We recently saw the BlackBerry 7 OS get approved for use by the UK government, now the same OS, along with OS 7.1 has been approved for use by Australian and New Zealand governments. It certainly is reassuring to know that our beloved BlackBerry operating systems is secure enough to get government approval. While not many consumers are hugely concerned about security, I, for one, like this about BlackBerry so I always like hearing news like this.

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It's no secret that RIM has always been tops when it comes to security. BlackBerry smartphones have been used in government areas for years, mostly due to the ability to secure the devices and network. Today RIM announced that that BlackBerry OS 7 and 7.1 has earned FIPS 140-2 Certification by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Communications Security Establishment Canada. This means government agencies and consumers alike should be worry free when it comes to security on BlackBerry products. Keep reading for the full press release.

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The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has a requirement to procure 500 RIM's "Playbook" tablets with the option to procure an additional 500 units. It is proposed to issue a contract to Research In Motion (RIM) or its designated reseller.

It's always nice to see a bit of positive news for Research In Motion and the BlackBerry PlayBook, since the majority of it these days seems to be all doom and gloom. While 500 or 1000 PlayBooks isn't a huge number, it's still a step in the right direction. You can read all of the fine details about the purchase at the source link below, and thanks to everyone that sent this in!

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Source: Merx

The BlackBerry PlayBook was the first tablet to earn FIPS 140-2 certification in the US, then Russia started looking into using the tablet for its government officials. Now the PlayBook has been approved by the Defense Signals Directorate (DSD) of the Australian Government for use in government agencies, when using the BlackBerry Bridge application and connected to an approved BlackBerry smartphone.

“RIM continues to set the benchmark for government security and now with DSD approval the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet to be certified for deployment in Australian government departments. This again demonstrates our leadership in the government sector and our commitment and investment in secure mobile technology," said Scott Deacon, Manager Security Certifications, Asia Pacific BlackBerry Security, RIM.

The Australian government has strict security standards, and the PlayBook is the first tablet they have certified to secure information with a classification of restricted or protected, which represents the majority of the government's day-to-day operational communications.

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Source: cfoworld

With all the news these days of about encryption on the BlackBerry solution there is a great amount of misunderstood reporting in the media on just what is at stake between RIM and governments of the world. I'm not going to pretend that this article will be the ultimate encryption thesis it's my hope to explain things plainly and clearly.

As global terrorism rages, governments are trying to keep up with the perpetrators and the BlackBerry has become the symbol of all that is secure. Many government agencies themselves use BlackBerry devices for their security, so it's understandable that they would be concerned with encrypted communications of terrorist BlackBerry devices. Various countries have been in the news lately demanding that RIM give them the keys to read all the BlackBerry traffic within their countries. Many have put down deadlines if RIM does not comply they will close down all BlackBerry traffic inside that country. That potentially wouldn't be a problem is these demand were being made by Madagascar but the countries are India and United Arab Emirates.

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