BlackBerry updates WatchDox to prevent business critical data loss

Waterloo based, BlackBerry has updated WatchDox in addition to its file management platforms, sync and share integration for Salesforce and Microsoft Office Online. It is powered by BlackBerry Email Protector to provide enterprises with the means to secure files sent via email even after it has left the organization’s firewall. It enables multi-Operating system synchronization and sharing while limiting the risk for data loss or theft by embedding Digital Rights Management (DRM) security into each individual file. Other updates include in-browser document editing, better Microsoft Outlook integration, and custom workspaces for third-party apps. WatchDox which was acquired in 2015 by BlackBerry, is a cross-platform technology for enterprise employees to manage and share files securely. It provides a single point of access for content stored in Microsoft SharePoint, Windows file shares, cloud storage services and Enterprise Content Management systems (ECMs). Billy Ho, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Product and Value Added Solutions, BlackBerry, said:
“The emergence of cloud services as core components of business infrastructure is changing the way organizations need to approach security. WatchDox protects the new borderless enterprise by delivering not only the most secure EFSS File Sync and Share solutions but enhanced integration with Salesforce.com and the new BlackBerry Email Protector. The risk of data loss is significantly minimized by encrypting and enforcing DRM protection at the file-level when users are viewing, editing and annotating synced documents, no matter on which side of the firewall those documents travel.”
The company has also ensured steps in integrating the BES 12 enterprise mobility management (EMM) platform with key technologies from its acquisition of Good Technology and WatchDox with an aim to achieve cross-platform deployments and deliver content management solutions.

WatchDox by BlackBerry will also:

  • Integrate with Office Online, for users to securely view, edit their documents without having to leave the web browser, download a file, or install any software. When changes are saved, they are automatically synced back to WatchDox and stored as a new version.
  • Benift third-party application developers from private storage space that is not exposed through the native WatchDox interface. Combined with Software Developmet Kits (SDK’S) and Application Programming Interfaces (API’s), web and application developers can leverage the WatchDox platform’s security, mobility, sharing and synchronization capabilities directly through their custom app interface.
  • Allow users to create, review and share annotations with other contributors as WatchDox for Web’s online viewer has been rebuilt in HTML5. Various contributors can then correspond on any device.
  • Enable system administrators to create customized permission profiles for unique user workflows. These profiles will then be available for use by end-users when sharing files. The update provides an organization with the flexibility to control how the users are engaging with files and confidence that the correct security settings are being applied to various scenarios.
  • Allow users on a Windows PC (Windows 7, 8 and 10) to select any file on internal or external storage and upload it directly to a WatchDox workspace. If during the upload of a large file, the Windows user needs to step away and resume the download later, WatchDox will remember where it left off and be able to resume the download.
WatchDox by BlackBerry Email Protector and WatchDox for Salesforce are now available, while the enhanced Outlook plug-in will be launched in the upcoming weeks.