In keeping with its shift to a more software-oriented strategy, BlackBerry has acquired WatchDox, a file-sharing security firm, for a sum thought to be between $100 million and $150 million.

WatchDox’s technology will be offered as a value-added service that complements BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) portfolio, and will be available with BES12.

The firm is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with research and development facilities in Petah Tikva, Israel. It will form the basis of a new security-focused BlackBerry R&D center in Israel.

Geekwire pegged the price at an estimated $150 million, while Globes says the firm fetched a more conservative $100 million.

Either way, the deal offers further confirmation of BlackBerry’s greater emphasis on software, rather than hardware and services.

“This acquisition represents another key step forward as we transition BlackBerry into the premier platform for secure mobile communications software and applications, supporting all devices and operating systems,” said BlackBerry CEO John Chen.

WatchDox’s platform for enterprises enables employees to sync and share files across mobile devices while the enterprise keeps track of who is viewing and sharing the content. Unsurprisingly, its products have traction among private-equity firms as well as Hollywood studios.