Mobile security firm, Secusmart, has been acquired by BlackBerry

BlackBerry has purchased a German security firm that counts Angela Merkel as one of its customers in a bid to reinvigorate its enterprise mobility management portfolio. Secusmart was snapped up for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition comes as the Canadian company is aiming to reinvent itself as the most secure handset manufacturer. Both Google and Apple have made it clear that they view the enterprise segment as the next big market to go after following the release of Android L and the recent IBM announcement for Apple.

BlackBerry is ramping up its security offerings with a new acquisition today. The company just announced that it has acquired Secusmart, a Dusseldorf, Germany-based company that secures all aspects of mobile communications, including calls, texts, and data. The deal is still pending regulatory approval. BlackBerry CEO John Chen used the announcement to kick off its Security Summit in New York City today, pointing out that Secusmart will play a big role in the company’s globalization plans. BlackBerry and Secusmart have been partners since 2009, and Chen noted that the firm has “many big government customers.” Secusmart will operate independently and remain based in Germany. The company recently launchedan “anti-eavesdropping” solution, something that will likely appeal to both governments and businesses in a post-NSA spying world. The company’s core technology is a secure SD card that’s installed on phones to encrypt communications. “Secusmart and BlackBerry’s solution already meets the highest security requirements of the German federal authorities and NATO for restricted communications,” said Secusmart managing director Hans-Christoph Quelle in a statement. “We see significant opportunities to introduce Secusmart’s solutions to more of BlackBerry’s government and enterprise customers around the world.”