Editor's take: It sounds like Amazon is positioning the platform as a tool primarily for AWS customers, but there’s also the possibility for a bigger push into consumer-level encrypted chat. Apps like WhatsApp and Signal have made huge strides in the public sector as of late, and with Wickr now in its portfolio, it’s not a stretch to envision Amazon competing for some of those users.
Amazon has announced it has acquired Wickr, a software firm out of New York City that specializes in end-to-end encrypted communication technology. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Amazon in announcing the acquisition said the need for secure communications is accelerating, especially given the move to hybrid work environments spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Enterprises and government agencies have a growing desire to protect their communications across many remote locations,” said Stephen Schmidt, VP and chief information security officer for AWS.
Wickr up to this point has been used by both public customers and enterprise clients to provide secure communications services across messaging, voice and video calls, file sharing and collaboration. The company offers a basic plan for individuals and small teams that is free to use, and scales up to $25 per month for the platinum tier with loads of additional features.
Schmidt said AWS is offering Wickr services immediately, adding that existing customers and business partners can keep using the service as they do today.
Image credit Piotr Swat, Sundry Photography
https://www.techspot.com/news/90205-amazon-acquires-secure-messaging-platform-wickr.html
My employer uses AWS for some things, even though they're primarily aligned with Microsoft services for other things. AWS is pretty big on business to business services.
