BlackBerry Takes a Leap into Blockchain
In a bold move that screams `We’re more than just phones!`, BlackBerry has officially pivoted to a blockchain-powered platform that is grabbing the attention of the healthcare industry. Yes, you read that right — the once king of smartphones is now aiming to become the king of secure medical data sharing.
The Dynamic Duo: BlackBerry and ONEBIO
The new platform is the result of a partnership with technology firm ONEBIO, and together they are crafting an “ultra-secure” ecosystem aimed at making medical data more secure than your grandma’s secret cookie recipe. This system will allow data to be entered by various players in the healthcare field, including patients, laboratories, and even those fancy IoT biometric devices that seem to be everywhere these days. But wait, there’s more! Once this data is submitted, it’ll undergo a little magic trick and be anonymized before it gets shared with researchers. Privacy? Check!
Quote That Hits Home
“We are applying our expertise in security, data privacy, and communication work in regulated industries such as automotive, financial services, and government to tackle one of the biggest challenges in the healthcare industry,” proclaimed BlackBerry CEO John Chen.
Whoa, hold the phone (maybe not literally); that’s a hefty responsibility! But Chen believes improving patient outcomes while keeping data secure is vital in today’s healthcare landscape — and he’s not wrong.
New Offerings on the Horizon
Aside from dalliances in the world of blockchain, BlackBerry has been busy developing other cool products. Recently, they revealed a real-time operating system specifically designed for robotic surgical instruments and patient monitoring systems. Ever trust a robot to operate on you? Maybe with the right software, but let’s hope it doesn’t have any bugs!
The Long Road of Transformation
Once the golden boy of the smartphone scene, controlling a whopping 50% of the global market, BlackBerry now finds itself in a rather different predicament. The once-mighty smartphone maker boasted less than 0.1% of market share in 2016. But fear not — they are still releasing new smartphones, the latest iteration dropping on October 10. Talk about multi-tasking!
Quantum Leap Ahead!
In an additional move to secure their future, BlackBerry also announced a new quantum-resistant code signing service. It’ll allow software to be digitally signed in a way that even quantum computers will have a tough time breaking down. If that’s not forward-thinking, we don’t know what is!
