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BlackBerry: Why working backwards makes sense

Dubai - "Previously, a lot of companies deployed mobility[-based solutions] not because it was in fashion, but because it was needed at that time."

We practically do everything straightforward; a top official of BlackBerry, though, suggests: why not try it the other way around?
"Previously, a lot of companies deployed mobility[-based solutions] not because it was in fashion, but because it was needed at that time," Nader Henein, regional director of product security at the advisory division for Middle East and Africa, told Khaleej Times at the BlackBerry stand at Gitex Technology Week.
"Now, they're looking for actual dollar value - not the soft benefits, but the hard benefits."
Henein was speaking on how the Ontario-based company was delivering its strategy in mobility to its customers - which is working well for BlackBerry.
"Instead of focusing exclusively on, for example, 'I want to have devices and manage them', look at it the other way around... talk to your end-users and understand what business value we can add," he said.
Henein says that in the Middle East region, the focus of enterprises today is to either save money or generate more revenue.
For BlackBerry, he says, it is the "perfect platform"; you do not deploy mobility and see how it can generate revenue - you have to work from the other end; see what the solution is first and work backwards to see how it can be implemented properly and efficiently.
He also said that with the technology ecosystem shifting more into mobility, it only makes even more sense to deploy solutions related to it. "But from a mobility perspective, deploying the right applications to the right group of people can generate a substantial amount of revenue or save a lot of money," he said.
"We're not trying to sell a solution - we're trying to identify challenges and solve a problem. It's that simple."
IoT concerns
While a believer in the potentials of the Internet of Things, Henein - being a top security official at BlackBerry - is concerned about the vulnerabilities that connecting devices may pose.
"My biggest concern in connected devices is that there seems to be a rush to connect everything - exposing your devices to security risks," he said.
BlackBerry, long known for its industry-recognised security solutions, is at the forefront on developing solutions to address these potential problems.
"Users need to be educated," Henein said. "Whatever adoption of new technology has to happen naturally because users will see the benefits - but you don't just plug in anything without knowing how to be secure."
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com