Pharmaceutical company Pfizer joins the ranks of companies that are transitioning their employees away from BlackBerry to iPhones and Android devices.
The world’s largest drug-maker recently sent out a memo to employees referring to BlackBerry’s “volatile state,” and recommending that workers plan to migrate to Apple’s iPhone or a device running Google’s Android platform once their current contract expires. Pfizer has 90,000 employees, with a “huge” portion of those using BlackBerry, according to sources who spoke with AllThingsD.
Blackberry, formerly known as Research in Motion, was once the dominant player among enterprise and government users. With the advent of the iPhone, and numerous Android devices, the firm has seen its position eaten away, bit-by-bit.
While the company recently put itself up for sale, drawing a since withdrawn takeover bid from Fairfax Capital, and attracting interest from such suitors as Apple, Microsoft, and Lenovo, the BlackBerry board of directors decided against selling, as the firms such as Apple were more interested in the company’s patents, not their hardware division or existing customer base.
Blackberry was forced to layoff significant numbers of employees earlier this year. The company received a $4.7 billion takeover bid from Fairfax Financial in September. However, both parties have agreed not to proceed with the offer, opting instead for a $1 billion investment in BlackBerry from Fairfax and several other investors.
The company’s CEO Thorsten Heins resigned earlier this month, with former Sybase Chief Executive John Chen taking over the reins.
