We know that RIM has always prided themselves in having a very secure platform for their enterprise customers, and have worked hard to maintain that through the years. Recently the folks at Trend Micro set out to test the current mobile OS platforms, and see how they compare for enterprise solutions. As expected, RIM's BlackBerry 7 took the cake for several different reasons. In the current Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment that many companies have began allowing, each of them is a risk to the business in some way shape or form, but BlackBerry devices still remain the most secure. 

What is interesting in these results is that, whilst some mobile platforms have evolved very noticeably along enterprise lines, there is still a strong ‘consumer marketing' legacy in some quarters and this is negating some of the progress made on the enterprise front. Indeed, some of the attributes we have examined in the report are still firmly ‘enterprise-unready'.”

We have seen the US Government continue their support of BlackBerry, and other large companies are doing the same, and the benefits are obvious. People want their information to be secure, and BlackBerry devices offer that and plenty more.

Source: SCMagazine

While some companies may be moving away from corporate BlackBerry devices, and RIM has released applications for Android and iOS , the US Government has decided that BlackBerry is still their top choice. RIM's focus has been, and likely always will be having a secure platform in which the users data is extremely safe. While the US Government has allowed some users to go with Android or iOS, they still support 12,000 BlackBerry users, and that is what they prefer.

"We appreciate RIM's focus on security, which is paramount for government use," said Casey Coleman, the chief information officer at the General Services Administration.

Continued support is always a good sign, we know RIM has many new things coming down the line, many of which will continue to spark interest in users. With BlackBerry 10 on the horizon, and the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 just behind us, we hope more businesses will continue to see the benefits of having BlackBerry devices in the hands of their productive employees.

Source: Washington Post 

After months (maybe even a couple of years) of deliberation and pressure from the Indian government, RIM has decided to install a BlackBerry server in Mumbai. India have long wanted to be able to intercept and monitor corporate messages going through BES as well as BlackBerry Messenger and RIM had held off giving in to the idea, until now. By setting up these servers it allows Indian officials to 'lawfully intercept its messenger services'. 

Security agencies have already tested the servers for effectiveness and would shortly release guidelines on the 'permission for direct linkage for lawful interception of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) services'. There are currently 5000 Enterprise Servers for BES in India however Nehchal Sandhu Director of Intelligence Bureau stated that communication there would only be between companies and employees, therefore would not be of high concern for Intelligence agencies.

Licensing conditions state that local service providers must setup a mechanism that lets security agencies intercept any conversation or message sent by any BlackBerry subscriber anytime it is required. So, all carriers that offer the BlackBerry service in the country must make sure they can provide information to security and Intelligence agencies when they are asked for. 

What are you thoughts on this? Do you think RIM was right to give in? Sound off in the comments or hit up the forums for more discussion. 

Discuss more in the forums

Source: Times of India
(Image Credit)

As any IT Admin will tell you, working with multiple platforms in a deployment stage can be rather tedious especially if you are working on a larger scale. Controlling and authorizing all those devices and different platforms with IT policies and security settings is no easy task. Larger organizations have managed to do it for years now without very much help from management systems but with the ever increasing growth of devices in the market, deployment has become much harder these days. That's where BoxTones latest announcement comes in.

BoxTone’s EMM platform now delivers full enterprise-grade security, management and governance based on key enhancements made to its automated Mobile Device Management (MDM) Engine, which include:

• BoxTone Security Management Dashboard: Provides real-time visibility into the global mobile security posture and compliance status – from across the enterprise down to the individual device – with trending information and acute details on security gaps or non-compliance.

• BoxTone Policy Management: Automatically maps and extends existing enterprise policy typically defined and managed in Active Directory, then automatically synchronizes policy adds, changes and removes to all devices with no manual intervention.

• BoxTone Configuration Management: Automatically adjusts device configurations based on changes to mobile and enterprise policies with no manual intervention.

• BoxTone Compliance Management: Continuously monitors the end-to-end security status of all enterprise devices, applications, mobile services, dependent infrastructure and existing security and policy systems, and automatically detects, remediates and logs violations with no manual intervention.

• BoxTone Mobile Analytics: Includes comprehensive data warehouse and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) reporting to deliver a holistic approach with full audit capabilities and proof of controls.

• BoxTone Platform Integration: The expanded EMM platform integrates with existing security and policy management systems to ensure consistent policy enforcement across the enterprise; eliminates the typical risks associated with traditional MDM tools that create their own separate, gap-riddled policy stove-pipes.

