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BlackBerry names new security chief to bolster MDM efforts

David Kleidermacher comes to BlackBerry by way of Green Hills Software, where he most recently served as the company's CTO.
Written by Natalie Gagliordi, Contributor
BlackBerry announced Tuesday that David Kleidermacher has been named chief security officer. The security vet will lead BlackBerry's Global Product Security organization and oversee the company's efforts in secure enterprise mobility and the Internet of Things.
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David Kleidermacher

Kleidermacher comes to BlackBerry by way of Green Hills Software, where he most recently served as the company's CTO. According to BlackBerry CEO John Chen, Kleidermacher's experience with embedded systems, mobile security and IoT made him an ideal fit for the CSO role.

"David's knowledge of securing the Internet of Things and embedded systems will be invaluable as we execute on our strategy and continue to expand our management of the world's mobile endpoints," Chen said in a statement.

With earnings and revenue in an unrelenting slump, BlackBerry continues to rely on its security chops to maintain and attract users, often touting its more than 70 government certifications and approvals. In fact, it was BlackBerry's phones that wound up aiding Sony executives with internal communications after hackers shut down the company.

And while BlackBerry has to go far beyond capitalizing on security catastrophes as a means to return to growth, the company doesn't shy away from pointing out the security risks associated with mobility in the enterprise.

During an outline of its comeback plans last November, BlackBerry execs explained how mobile has become the preferred access point for hackers, with COO Marty Beard suggesting that organizations have become too lax in guarding against risk -- a point that seemed to be echoed today by Kleidermacher.

"If you think we have a big security problem with a billion smartphones, think what will happen when we have a trillion autonomous objects," Kleidermacher said. "I think BlackBerry is uniquely positioned to meet this challenge head on and I'm excited to be part of it."

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