BlackBerry has launched new cyber security consulting services aimed at enabling enterprise General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance as well as mitigating security risks in connected automobiles that could threaten personal and public safety.
Set to come into effect in May 2018 and applicable to any company that controls or processes personally identifiable information (PII) of EU residents, the GDPR will necessitate significant changes to how businesses may collect, use and store their customers’ and employees’ PII.
BlackBerry said its new cyber security offering will “guide organisations through the process of understanding how to manage company data, how GDPR applies to the organisation, and how to achieve a competitive readiness posture”.
Carl Wiese, BlackBerry global head of sales, said: “Having been engaged with the EU Justice Directorate-General since 2012, we understand the GDPR requirements and have developed expertise to help address the full range of GDPR implications for enterprises, from situational assessment to offering DPO (Data Protection Officer)-as-a-service.”
The GDPR will requires organisations to have a dedicated DPO to oversee the company's data protection strategy.
BlackBerry will also now offer new services directly and through a new partner programme intended to help eliminate security vulnerabilities within connected and autonomous vehicles.
Mr Wiese said his firm’s new cyber security consulting services will help play a critical role in the development of secure connected and autonomous vehicles “as hacking evolves and new threats arise”.
He added that there is no safety without security when it comes to connected cars.
Spring Cloud, supplier of autonomous driving artificial intelligence platforms in South Korea, will be BlackBerry’s first partner in providing the new cyber security consulting services to a range of automotive technology providers.