Elliptic Curve Cryptography offers high-end, low-cost protection for millions of smart connected devices
WATERLOO, ONTARIO, Apr 21, 2015 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Certicom Corp., a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited (BB), today announced a new managed public key infrastructure certificate service for connected devices, unleashing the performance of its renowned security technology for a broad range of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This cost-effective service will help device manufacturers and service providers secure their IoT networks and ecosystems, ensuring that the devices they connect are known and trusted. The service puts security certificates under Certicom's management, meaning customers can focus more on their core business and less on security infrastructure and management.
On the week of April 13, Certicom began issuing certificates for the smart meter initiative in the United Kingdom, a market with over 104 million smart meters and home energy management devices that conform to ZigBee(R) Smart Energy specifications. Certicom designed this new managed PKI certificate service to scale up to hundreds of millions of connected devices. Since 2008, Certicom has issued nearly 60 million ZigBee device certificates to secure smart meters and energy management devices worldwide. Members of the ZigBee Alliance use the certificates to enroll devices into a network and protect sensitive data with powerful, efficient Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) from Certicom.
"Certicom's application security framework implements strong device identity and supports role- and policy-based access control, allowing alliance members to provide customers with an enterprise-grade secure sensor network," said Ryan Maley, Director of Strategic Marketing, ZigBee Alliance. "This announcement further demonstrates Certicom's leadership in Internet of Things security and enables highly secure ZigBee devices for every home and small business in Great Britain."
"Strong cryptography and entity authentication are the foundation of IoT security," said Jim Alfred, Vice President, BlackBerry Technology Solutions, Certicom. "When you manage remote devices, you need to know that you can trust the devices and that your communications network is secured. Certicom device certificates can provide that assurance. Offering innovations in device security is part of BlackBerry's ongoing mission to be a leading provider of device and application management solutions."
The Certicom managed PKI certificate service is available to device manufacturers and service providers, whether on the BlackBerry(R) IoT Platform or as part of another connected device ecosystem or private network, with options for Elliptic Curve, hybrid, or legacy RSA-based device certificates.
Visit Certicom online to learn more about ZigBee Smart Energy device certificates and how to access Certicom security technology.
About Certicom
Certicom, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited, manages and protects the value of content, applications, and devices with government-approved security. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) provides the most security per bit of any known public-key scheme. As the global leader in ECC, Certicom has licensed its security offerings to hundreds of multinational technology companies, including IBM, General Dynamics, and SAP. Founded in 1985, Certicom's corporate office is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada with worldwide sales offices in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Visit www.certicom.com.
About BlackBerry
A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry(R) revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.
About ZigBee
ZigBee offers the only open, global wireless standard enabling everyday simple and smart objects to work together and help you control your world. ZigBee is the leading standard for monitoring and control used in consumer, commercial, and industrial markets around the world. The Alliance is an open, non-profit ecosystem of approximately 400 organizations developing and promoting standards defining the Internet of Things for use in homes and businesses. For more information, visit www.ZigBee.org.
Copyright 2015 Certicom Corp. Trademarks, including but not limited to Certicom, Certicom Secure, KeyInject and Security Builder, are the trademarks or registered trademarks of Certicom Corp., the exclusive rights to which are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Certicom Corp. (Certicom) is a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited. Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "believe", and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by Certicom and/or BlackBerry Limited in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors that Certicom and/or BlackBerry believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause Certicom's and/or BlackBerry's actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of BlackBerry's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Certicom's and/or BlackBerry's forward-looking statements. Certicom and BlackBerry have no intention and undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Certicom and/or BlackBerry are not responsible for and assume no obligations or liability and make no representation, warranty, endorsement, or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third-party products or services.
Contacts: Certicom Media Relations 1-613-595-3586 certicommediarelations@certicom.com
SOURCE: BlackBerry