Episode 81: Blackberry’s Richard McLeod on Reviving a Brand and Channel

Once upon a time, when cell phones did little more than voice services, the go-to mobile device for business executives was the trusted Blackberry. These communications devices with their monochrome display, roller-ball controller, and physical keypad untethered busy executives from their personal computers by giving them mobile emails, text messages, and voice services. 

 The days of Blackberry the device is over, swept away by the flood of iPhones and Android devices. Blackberry the company, though, is enjoying a renaissance. Over the last five years, Blackberry reinvented itself as an Internet of Things and security vendor by leveraging the best of its legacy technology and expertise. 

 Blackberry has a sizable and growing network of channel partners, and it’s looking for more resellers, integrators and service providers that can help meet the growing demand for security, mobility, IoT solutions. Richard McLeod, global vice president of enterprise software channels, joins Pod2112 to talk about the transformation and evolution of Blackberry, and where the company wants to go with partners.