Dive Brief:

• BlackBerry Ltd said it is buying AtHoc, a company that helps people and organizations share information during emergency situations.

• The deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions made by BlackBerry, which is hoping to shift its focus to sell more value-added services.

• BlackBerry is hoping to build a portfolio of services that cater to its core base of clients, including corporations and government agencies.

Dive Insight:

AtHoc's services are used by the U.S. Department of Defense, Homeland Security and many private companies to provide secure, networked crisis communications.  Its services help organizations reach people through smartphones, digital displays, radios, and even sirens in times of crisis. BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen said AtHoc has some "large marquee" clients who fit in well with BlackBerry's existing customer base.

"AtHoc is an alerts system, but it also needs richer content and that can be provided by BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), which offers not just text, but voice, picture and video sharing, so we can provide a much richer experience to their clients," Chen said.