BlackBerry squares up to 'dancing elephants' Apple and IBM

CEO Chen claims the ailing smartphone maker is eyeing up its own enterprise-focused partnerships

BlackBerry is looking to rival the tie-up between IBM and Apple by launching an enterprise assault of its own with the help of another tech-giant partner.

Earlier this month, Apple and IBM teamed up to work on a set of enterprise-focused mobility products which they claim will bring the power of big data to iPhones and iPads in the form of about 100 vertical-specific applications.

Speaking to the Financial Times (FT) over the weekend, the Canadian firm's chief executive John Chen said he was looking to broker a similar deal.

"I am working on some, and maybe we will collaborate with others," Chen said. "If I focus on security and identity management, we will be a good, solid partner in this enterprise world.

"I am not afraid of competing when I know I am more nimble. I never think [that] going alone is the right strategy. But we have a value-add that no one else can do."

The FT said Chen likened the Apple-IBM deal to when "two elephants start dancing", adding that the deal is both good and bad news for BlackBerry.

"The IBM-Apple tie-up validates what is a huge market," he said. "[But] the bad news is that you are waking up two giants.

"It's competition but it's good competition and we are going to be more nimble. You don't want to be a strong guy in a market that is not growing."