BlackBerry signed up a new partner for BlackBerry Secure, in the shape of UK rugged device player Bullitt Group, which will integrate the technology into Cat and Land Rover-branded smartphones.

BlackBerry Secure is a “highly secure and comprehensive software platform to connect people, devices, processes and systems”. The Canadian enterprise mobility company stated products using the technology will offer best-in-class security to safeguard end-user privacy and protect enterprises from attackers looking to exploit device vulnerabilities.

There does seem to be something of a fit with Bullitt’s customers, which include people working in tough environments along with consumers. Alex Thurber, general manager of Mobility Solutions at BlackBerry, said customers can be offered “rugged products that aren’t just durable on the outside, but also strong on security on the inside”.

The deal expands BlackBerry Secure into the more than 100 markets in which Bullitt Group distributes products, especially across EMEA. It licences brands such as Cat and Land Rover (pictured is the latter’s Explore device) for its products, offering clear potential for BlackBerry.

So far, BlackBerry announced two BlackBerry Secure partners: Punkt Tronics, a Swiss consumer electronics company offering products focused on “basic functionality while catering to a design-centric aesthetic”; and Yangzhou New Telecom Science and Technology (NTD), a Chinese company which was set to offer a device in partnership with enterprise tech company Equiis Technologies “early in 2018”.

BlackBerry also has deeper licensing deals with BB Merah Putih, Optiemus Infracom and TCL, which are able to offer fully BlackBerry-branded smartphones.