No-Code Integration of BlackBerry Dynamics SDK Can Combat Rising Security Risks

In an age of rising mobile security risks, 66% of companies that experienced a mobile-related compromise cited its impact as “major” and of those, 55% reported lasting repercussions, many citing that these compromises were expensive and time-consuming to recover from. 

So why aren’t more companies focusing on improving mobile security? For 62% of companies surveyed, in order to meet their business objectives, they had to sacrifice security for speed and agility. 

Being forced to make such a trade-off is no longer necessary. 

Today, you can use the Blue Cedar Accelerator for BlackBerry to rapidly perform BlackBerry SDK integration into your corporate mobile apps. The diagram below illustrates how simple it is to embed BlackBerry’s app security and controls into a mobile app without coding. Simply upload a mobile app binary to the Blue Cedar Platform, select the desired BlackBerry controls -  BlackBerry Dynamics, BlackBerry Protect (formerly Cylance), BlackBerry Analytics, or BlackBerry AppConfig - to embed without coding. Then, just click to integrate and sign the app. 

The Blue Cedar Accelerator for BlackBerry eliminates the friction associated with manually executing on this critical step in your corporate mobile app deployment process - adapting the app to your security, management, and other control requirements. In exciting news, the Blue Cedar Integration Accelerator for BlackBerry now also embeds BlackBerry Protect (formerly Cylance) AI-based protection into mobile apps in minutes, with no coding. 

Why Automate Blackberry SDK Integration in the App Deployment Process?  

The challenges and sources of friction typically associated with this app deployment process step, when manually performed, include:

1. Cost: Manual, hand-coded app Blackberry SDK integration (or any SDK integration) is expensive
2. Time to Value: It takes valuable time, access to skilled app development labor, and potentially lost business impact, to manually perform Blackberry SDK integration
3. Security: Manual SDK integration increases the security risks arising from the inability to validate and report on exactly when the app was integrated, by whom & what version of the SDK was used, for audit and compliance purposes
4. Technical Incompatibility: Many security and control mobile app SDKs do not have programmable interfaces that are technically compatible with increasingly common mobile app development frameworks (e.g. React Native, Flutter, etc.) & mobile app connectivity protocols (e.g. WebSocket). This incompatibility can unnecessarily constrain mobile app and developer choice, when these incompatible control services mandate the app and app development technologies that are used, rather than the other way around
5. Developer-Dependence: Mobile Engineering & IT Operations, who are responsible for managing the mobile app deployment process, and for ensuring adherence to organizations’ security & operational requirements, want to execute on their app deployment workflow tasks, without dependence on app development resources for every routine app, operating system and control service change

BlackBerry mobile app SDKs are programmable control services that can be integrated into custom or third-party ISV mobile apps compiled for the Apple iOS, Google Android and other operating systems. They provide compliance-sensitive, security-conscious organizations & mobile app ISVs with security, management, and ergonomic benefits, when rolling out corporate mobile apps to end users, to realize business value.

How does the Blue Cedar Accelerator for BlackBerry work? 

The solution is a cloud-native service that uses advanced technologies to intercept iOS & Android mobile platform APIs and integrate secure programmable services, in this case, BlackBerry mobile app SDKs, into corporate mobile apps, without the need to write any code. The Blue Cedar Accelerator for BlackBerry supports integration of the following BlackBerry mobile app control services:

• BlackBerry Dynamics
• BlackBerry Analytics
• BlackBerry AppConfig
• BlackBerry CylancePROTECT (part of the BlackBerry Dynamics SDK R Release & higher)

Use Cases for Blue Cedar’s Blackberry SDK integration

Mobile engineering and IT operations teams within organizations & ISVs can use this solution to:

1. Upload any compiled iOS & Android mobile app binary files to the platform, which supports a broad range of mobile app frameworks, architectures & local data storage technologies. This upload process unpacks & scans the app in the platform, to identify potentially non-compliant app libraries, which may be incompatible with no code security integration
2. Configure applicable policies for no code integration. Such policies include mobile app configuration information, data to support the app signing workflow & and selection of the BlackBerry mobile app services that need to be integrated into the app
3. Integrate the configured BlackBerry services into the app, exclusively via the platform’s user interface (no code), and if configured sign the app on or off platform
4. Download the BlackBerry services-integrated app off the platform & upload to BlackBerry UEM. The app is now managed throughout its distribution to device & usage lifecycle by BlackBerry UEM

These tasks can be completed in minutes for supported mobile apps, without the need to write any code, as shown in this video.

As representative examples, Blue Cedar is used by:

• A diversified, global financial services firm to automate the integration of BlackBerry Dynamics & AppConfig into iOS & Android apps that power an Enterprise Messaging service, for 20,000 users
• A teaching hospital in a German province to automate the Blackberry SDK integration into a medical imaging app used by over 100 clinicians & other healthcare professionals
• A US government agency to automate the integration of BlackBerry’s security (Dynamics) & user experience (Launcher) services into an Asset Management iOS app for 175 users 

Organizations are increasingly adopting mobile form factors, and specifically, mobile apps, as a means of generating, enriching and consuming high-value business data. However, the risks to the data are increasing exponentially, and businesses need a quick and agile response to constant changes in data security needs. The Blue Cedar Accelerator for BlackBerry is a simple, powerful tool that serves as part of an organization’s digital transformation architecture, to help lines of business, security, and IT operations to simultaneously meet all of these business goals. 

If you need help with integrating the Blackberry SDKs, watch this demo or contact us to arrange a live demonstration.