Smartphone privacy and security concerns continue to weigh on businesses, particularly for companies in certain industries such as healthcare, and for those that have or are thinking of moving to a “bring your own device” (BYOD) model. Promoters of the “Blackphone,” according to a Reuters report, hope that their version of Google’s Android software will enable it to tap into the growing mobile security management (MSM) market.

According to the report, the Blackphone technology “encrypts texts, voice calls and video chats,” but it is not the only player with something to launch. Deutsche Telekom plans to offer a smartphone app that will provide similar capabilities. Of course, variations on these technologies are already available, but these new offerings will help expand the availability of privacy and security capabilities into the mass market. The report notes, however, that in the case of the Blackphone and the Deutsche Telekom app, “both sides of a call have to be using the same service to get full encryption.”

A critical component of any BYOD, electronic communication, social media, telecommuting/remote work or similar policy is monitoring developments in technology. A particular technology may not be the right fit for a company, or it may not be all that was promised, but it is important to be aware of these developments as they may provide a solution that is just right for a company’s needs.