BlackBerry, formerly Research in Motion, is by now a household name, and for due cause. For years, the company – specializing in smartphones, tablets, industrial software, and mobile device management – flourished, holding up to 43% of market share in the US mobile device market in 2010. Headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, it achieved worldwide popularity very quickly, releasing what was commonly regarded as the first smartphone in 1999. Its mobile products became particularly sought-after in the US, where, at one point in 2010, the BlackBerry client base peaked at an astonishing 21 million users. At their prime, BBRY mobile devices were most well-loved by the company’s corporate clients, who cited its products’ security and reliability as major reasons for their dedication to the platform. However, government agencies, automobile makers, and industrial plants also widely used BBRY for purposes other than personal wireless communications, and continue to do so until the present day. In recent years, BBRY also held a bizarre management structure featuring co-CEOs that have since been replaced with a Lead Director and Chair of Compensation, a CEO, and a Vice Chairman.

BlackBerry appears to be cognizant of its strengths and its weaknesses, and has plans to restructure and venture into markets more conducive to its success. Earlier this month, it was confirmed that CEO John Chen has been attempting to sell real estate, lay off employees, and distance the company from consumer-focused businesses: in other words, he has been attempting to restructure BBRY to reflect its changing strengths, aiming it more towards software and less towards personal functionality. Chen understands that his business may no longer see success as a handset vendor, and is, as such, making attempts to move into different industries where BBRY will face less competition and, hopefully, more acclaim.

There are several reasons to avoid letting go of BBRY at present.

For one, BBRY recently announced the formation of a new business unit called BlackBerry Technology Solutions (BTS). This division is to be headed by Sandeep Chennakeshu, the former CTO of Sony-Ericsson. BBRY just implemented BlackBerry Technology Solutions this past month; this very recent addition to the BBRY package could dramatically alter BlackBerry’s prospects if it is successfully implemented, making it a good investment in the long run. Let go of the stock at present, and you won’t be able to see the effects of BTS on BBRY’s future.

In the short term especially, BBRY may well be a worthy stock to hold on to: its successful second-quarter shipping volume, new business unit, and upcoming phone launch may mean good things for the company in the coming months. These corporate development details, in combination with I Know First Research’s proven ability to predict BBRY’s success, indicate that investors would be wise to consider BBRY bullish in the 1-month and 3-month time frames.

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