BlackBerry PlayBook Gets U.S. Government Security Stamp

BlackBerry PlayBook Becomes Security Certified for U.S. Government

Research In Motion announced this week that it has received FIPS 140-2 certification its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, making it certified for deployment within U.S. federal government agencies. RIM claims that no other tablet on the market has gained FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is required under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA). iPads are used by many government and military workers, but the device doesn’t carry the FIPS 140-2 certification, though Apple has reportedly applied for the certification for iPads and iPhones.

“RIM is pleased to announce that the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet approved under FIPS for use within the U.S. federal government,” said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. “This certification demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the needs of security-conscious organizations and enables the U.S. federal government to buy with confidence knowing that the PlayBook meets their computing policy requirements for protecting sensitive information.”

RIM’s answer to Apple’s high-flying iPad, the BlackBerry PlayBook sports a 7-inch high resolution display, and offers true multi-tasking capabilities. While a native email client isn’t built into the device, which shocked many, it allows for secure pairing with BlackBerry smartphones, which lets users access their email, calendar, address book and other features. I am currently evaluating a BlackBerry Playbook and will be publishing an official product review shortly.

Suggested Reading: Why the BlackBerry PlayBook Shows Us The Future of Enterprise Security — Especially if it Fails