BlackBerry’s CEO has taken a swipe at Android’s security

BlackBerry has long been proud of the fact that its devices have been preferred by enterprises and agencies that value security above all. The company has abundant IP in this particular niche and continues to tout it. At Google I/O 2014 last month the company announced that the next version of Android will have a part of Samsung KNOX baked in so that the system’s overall security is much better. BlackBerry CEO John Chen has said that while the company applauds the efforts of its competitors in security, it doesn’t believe that their efforts are “enough” for security-minded enterprises. “Don’t be dazzled by those who can talk the security talk,” Chen says, “Instead look to the company that has proven repeatedly it can walk the walk.”

BlackBerry CEO John Chen took a swipe at Google this week, suggesting the Android-maker’s new security push is too little, too late. In today’s world of BYOD, Chen says businesses need to prioritize security from the start, not add it after the fact. Android For Work will be built into Android Release L, and will also be available separately for earlier versions of Android going back to Ice Cream Sandwich. Google is relying a bit on the hard work done by Samsung to entice businesses by adopting portions of Samsung’s Knox security platform. With Android For Work, businesses can separate work data from personal data through containerization. The segregated data can be managed from the IT admin console and locked, wiped, or restored as needed without touching the owner’s personal information. Android For Work also allows for the bulk installation of apps to an entire fleet of devices. According to Google, companies won’t have to modify their apps to function within the Android For Work environment. It’s a big step forward for Android, one that should make it more attractive to businesses. In a blog post, BlackBerry’s Chen contends Google’s efforts are a good first step, but are only the start.