Q&A: Good Technology filling the BlackBerry void

Since Marcus Chambers last spoke to CBR, he has settled in well to the role of VP and General Manager as Good Technology embraces enterprise activations, markets itself as a ‘good’ BlackBerry alternative, why iOS still dominates and the value of custom-made enterprise applications.

 

What has been done at Good Technology since the software launch for iOS7 in September?

There has been a huge take up on the iOS7 by our customers and they were very happy that Good Technology was there from day one in conjunction with Apple to support the technology. We’re very happy with how that was rolled out and supported and our customer-base seem to very satisfied.

Gartner has been giving certain recommendations for enterprise customers to look at alternative strategies [to BlackBerry], so you can imagine we’ve been inundated with requests as we start to speak to enterprise customers as to what is a good strategy. That means securing the data: device management has been interesting but it’s not our forte, we are truly there to manage the applications and manage the data.

So we really are, what I would describe as, a very good alternative to BlackBerry. We have many customers who feel the same, which I’m delighted about, and because of that, it’s all good news for us. So we’re just extremely busy managing our accounts and new prospects with both in-store base customers and new customers, positioning our technology with a strong emphasis on strategy for them migrating away from BlackBerry.

 

The Mobility Index shows that iOS is still dominating enterprise activations. Why do you think iOS is still dominant?

I would put it down to the user experience. I think Apple has a brand and a reputation to really be quite good at [operability], and I think they are. From a data perspective: whether it’s the email, specific application, a contact database, you’re going to be safe with Good. So Apple cover a nice enterprise that many individuals and enterprises are adopting and it’s become quite prolific.

We want to make sure that we design and build an architect to be agile, so we support iOS but we also support Android as well, we want to give organisations the agility and robustness no matter what position they want to take.

 

Why do you think mobile application deployment is increasing among enterprises?

I think it’s become a working way of life. If you’re a pharmaceutical and you’ve got many thousands of people around the world and then agents around the world and you want them to be interacting with change of information, signing contracts in the field on a tablet, this has become a very efficient, prolific way of working.

Historically, executives have been a key driver of deploying mobile devices, but now it’s really become a true strategic advantage. If you look at any vertical today, they would say that their data is business critical, almost mission critical, they have a tangible benefit from being mobile today, but having the data truly secure is why the Good approach to each individual app takes security to a completely new level: the device is just the vehicle.

 

With tablets becoming more prominent and the rise of BYOD, has this had an effect on this movement?

Without a doubt: BYOD and CYOD, in the analogy the train has left the station and its building up momentum and it’s just how fast that can go. We know it’s going to be fast, but the question is: how fast? We are certainly seeing a very strong momentum around the world in terms of demand and I think that is just going to continue.

 

What are the benefits for enterprises if they harness application activation?

It’s gone from a nice tool to have to business drivers. It gives originations real time information, it get rid of paper mountains, it allows updates of key content to be done real time with massive savings, as well as organisations being able to interact B2B and B2C. Mobility has become an explosive way of running and managing a business and it gives clear benefits.

 

What is the value of custom made applications?

I think that some organisations will develop their own app if they’ve got large technical teams where they have the people power to write these apps. But ultimately, if organisations can go to an app off the shelf, and that fits their needs: that is something that customers certainly desire. But yes, there will always be some bespoke apps. We at Good don’t want to be managing or policing that: we want to be giving the options and agility to organisations that can embrace both.

 

Good Technology has just released a free 30-day trial, Try Good Now. What does the cross-platform device aim to deliver?

The 30 day trial has enabled people in a light touch way to have a nice introduction and experience to Good Technology in terms of the platform that we offer, to look at securing and deploying email and beyond for applications. It gives them that period to evaluate our technology. So far it’s been a very good initiative and we’ve seen a very strong take-up by both small and medium enterprise and global accounts. We’re continuing to monitor that and see if it’s the right offering and we will probably maintain and continue that type of programme and look to enhance it.

 

What does the platform offer in terms of compatibility?

We are very aware of [other companies’] offerings and we always look at any competition with respect, but I consider us to be an old new company: having the sixteen year heritage and 194 patents, it means that we are a very good alternative when looking for alternatives to organisations who have had a very large market share.

The fact that other companies, like BlackBerry use our patents and are loyal to us, and we now have a level of certification from iOS and Android, EAL4+, which is the highest certification recognized internationally under the common criteria programme. We’re very proud of that, so it allows us to be a sensible platform, an alternative for managing secure data for organizations both large and small. So we feel that we are almost unique in that respect: we are covering Android, iOS7, we are end to end compatible with all organizations with a very significant platform strategy moving forward.

 

You pride yourself at Good on delivering secure services, so what security is in place on the new platform?

I try to emphasise that we protect the data. So the containerisation is something we have patented and it’s the true Good Technology offering where we completely wrap each individual app, whether it’s an off-the-shelf app from Salesforce.com or SAP or Oracle. We containerise those individual apps independent of the device, so it’s a very strong form of security.