 app submissions arriving in under two days in January. The reported 70,000-app library makes malware screening a more consequential part of the platform rollout.
The Trend Micro collaboration also reinforces a security reputation that had made BlackBerry devices a preferred choice for government agencies. It frames app growth and platform trust as linked rather than separate priorities.
First-order effects
- BlackBerry adds Trend Micro as a malware-protection partner for its expanding app ecosystem, making security support part of the BlackBerry 10 proposition.
- Trend Micro gains a route into BlackBerry's app-platform security effort as the company works to protect its 70,000-app catalog.
Second-order effects
- BlackBerry app developers face a platform environment in which malware protection is more visibly tied to distribution, raising the value of trusted software as the catalog grows.
- BlackBerry's ability to pair a larger app library with security safeguards helps it defend the trust associated with its devices while competing for users who need both.
Third-order effects
- The partnership points to mobile platforms treating app-catalog expansion as a security-governance problem, with specialist security vendors becoming part of the platform stack.
- If BlackBerry continues to rely on partners such as Trend Micro, mobile security differentiation may depend as much on vendor integrations as on the handset maker's own software.
The trend: Mobile platform builders are coupling application-store growth with specialist security partnerships to preserve trust as third-party software scales.