April 28, 2015, Updated July 6, 2015

BlackBerry has acquired Israeli file-sharing security company, WatchDox, for a reported $100 million price tag. The Canadian mobile phone manufacturer will turn WatchDox’s Petach Tikva office into its first R&D center in Israel.

“BlackBerry is constantly expanding the potential of data security so that it enables more collaboration and sharing rather than creating limitations. This acquisition represents another key step forward as we transition BlackBerry into the premier platform for secure mobile communications software and applications, supporting all devices and operating systems,” said BlackBerry executive chairman and CEO John Chen.

The addition of WatchDox will extend BlackBerry’s commitment to help organizations securely connect employees with each other and with corporate information across all mobile and desktop platforms.

WatchDox serves leading organizations across a variety of industry sectors in which secure collaboration and mobility are essential, including government, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, law and media.

“Enterprises require secure mobile solutions that enable users to more easily collaborate and increase their productivity. WatchDox meets this need by uniting data-centric security with a user-friendly experience that is highly valued by our customers,” said Moti Rafalin, WatchDox CEO and founder. “The combination of BlackBerry’s security leadership and EMM portfolio with WatchDox technology will bring the most productive and collaborative mobility solution to organizations that need innovative ways to conduct business securely and efficiently.”

WatchDox was founded in 2008 by Rafalin, VP products Noam Livnat and Yuval Yaeger.

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