BlackBerry to Buy Crisis Communications Software Firm AtHoc

BlackBerry has signed a deal to buy California-based software company AtHoc, which develops emergency alert systems for government agencies, military bodies, and other organizations.

Financial terms of the deal were not released.

BlackBerry said Wednesday that the AtHoc platform will be integrated with its enterprise portfolio.

AtHoc helps organizations and people to connect and share information in times of crisis.

Its clients include the US departments of defense and homeland security as well as public and private enterprises.

BlackBerry says the deal announced Wednesday will enable AtHoc to expand globally.

Earlier this week, BlackBerry announced another round of job cuts as it deals with weak smartphone sales and pushes ahead with a restructuring plan. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company declined to disclose how many employees were affected in the latest changes, but said that some workers were shifted to different roles while others were laid off.

BlackBerry said the move is part of a plan to reallocate certain resources to help grow its operations.

BlackBerry has shed thousands of jobs since it began restructuring its operations under chief executive John Chen, who joined the company in 2013 and has focused on tightening spending and innovation.

At the peak of its success, BlackBerry had about 20,000 employees across the world, but its failure to innovate against some formidable competitors, including Apple and Samsung, left the company slashing its operations in an effort to contain costs.

In its most recent annual filings, BlackBerry said it had 6,225 full-time global employees as of February 28.