BlackBerry buffs up security with Secusmart deal

NEW YORK — BlackBerry, eager to burnish its credentials with highly security-conscious clients, has agreed to buy German firm Secusmart, a provider of anti-eavesdropping technology whose clients include German officials such as Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Secusmart, which already has an ongoing partnership with BlackBerry, makes voice and data encryption chips for mobile phones. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition is the latest by the smartphone pioneer to build on niche areas in an attempt to reinvent itself under new chief executive officer John Chen and recover ground ceded to Apple’s iPhone and Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy devices. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval, but Mr Chen said he is confident Germany will approve the sale. “Everybody wants to talk about eavesdropping, but it really is not just that. Both governments and enterprises are now more focused on security in the mobile world,” Mr Chen said.

Besides the new BlackBerry 10 devices, Secusmart’s technology is also used to secure landline phones of firms and government agencies. Agencies