Amazon Web Services has acquired Wickr, a provider of encrypted chat and communications services.

AWS is offering Wickr services "effective immediately" to its customers, according to a statement from AWS Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer, Stephen Schmidt.

Schmidt notes that AWS' interest in the company is due in part to the need for improved communications protection amid a now widespread remote workforce.

"With the move to hybrid work environments, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, enterprises and government agencies have a growing desire to protect their communications," he says in the statement.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The full release on the acquisition can be found here.