BlackBerry Acquires WatchDox for $150 Million to Bolster Products, Open R&D Centre in Israel
BlackBerry today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire WatchDox.
The transaction, estimated to be worth up to $150 million by third-party reports, will see BlackBerry launch a research and development centre in Israel. Further, WatchDox’s technology will be offered as a value-added service that complements BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Management portfolio, and will be available with BES12.
WatchDox is a data security company offering secure enterprise file-sync-and-share solutions that allow users to protect, share and work with their files on any device. The addition of WatchDox will extend BlackBerry’s commitment to help organizations securely connect employees with each other and with corporate information across all mobile and desktop platforms, according to the Waterloo-based company.
“BlackBerry is constantly expanding the potential of data security so that it enables more collaboration and sharing rather than creating limitations,” said John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO. “This acquisition represents another key step forward as we transition BlackBerry into the premier platform for secure mobile communications software and applications, supporting all devices and operating systems.”
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“Together with last year’s Secusmart acquisition, Samsung partnership, our own internal development efforts, and now the acquisition of WatchDox, we now have capabilities to secure communications end-to-end from voice, text, messaging, data and now enterprise file-sync-and share,” Chen noted.
“Enterprises require secure mobile solutions that enable users to more easily collaborate and increase their productivity. WatchDox meets this need by uniting data-centric security with a user-friendly experience that is highly valued by our customers,” said Moti Rafalin, WatchDox CEO.
WatchDox is headquartered in Palo Alto with research and development facilities in Israel.
