Research In Motion Ltd (BBRY): Can It Survive as a Services Company?

Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has used its BlackBerry 10 operating system and is new flagship handsets, the Z10 and Q10, to revolutionize itself in the mobile device sector – and part of technology that the company once owned and dominated in the consumer market. But as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) caught up and lapped BlackBerry with its iPhone in 2007, BlackBerry had since languished on the edge of irrelevance with consumers.

The one saving grace for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) through all of the hardships has been the success that BlackBerry has had in government and enterprise, where BlackBerry devices have long been favorite mobile devices for the company’s innovative and strong security measures that protect sensitive data on mobile devices in a very open wireless environment. And it seems that, from most accounts of the activities and happenings at the BlackBerry Live conference in Florida, that BlackBerry may be recognizing a strength for its company and may be shifting its paradigm away from mobile hardware to services.

A Canadian Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), perhaps?

There is little doubt among professional and government agencies that Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) has been on the cutting edge of security technology in mobile, and the company has had success in the past with developing very functional operating systems that have served government and enterprise well. And several announcements at the conference seem to indicate that while BlackBerry continues to roll out new devices the rest of this year, it seems to be pointing itself int the direction of being more involved in software that is available to the masses.

Want some proof of this? One of the highlight announcements at BlackBerry Live was the reveal that BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) version 10.1 – based on the BlackBerry 10 OS – would be made available to secure not only BlackBerry devices in the enterprise, but also iOS and Android devices in the BYOD corporate cultures. Another huge clue was the announcement that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) would be expanded and there would be apps available on iOS and Android as well – a direct compete with Skype, Google Chat, FaceTime and other chatting and messaging applications that currently go cross-platform.

Add to that the concept that Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) bases its BlackBerry 10 OS on its native ONX platform which is already used in many vehicles as a part of their electronic systems – and with the progress toward mobile computing being more than just tablets and smartphones, but being extended to current everyday devices like cars and appliances. In short, it seems that BlackBerry is trying to position itself as a market leader in mobile in the near future.

What do you think? Is this the right approach for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) to become and remain viable and relevant in the mobile sector? Do you think this new emphasis on software and services will benefit BlackBerry going forward? Give us your feedback in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: None