BlackBerry's BBM Enterprise SDK to Help Developers Integrate Secure Messaging Into Apps

BlackBerry has announced its BBM Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK), which will be made available this month. The company says that the SDK will enable developers to integrate secure messaging, voice and video capabilities into applications and services.

Some of the features provided with the SDK include secure messaging in chats and group chats, message quoting, retraction, editing, and deletion. In terms of voice and video calls, it provides the ability to accept an incoming voice or video call while app is running in the background, displaying a thumbnail preview of the video call, and allows viewing video call in full screen. Apart from these features, the BBM Enterprise provides encrypted file sharing.

The instant messaging services for communication in enterprise currently do not provide the same level of security and encryption for which BlackBerry is known, putting businesses at risk, BlackBerry said in its release. "With more than 80 security certifications and approvals to date - more than any other mobile vendor - BBM Enterprise SDK leverages this expertise to provide the highest-level of security for messages, voice, and video for iOS and Android," it said.

The BBM SDK makes use of NOC architecture, which BlackBerry says was built with security in mind and is designed to meet the most demanding enterprise needs. "It is globally accessible and provides built-in redundancies to ensure optimal performance, flexibility, QoS and availability for products being built for mass scale," it added.

The company says that enterprises will be able to avoid upfront investments in hardware infrastructure with its cloud-based model and control operational costs with an affordable subscription-based per-user licensing model. However, BlackBerry has not revealed how much the subscription will cost.

"We are constantly innovating and looking for ways to leverage our legacy and expertise in secure mobility to solve real business problems," Marty Beard, COO at BlackBerry, was quoted as saying in the release. "We are opening up a new revenue stream for the company with a fully cloud-based communication service that is designed to help developers, ISVs, and enterprises meet the most demanding security and compliance requirements," he added