Large businesses and government agencies have been dropping BlackBerry devices left and right in favor of iOS devices – and the latest of these is the U.S. Department of Defense. The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon is hiring contractors to build a sustem that will manage upwards of 162,500 Android and iOS devices.
The Washington Post (via The Loop):
The Defense Department plans to hire a contractor to build a system that will manage and secure at least 162,500 Android devices and Apple products such as the iPad, according to a document posted online Oct. 22. The system may be expanded to handle 8 million devices, the department said.
The project is “a significant step towards delivering a secure mobile communications capability’’ to the entire agency, according to the document. The plan opens the door for the military to provide alternatives to BlackBerrys, which already are used on the Pentagon’s network.
More bad news for RIM. Honestly, it’s kind of sad to see RIM taking such a dive in favor of more updated alternatives. RIM missed a serious opportunity to innovate and keep their platform competitive, and now, sadly, the once-proud tech titan is facing the consequences.
