BES12.5 Update: What You Need to Know

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As announced by BlackBerry via the Inside BlackBerry Blog, BES12.5, the latest update to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12, has just been released as a service pack update for BES12. This update brings new features for the management console, licensing, and Good Dynamics. Plus, there are multiple improvements for managing iOS, Android, Samsung KNOX, Windows 10, IBM Notes Traveler, Pulse Secure, the self-service console, and the BlackBerry Connectivity Node.

What's new in BES12 version 12.5

Management console

  • View available updates for iOS devices: You can now view updates that are available for iOS devices on the User Details page in the management console.
  • Manage security audit event logging: Security audit event logging can be enabled and configured from the Settings > Infrastructure > Audit configuration menu. You can export the security event audit log to a .csv file.
  • Use app categories: You can create categories for the apps that you add to the app list and filter your app list by category. On Android and iOS devices, the apps are organized into these categories in the user's work apps list.
  • View the status of BlackBerry Collaboration Service instances on the BES12 Instances screen: You can view the status of each BlackBerry Collaboration Service instance in your domain on the Settings > Infrastructure > BES12 Instances screen. The status provides information about whether the BlackBerry Collaboration Service is running or stopped and the BlackBerry Collaboration Service version that is installed.
  • Create email templates: You can now use an HTML editor to create the templates for device activation emails and compliance notifications, allowing you to format the text and include corporate images. Some new default email templates are provided.
  • Get expanded device conditions in compliance profiles: You can now specify whether devices that have not been in contact with BES12 for a specified length of time are non-compliant. You can also add a list of restricted OS versions and device models to compliance profiles and select the actions that occur if the user does not correct the issue.
  • Manage attestation for Samsung KNOX devices: You can turn on attestation so that BES12 sends challenges to test the authenticity and integrity of Samsung KNOX devices.
  • Simplify management of Android for Work apps: Android for Work apps no longer need to be added to an app group to be sent to Android for Work devices. If you have connected BES12 to a Google domain, you can send apps to Android for Work devices, just like any other Android device.
  • Customize the console: You can change the color scheme of the BES12 management console.
  • Gain offboarding protection for directory-linked groups: When you configure the settings for directory-linked groups, you can select offboarding protection. Offboarding protection requires two consecutive synchronization cycles before user accounts or device data are deleted from BES12. This feature helps to prevent unexpected deletions that can occur because of latency in directory replication.

Licensing

  • Take advantage of Good Secure EMM Suites features: Good Secure EMM Suites allows your organization to use both BES12 EMM and Good Dynamics features. Some suites also allow you to use BES12 value-added services.
  • Mix device-based and user-based licenses: Device-based licenses allow a user to activate one device with one license. User-based licenses allow a user to activate up to seven devices with one license. You can use device-based licenses, user-based licenses, or both.

Good Dynamics

  • Migrate profiles: You can create Good Dynamics profiles in BES12 versions 12.4 and 12.5, but you can migrate Good Dynamics profiles only between BES12 version 12.5 instances. You cannot migrate devices that are enabled on the Good Control server.
  • Generate Good Dynamics access keys: If you have connected your BES12 and Good Dynamics environments, you do not have to login to Good Control to generate an access key for devices that are not activated on BES12. You can simply add the user to BES12 and generate an access key from there.
  • Perform Good Dynamics app commands: After a Good Dynamics app has been installed on a device, you can perform actions on the apps. For example, you can delete app data if a user has lost a device.
  • Send user certificates to Good-enabled devices: If you have integrated BES12 and Good Dynamics, you can add a client certificate to a user account that is specifically for Good-enabled devices, or users can add the certificate in BES12 Self-Service.
  • Disable the ability to add users to Good Control: Users are synchronized between BES12 and Good Control only when users are created in BES12. You can turn off the ability to create users in Good Control to make sure that users are not created in Good Control without also being created in BES12.

iOS

  • Specify per-app VPN for apps and app groups assigned to device groups: You can configure VPN profiles to force iOS devices to specify which apps on the device must use a VPN for their data in transit. You can specify which apps on iOS devices must use a VPN when the apps or app groups are assigned to device groups.
  • Manage Apple Activation Lock: The Activation Lock feature on iOS 7 and later devices allows users to protect their devices if they are lost or stolen. In BES12.5, you can now manage the Activation Lock feature on supervised iOS 7 and later devices.

Android

  • Display organization notices at new Android device activation: You can create a custom notice or user agreement that is displayed when users activate their devices. Users must acknowledge the notice to complete the activation.
  • Specify required security patches: You can specify which security patches Android devices must be running.
  • Control which work-space apps on Android for Work devices can use BlackBerry Secure Connect Plus: You can specify the work-space apps on Android for Work devices that you want to restrict from using BlackBerry Secure Connect Plus. By default, Google Play is restricted, as it does not support the proxy configuration used by BlackBerry Secure Connect Plus. Android for Work devices use a direct connection over the internet to Google Play.

Samsung KNOX

  • Bulk-enroll Samsung KNOX devices: You can use the bulk-enrollment feature of KNOX Mobile Enrollment to activate large numbers of corporate-owned devices in BES12.

Windows 10

  • Configure Enterprise Data Protection for Windows 10 devices: You can configure Enterprise Data Protection profiles to separate personal and work data on devices, prevent users from sharing work data outside of protected work apps or with people outside your organization, and audit inappropriate data-sharing practices. You can specify which apps are protected and trusted to create and access work files.

IBM Notes Traveler

  • Gain IBM Notes Traveler support: BES12 now supports IBM Notes Traveler for Samsung KNOX Workspace devices.

Pulse Secure

  • Use Pulse Secure VPN client support: BES12 now supports the Pulse Secure VPN client for iOS devices.

BES12 Self-Service Console

  • Customize the BES12 Self-Service console: You can change the color scheme of the BES12 Self-Service console. You can add website bookmarks in the BES12 Self-Service console.
  • Enable self-service for Good Dynamics users: Users with devices that are enabled for Good Dynamics can use BES12 Self-Service to complete the following tasks: Create access keys to activate Good Dynamics apps - Lock, unlock, and delete app data from Good Dynamics apps on their devices. Assign user roles: You can create and assign user roles that specify the capabilities that users have in BES12 Self-Service.

BlackBerry Connectivity Node

  • Install additional instances of the device connectivity components in your BES12 domain: You have the option to install one or more instances of the BlackBerry Connectivity Node to add additional instances of the device connectivity components to your organization's domain. Each BlackBerry Connectivity Node contains the following BES12 components: BlackBerry Secure Connect Plus, the BlackBerry Gatekeeping Service, the BlackBerry Secure Gateway Service, and the BlackBerry Cloud Connector.

As you can tell by looking at the what's new list, this serves as a rather large update to the BES12 platform. If you're looking to learn more, you check out the Inside BlackBerry Business Blog posts, or you can hit the link below and get a run down of BES12 in its entirety.

Learn more about the BES12.5 update

Read more