Now more then ever, device deployment can be handled in a such a way that is both cost effective and easily handled. Device provisioning can be started, monitored and finalized from within one system making deployment to multiple platforms such as BlackBerry, Android and iOS easy as it can be currently. Check out the source link below for the full details.

Learn more about BoxTone

Exploring the ways to activate your BlackBerry on a BES

Back when the new BB7 devices launched I wrote an article about the Enterprise Activation application compatibility issues with OS7. The article stirred up quite a bit of controversy and some really "interesting" comments, some of which told me that there is a need for some clarification on the different methods of activating a BlackBerry on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES).

So let's look at the many options for activating on a BES and what actually occurs duing this mysterious Enterprise Activation. Are you sitting comfortably? Than we'll begin.

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Always welcome news for me and the Enterprise BlackBerry faithful, late last week Google updated the Google Apps Connector for BES. It's great to see that this is a product Google plans to keep up-to-date and shows that BlackBerry and BES is critical to the business user.

In addition to supporting BES 5.0 service pack 3, version 4.0 of the Google Apps connector brings some of my favorite business features. Theses new features are Free/Busy look-up and support for read receipt.

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The BlackBerry Smart Card Reader makes it extremely easy to make sure you and your business are in compliance with operational requirements for multi-factor authentication. It offers controlled access to your BlackBerry, computer (provided it is running Microsoft Windows and is Bluetooth-enabled), PKI applications and the internet, without compromising your security. This wearable card reader comes ready for a BES environment and will extend its features to enable AES-256 encryption overlay for Bluetooth, S/MIME support and wireless IT policy enforcement. If you venture out of Bluetooth range of your computer or BlackBerry, it will be rendered inaccessible. When we last had a look at the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader, Isaac let us know that it had achieved FIPS 140-2 certification. Today, the Card Reader took it to a new level- FIPS 140-2 level 3. This is the highest level of certification over any other available wireless smart card reader.

"Our customers value the robust security provided with BlackBerry products and services and smart card readers are particularly important within the government sector," said Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. "This advanced certification of the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader for the U.S. Federal Government demonstrates our ongoing commitment to meet and exceed the expectations of our government customers."

Toting advanced features such as; tamper evidence and self destruction of critical security parameters upon device breach, the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader is a formidable opponent in the battle to maintain corporate security. This goes to prove that the RIMPIRE STRIKES BACK on every front. Press release after the jump.

Learn more about the BlackBerry Smart Card Reader

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BlackBerry Balance should really be called BlackBerry You-Shall-Not-Pass or BlackBerry Wall, but I imagine Balance looks a bit better in the marketing materials. BlackBerry Balance isn't an application, it's an idea. Your Work life and Personal life can coexist on the same device, but they must always remain separate. Corporate data is sensitive data, no matter the size or operation of a company. Letting that data roam free amongst personal applications could be a disaster.

BlackBerry Balance is the wall that allows corporate data to be used on personal devices. This means a company can be secure in letting people bring their BlackBerry smartphone in "off the street" and use that phone on the secure corporate network. Running on a Blance'd smartphone or tablet, applications know when they're using work data; they won't allow it to be transferred to personal applications. Copy and Pasting work data into a tweet? Not with BlackBerry Balance you're not.

Balance demonstrates the high level of control, flexibility, and security offered to BlackBerry Enterprise Server administrators, executives, and users. BlackBerry Bridge, BlackBerry Balance, and the Enterprise Catalog of Applications in App World give network administrators choice without compromising security.

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The CrackBerry team has been doing a great job with unveiling PlayBook features and getting started tips and tricks but the big question for the targeted business customers, specifically the militant IT departments, is what controls will be in place for the BES Admin?

The first IT policies have now been released by RIM for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server versions 4.0 & 5.0 and apply to Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes & Novell GroupWise.  Currently there are no release notes regarding the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express (BESX).  I'm sure that in time it will come, but the BESx is designed to be a scaled back version of the BES specifically in the area of IT policies.

This is very good news and not a moment too soon.  In my travels speaking with corporate customers over the last couple of weeks they seem to be holding a 'wait-and-see' attitude to the PlayBook because RIM has not been very forthcoming with their IT control plans.  Remember the PlayBook at launch will not have its own PIN therefore you can't put it on the BES out of the box.

