BlackBerry has agreed to buy mass-messaging start-up AtHoc, adding to its portfolio of software products.

AtHoc’s software, which is used by the US department of defence and department of homeland security, enables the exchange of emergency alerts between devices ranging from iPhones to warning sirens, BlackBerry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. BlackBerry has acquired several security-focused software companies in the last year as chief executive officer John Chen works to reach his goal of doubling software revenue to $500 million (€458 million )by March, 2016. AtHoc, based in San Mateo, California, was founded in 2005 and has raised $8.2 million in funding, according to Crunchbase. com, a technology startups database.

- Bloomberg