Capstone Project

BlackBerry introduced its first touchphone in 2008 to compete with the iPhone. It first

emerged in 1984 and immediately became a dominant force in the mobile phone market. It

witnessed significant global expansions between 2001 and 2007, and its stock prices peaked in

2008, trading at $148. However, the company has faced stiff competition since 2007, following

the emergence of innovative mobile companies such as Android and iPhone. It has since focused

on cybersecurity, especially in the area of the Internet of Things. However, it also faces

significant competition from established players such as Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Cisco,

and Microsoft. Therefore, this paper will focus on the evolution of Blackberry, specifically on

stiff competition, and include possible strategies that could help the company remain competitive

and sustainable.

Literature Review

Before the market saturation, a combination of software, hardware and secure services

gave Blackberry a competitive edge. It also had advanced manufacturing facilities and

proprietary hardware. However, other major innovative technology companies have caught up

and passed Blackberry, leaving it with a meagre share in the mobile phone market. However, it

has been able ot leverage its strength in security to provide cybersecurity solutions to the

business and government institutions. In order to analyze the competitive landscape, it is also

vital to analyze Porter's five forces. Rivalry among existing competitors, bargaining power of

buyers and suppliers, threat of substitute products and threat of new entrants are also

compounding BlackBerry's competition from companies such as Palo Alto and Cisco.

History and background

 Blackberry was founded in 1984 as Research in Motion(RIM) in Canada by Douglas

Fregin and Mike Lizridis. The company mainly focused on paging systems and wireless data

technology in the early years. The 1990s and 2000s sawa significant rise in the company, which

sawa an increase in the global presence and introductions of innovative solutions. For instance

1996, the company introduced an interactive page using two-way paging systems. The first

mobile to integrate email, the BlackBerry 850, was introduced in 1999. Due to its secure email

capabilities, its solutions were quickly adopted by governments and businesses. It also became

the most valuable Canadian company in the mid-2000s and became a darling of celebrities and

politicians.

Apple's introduction of the iPhone in 2007 became a significant disruptive force. Google

also entered the fray by introducing the Android platform. The next few years saw a decline for

Blackberry due to intense competition and its inability to adapt to the touchscreen-driven era. It

changed its name to BlackBerry Limited in 2013 and shifted its focus towards services and

software. It stopped designing and manufacturing its phones in 2015 and instead focused on

cybersecurity, enterprise software, and embedded systems. It also partnered with manufacturers

to license the BlackBerry brand for the smartphones. In recent years, therefore, the company has

seen continued growth in the enterprise's security software and services and expansions of

autonomous vehicles through the QNX division. It has continued to retain a strong position in

mobile security.

Problem Definition: Stiff Competition

While the company has strived to focus more on enterprise software and service, giving it

strong market positions, it still faces intense competition from established competitors and
specialized start-ups. Companies such as Cisco, Palo Alto Networks and Microsoft have been

aggressive in the market through innovation, which has made it difficult for Blackberry to gain

significant market share. These established companies also have enormous financial muscle,

allowing them to invest even more in research and development ventures, making them even

more competitive. Besides, Blackberry is also unable ot compete with Palo Alto and Microsoft,

for instance, in terms of brand. Many consumers need to become acquainted with BlackBerry's

presence in the cybersecurity market. The stiff competition is reflected in BlackBerry's limited

financial report. For instance, in the 2nd quarter of the fiscal year 2024, the company posted a

total revenue of $144000, which is way less than the revenues posted by competitors such as

Palo Alto. For instance, Palo Alto posted 1.9 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2024. The

Internet of Things and cybersecurity revenues performance could have been better than the

company’s top competitors.

Proposed Solution and Implementation

The proposed solution below would aim to reposition the company as a leader in the Internet of

Things and enterprise security by leveraging its existing strengths.

a. Refocusing on the Internet of Things and enterprise security.

The company should seek to expand on the Internet of Things solutions and enterprise

security. For instance, the company should develop a cutting-edge threat detection system by

employing machine learning algorithms and create a comprehensive cloud solutions suite that

would cater to the business needs of firms of all sizes. The company should also offer specialized

consulting services to potentially lucrative clients in high-risk industries such as finance. The
company can also design and develop secure communication platforms for military applications.

To expand its Internet of Things offerings, the company can enhance QNX operating systems to

cater for broader Internet of Things applications other than automotive. The company can also

create end-to-end encryption solutions for the Internet of Things devices and develop secure IoT

platforms for industrial control systems.

b. Enhance innovation around artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Developing an artificial intelligence system for real-time threat detection and creating

predictive analytics tools would add to the BlackBerry limited portfolio. The company can also

implement artificial intelligence authentication systems and develop autonomous security

systems for self-healing networks. It can also develop machine learning algorithms for anomaly

detection in enterprise systems. Furthermore, the company can implement machine learning in

Internet of Things devices for reduced latency and edge computing and create adaptive security

protocols capable of learning from new threats.

c. Strategic partnerships

Establishing strategic partnerships can also help the company stay competitive. For

instance, the company can partner with cloud service providers to offer integrated security

solutions and collaborate with telecommunication companies to provide 5G solutions.

Additionally, the company can make a difference by creating internship programs to attract top

talents and research centres at top universities.

d. Talent acquisition and development.

 The company can also improve its human capital through recruitment and training

programs. This can be achieved by offering employees specialized training on interests of things

and providing competitive packages to track top talents. The company can also offer a

cybersecurity curriculum to employees and create a diverse hiring strategy. Creating leadership

development programs and implementing cross-functional training can also significantly

improve the company’s capacity.

Implementation Timeline

Year 1

Conduct internal capability assessments and develop a strategic plan. During the same

year, start talent acquisition and initiate vital strategic partnerships. During the final quarter of

the first year, the internal training programs will start, and the machine learning and artificial

intelligence projects will begin.

Year 2

Roll out the first batch of enhanced enterprise security solutions and introduce initial Internet of

Things offerings. Also, begin with the brand revitalization program, establish customer feedback

mechanisms, and incorporate their feedback into the solutions.

Year 3

Expand the Internet of Things offering tot feature in smart city applications and deploy artificial

intelligence-driven predictive security solutions. Implement cross-platform integration while

evaluating and adjusting accordingly.

Year 4

Expand global market presence through partnerships and introduce machine learning and

artificial intelligence capabilities across the company's different products. Then, review the

strategy implementation. In the final year, the continued iterative improvement can be done.

Possible outcome after the implementation of the strategy.

There should be a substantial increase in new enterprise customers and a significant

improvement in brand recognition. We also anticipate a growth in cybersecurity market shares in

the Internet of Things and a significant growth in cybersecurity revenue within the first year after

implementation.

Conclusion

In summary, focusing on cybersecurity enabled Blackberry to stabilize its financial

position following years of decline due to its inability to innovate its mobile phone portfolio.

However, the company still faces significant competition from established players. The proposed

strategies are aimed at helping the company leverage its strengths and pursue high-potential

markets such as automotive cybersecurity and the Internet of Things. These strategies could

increase the company's revenues, strengthen its market position, enhance product offerings, and

increase its customer base.

Appendix

BlabkBerry Limited Income statement

Key players

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