Amazon's AWS Acquires Secure Messaging Service Wickr

(RTTNews) - Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) cloud-computing business AWS on Friday announced it has acquired Wickr, an encrypted messaging platform used by government agencies and firms. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

In a blog post, Stephen Schmidt, vice president and chief information security officer for AWS, said the need for secure communications services has accelerated.

"Wickr's secure communications solutions help enterprises and government organizations adapt to this change in their workforces and is a welcome addition to the growing set of collaboration and productivity services that AWS offers customers and partners," Schmidt said.

"From our founding ten years ago, we have grown to serve organizations across a wide range of industries, all over the world. Together with AWS, we look forward to taking our solutions to the next level for our customers and partners," Wickr announced.

Wickr has developed several secure messaging apps based on different customer needs: Wickr Me, Wickr Pro, Wickr RAM, and Wickr Enterprise. The Wickr instant messaging apps allow users to exchange end-to-end encrypted and content-expiring messages, including photos, videos, and file attachments. Schmidt said that AWS will be offering Wickr services effective immediately. Existing Wickr customers need not expect a change soon.