BlackBerry Ltd. has signed a partnership deal with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's management consulting firm.

Under the agreement, Giuliani Partners LLC will use the company's BlackBerry Secure platform in its cybersecurity consulting services for government and business customers.

Blackberry says the partnership provides an opportunity for the company to offer its products and services to new customers as it looks to grow its security software business.

BlackBerry announced last year that it would stop making its signature smartphones and outsource the design, manufacturing and distribution of the devices that made it famous around the world.

The company's shift to its security software operations was in response to waning sales as competitors such as Samsung and Apple gained greater market share.