BlackBerry Is 'On Its Way Up' As A Software Supplier

has had its share of ups and downs, but one analyst believes the company is finally ready to rebound. "I think they've fallen pretty hard and therefore they did hit rock bottom," Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at

, told Benzinga. "I think they're on their way up, not as a hardware supplier, but as a software service provider, for secure ways to manage and distribute information over mobile devices in a secure way. I do still think that they have some differentiation and a core competency in that area." Dan Miller, senior analyst and founder of

, said that consumers "still miss their BlackBerry" devices, but he's not holding out hope for a major comeback. "With partnerships like Apple going with IBM to the business market…it's hard to see where they're going to carve something out," Miller told Benzinga. "Meanwhile, the enterprise, mobile, bring-your-own-device world has changed so drastically. I wish them luck. I love the brand, but it's gonna be really hard."

Moorhead thinks there is still room for software and hardware that is optimized for the workplace. "I would expect BlackBerry to have a rugged line of phones and tablets," he said. "I would expect BlackBerry to do what they should've done four or five years ago, which is keep the focus on delivering the best mobile device for getting work done." Moorhead said that BlackBerry gave

,

and

time to catch up. He doesn't understand why BlackBerry didn't try to create these devices in a more "aggressive matter."

Miller is concerned that BlackBerry would struggle as a software-only provider. "Their strength was software-driven," said Miller. "It was an end-to-end sort of mail managing product. There was a symbiotic relation between it and the enterprise collaboration communications companies -- IBM, Microsoft, Oracle. You go down the list, they dealt with BlackBerry." If BlackBerry focuses specifically on hardware, Miller said the company will have to cover a "whole range" of areas, including messaging, device management and security. "They probably have a bunch of that knocked, [but] it's gotten more competitive than the device market," he added. "It will be tough going. They have a great brand. There's probably partnerships they could forge once again. I don't think they're going to find software any easier than device [development], and there are more competitors." Disclosure: