RIM (Research In Motion) excitingly announced that the companies first tablet the 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook is the first tablet to receive the FIPS 140-2 certification from the U.S. Government. To get the FIPS 140-2 certification for an electronic device, it must meet strict data protection guidelines issued by the U.S. government, the FIPS acronym stands for Federal Information Processing Standard.
On top of that RIM received the ‘Best in Show’ award at FOSE 2011 for it’s Playbook. FOSE is the largest technology convention held in the U.S. for the Federal government.
To have a FIPS certification first means RIM has positioned themselves and their Playbook as the only tablet option currently for the government to buy. Note that the U.S. government doesn’t buy single units, when it comes to technology it’s going to be bulk orders. No official statement on any goverment orders from RIM yet. So only time wil tell, if there will be any.
In the past, RIM managed to get previous government contracts with their secure BlackBerry smartphones. And a new certification will bump interest in the BlackBerry PlayBook as an enterprise tablet for other businesses and organizations who’d like to invest in safe and enterprise friendly tablets.
Official Press Release:
July 21, 2011: BlackBerry PlayBook Becomes First Tablet Certified for U.S. Government
BlackBerry PlayBook Wins ‘Best in Show’ Award at FOSE 2011
Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced today that it has received FIPS 140-2 certification for the new BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, making the BlackBerry PlayBook the first tablet certified for deployment within U.S. federal government agencies. 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).
“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.”
BlackBerry PlayBook is a powerful, ultra-portable tablet that fits comfortably in one hand. It has a stunning 7-inch high resolution display, offers true multi-tasking capabilities and a high-fidelity web experience. It also allows for secure pairing with BlackBerry® smartphones via the BlackBerry® Bridge™ app, which enables users to access their BlackBerry smartphone’s email, calendar, address book, memo pad, task list, BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) and browsing functionality using the larger display on the tablet.
The FIPS-certified BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is being showcased this week in Washington DC at FOSE – the largest Federal government information technology conference in the U.S. – where BlackBerry PlayBook has just been awarded Best in Show, and also Best of FOSE in the Handheld Devices category.
More information about the BlackBerry PlayBook is available at www.blackberry.com/playbook.
Check out the official press release for this big announcement for RIM here.
16GB, 32GB & 64GB Version
Also see Best Blackberry Playbook Accessories
