Microsoft ties up with BlackBerry to secure productivity apps on mobile phones

Former rivals BlackBerry and Microsoft have announced they were collaborating to offer enterprises a solution that integrates the latter's expertise in mobility and security with Microsoft's Cloud and productivity apps.

Through this partnership, the tech titans have collaborated on a first-of-its-kind solution -- BlackBerry Enterprise "BRIDGE".

"We saw a need for a hyper-secure way for our customers to use native Office 365 mobile apps. BlackBerry Enterprise 'BRIDGE' addresses this and is an example of how BlackBerry and Microsoft continue to securely enable workforces to be highly productive in connected world," Carl Wiese, President of Global Sales at BlackBerry, said in a statement late Monday.

"Our customers choose Microsoft 365 for productivity and collaboration tools that deliver continuous innovation. Together with BlackBerry, we will take this to the next level and provide enterprises with a new standard for secure productivity," said Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Commercial Business at Microsoft.

By making Microsoft's mobile apps seamlessly available from within BlackBerry Dynamics, enterprise users will now have a consistent experience when opening, editing, and saving a Microsoft Office 365 file such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Word on any Android or iOS device.

As part of the collaboration, Microsoft added that BlackBerry Dynamics, along with the company's Secure, UEM Cloud, BlackBerry Workspaces and AtHoc platforms are also now available on Azure Cloud, thus, allowing more flexibility for workers on the go.