Wire, an end-to-end encrypted messaging app and service, just announced that it has partnered with EY, an accounting and consulting company. The agreement was established two weeks ago and allows Wire to provide an on-premise version of its messaging service that will allow EY to control the servers and use it for the communication requirements of the company.
After partnering with EY, Wire thinks it will never become a big messaging app with hundreds of millions of users. Because of that, it has become hard for them to monetize on the consumer market. This is the reason why Wire built a team messaging product.
Wire lets teams sign up and use it as a sort of Slack replacement with end-to-end encryption on messages, files, calls, etc. More than 600 companies use Wire across a wide range of industries, from cybersecurity to M&A company.
With EY as a partner, Wire is going one step further by providing on-premise deployment and custom integrations. EY, on the other hand, wants an end-to-end messaging service so that it can share messages and files with its customers aside from controlling the servers in house.
According to EY France Chief Digital Office Yannick de Kerhor, Wire’s same level of encryption for messages instead of attachments is incomparable with other solutions. Even though EY manages the servers, everything is still encrypted on devices. This also means that the company or any potential hackers will not be able to access the servers and decrypt messages. EY has done pilot testing of the service with 150 people and roughly 20 clients. It plans to roll it out to more teams.
With around 70 people working for Wire, the company is continuously working on more on-premise implementations. It’s still too early to tell whether EY and Wire’s partnership will lead to the establishment of a reliable business model that will make end-to-end encryption more pervasive.
