U.S. Department of Agriculture Expands Deployment of BlackBerry's AtHoc to Farm Services Administration

SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 21, 2015) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in secure mobile communications, today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has expanded their Agriculture - Automated Warning and Information Response System (Ag-AWaIRS) to now protect personnel of the Farm Services Agency (FSA) headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

Ag-AWaIRS is the mass emergency notification system utilized by USDA Emergency Managers to alert USDA staff and contractors of crisis situations within minutes of an event. Already protecting USDA headquarters facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR), Ag-AWaIRS enhances communication and collaboration within and across USDA agencies while providing a high level of security and ensuring the protection of personally identifiable information. Seamlessly supporting telephones, SMS text messaging, desktops, and mobile devices as well as enabling cross-organizational communications, USDA's Ag-AWaIRS ensures continuity of business operations (COOP) while protecting staff across functions, organizations and geographies.

Evergreen Information Technology Services (Evergreen ITS) worked with AtHoc, a division of BlackBerry, and the USDA to deploy the Ag-AWaIRS system to the FSA. "The safety of USDA personnel, its facilities and continuity of operation are mission critical," said Terrance Martin, President of Evergreen ITS. "This solution effectively addresses those objectives for the enterprise by providing unified, secure communications across all agencies in times of crisis."

"We are honored by the trust Evergreen ITS and USDA have shown by selecting the AtHoc solution," said Dubhe Beinhorn, Vice President of AtHoc's Homeland Security and Government Group. "We look forward to working with them to continue to expand and build an innovative and game-changing enterprise crisis communication network."

About USDA

USDA provides leadership through the development and execution of public policy on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues. USDA has a vision to provide economic opportunity through innovation, helping rural America to thrive; to promote agriculture production that better nourishes Americans while also helping feed others throughout the world; and to preserve our Nation's natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds, and healthy private working lands. For more information about USDA, please visit www.usda.gov

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry is securing a connected world, delivering innovative solutions across the entire mobile ecosystem and beyond. We secure the world's most sensitive data across all end points - from cars to smartphones - making the mobile-first enterprise vision a reality. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.

About AtHoc

AtHoc, a division of BlackBerry Limited, is the pioneer and recognized leader in networked crisis communication, protecting millions of people and thousands of organizations around the world. AtHoc provides a seamless and reliable exchange of critical information among organizations, their people and devices. A trusted partner to the world's most demanding customers, AtHoc is the leading provider to the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, and safeguards numerous other government agencies and leading commercial enterprises. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, AtHoc operates around the globe. For more information, please visit www.athoc.com.

About Evergreen Information Technology Services

Evergreen ITS has a proven record in the majority of USDA agencies of providing IT solutions on-time, within budget and with management efficiencies while minimizing risks associated with new enterprise adoptions. Evergreen accelerates time to value for the client's it's selected to serve by implementing a range of emerging technologies related to network infrastructure support; telecommunication operations; and conference facilitation and workplace collaboration; as well as data, cloud and program management. Client needs are matched to Evergreen's experience which spans across government and commercial industries - that match is what differentiates this woman-owned, 8A company. For more information about Evergreen, please visit www.evergreenits.com or on twitter @evergreeninfo.

Trademarks, including but not limited to ATHOC, EMBLEM Design, ATHOC & Design and PURPLE GLOBE Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, its subsidiaries and/or affiliates, used under license, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.