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Shortly after RIM announced the end of life for BES 4.1.6 & 4.1.7 for both Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino, Google annonced that as of July 2, 2011 Google Apps Connector for BES 3.x will no longer support these BES versionsDeprecating support for Blackberry Enterprise Server 4.1.7

Released on 3/15/2011
Starting July 2, 2011, RIM will be deprecating support for BES 4.1.6 and 4.1.7. As a result, Google Apps will stop supporting these BES versions starting July 2, 2011. Google Apps Connector for BES 3.x will still be supported for BES 5.x. We strongly urge customers to upgrade to BES version 5.x and version 3.x of the Connector.

Editions included:Google Apps for Business, Government and Education

If you're not sure what Google Apps Connector Bla1ze did a post previously.  The quick answer is that it's a much lower cost Mail, Calendar and Shared Document ecosystem for the corporate and educational world taking aim at the Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint honeypot.

RIM has announced that effective July 2, 2011 they are discontinuing support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1.6 & 4.1.7 for both the Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino platforms.  This does not come as a big surprise since they stopped selling 4.1.x for both enterprise platforms back on July 2nd of last year.

If your organization is still running 4.1.6 or 4.1.7 your BES will continue to work, messages will still flow.  The challenge is that RIM will no longer be providing any more service packs, maintenance releases & hot fixes.  This can leave these organizations in a vulnerable position as exploits come along.

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It looks as though RIM has removed a huge barrier to entry to deploying the BES Express in organizations.  Up to now in order to take full advantage of the BES experience you needed to pay your carrier an additional $10-15 per month for a BES Data Plan.  The "BES Tax" gave you a service book on your device which allows for over the air activation. BES Express has been very popular with the corporate world because of this $0 price tag.  However activating devices on a carrier BIS plan can be a headache.

If you're unfamiliar with this process, to activate a new BlackBerry on the company BES you would just need to ask your BES Admin for an activation password.  Once he assigned you the password, go to your BlackBerry under Advanced Options there would be an option called "Enterprise Activation", type in your email address and the assigned password and click Activate.  After a short period of time your device is fully provisioned on the BES all without connecting to any desktop software.

BUT if you were not paying your carrier's BES Tax this Enterprise Activation option was never pushed down to your device via Service Books so Desktop Manager was your only option for activating your new BlackBerry.

Today thanks to RIM BES Express users now live BES Tax-free.  They've put a new App in BlackBerry App World which gives you an Enterprise Activation option on your BlackBerry with a BIS data plan.

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Are you a Google Apps Connector user? If so, you'll be pleased as punch to know that Google has updated Google Apps Connector to version 3.0. With the update in versions comes a lot of needed additions as well. One of the key updates was the addition of BESX. Although, the full list has many others:

• Support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.2.
• Support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express.
• Support for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 SP2.
• Improved Dynamic GAL synchronization.
• Improvements to some calendar synchronization components to provide enhanced robustness and accuracy.

Kind of curious as to how many SMB's out there actually make use of BESX and Google Apps Connector. With the two now working together, it makes it rather easy to deploy a BES environment for a fraction of the cost. If you're making use of these services, please free to leave us some comments on how it's working out for you.

Source: BerryReview

 

If paying for a BES really isn't in your budget, then maybe Astrasync is a viable alternative for you. Astrasync has just rolled out their latest beta release to customers and it's bundled with a ton of new additions and features to make the services even more of a compelling offer. The following improvements have been made in AstraSync 4.2 Beta over AstraSync 4.1:

• Support for creation of meetings requests.
• Email content encryption.
• Kinetic scrolling of the message list on touch screen devices.
• Leaner, faster message store system.
• More performance settings for power users including control of Direct Push behavior, email truncation size, PIM status checks and Auto Discover.

We previously reviewed Astrasync and it has always been one of those offerings that we seen as a cost effective way to get BES like services at a lesser cost. Well worth a look into if you need what they offer.

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  Click Here To Learn More About Astrasync For BlackBerry Smartphones>>

So you purchased a BlackBerry on your own and you traveled down to the IT Dept hoping they will add you to the almighty BES only to be told you are not BES worthy. "What?!?" you ask, and the IT dude tells you that CALs (client access license) cost money and your department doesn't have a budget for everyone to be on the BES.

You are not alone in this situation. In my day job I've encountered this many times with my customers who won't put many employee's personal BlackBerry devices on the BES because they must preserve CALs for more "BES worthy staff". It's understandable from the CFO's standpoint - CALs cost money. However, from a corporate efficiency they should want everyone on the BES working more hours away from the office with no overtime pay.

RIM feels the same way and have recently released a business case for companies to have a two BES solution. They recommend a BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express in addition to their standard BES.

• See RIM's full document on the two BES plan - forward it to your CFO and CIO >>