RIM has announced today that their BlackBerry Mobile Voice System now supports OpenScape Voice from Siemens Enterprise Communications. The BlackBerry MVS service allows users to access the functionality of their desk phones right from their BlackBerry device. BlackBerry MVS is an amazing tool that lets users extend their desk phone when on the go, essentially serving as an extension of their corporate phone line.

Press Release

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - April 17, 2012) - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced that BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5.1 now supports OpenScape Voice V6 from Siemens Enterprise Communications. The solution allows customers to access desk phone functionality on their BlackBerry® smartphone.

BlackBerry MVS, together with OpenScape Voice, can be used to provide a comprehensive Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) solution for BlackBerry smartphone users. Siemens Enterprise Communications customers will now be able to place and receive desk phone calls on their BlackBerry smartphones and enjoy the convenience of single number reach, extension dialing and phone features such as hold, transfer and ad-hoc conferencing.

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RIM has announced today that BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is now available. Mobile Fusion enables IT departments to manage and support BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices and also allows end users the freedom to choose their own device. An initial release for BlackBerry phones and the PlayBook launched in February and today's release brings Mobile Fusion to iOS and Android devices as well.  

Press Release

Introducing BlackBerry Mobile Fusion - RIM Launches Next Generation Mobile Device Management Solution for Government and Business Customers

Cost-Efficient Solution Delivers Secure, Reliable, Scalable and Easy Management of BlackBerry, iOS and Android Devices

Waterloo - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today launched the highly-anticipated BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, RIM's next-generation mobile device management (MDM) solution for enterprise customers. Built on the foundation that has established BlackBerry® Enterprise Server as the gold standard for government and businesses, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion delivers a cost-efficient, secure, reliable and scalable solution that consolidates the management of smartphones and tablets running BlackBerry® OS (including support for BlackBerry PlayBook^TM and future BlackBerry® 10 devices) as well as Android^TM and iOS®*, and provides a single, unified, web-based console for easily managing all devices.

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In the event you missed it, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 launched today and most of the world in rejoicing. I say most, because in the security conscious corporate world new shiny products and updates are approached cautiously.

When a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) in engaged the IT department is less guarded to new devices since the BES is a rock solid security solution. With PlayBook OS 2.0 there is cause for some concern now that your PlayBook can connect directly to the corporate mail server using Exchange Active Sync and bypassing the traditional BES.

Good news today from RIM, they have made Mobile Fusion for PlayBook Administration available for a free 90-trial download today! Look for a more deeper look at how the Mobile Fusion sausage is made a little later, but for now hit the RIM site to signup for the 90 trial.

More information and download Mobile Fusion Trial

Press Release 

RIM Announces BlackBerry Mobile Fusion - The Next Generation Enterprise Mobility Solution for BlackBerry, Android and iOS Smartphones and Tablets 

Simplifies Management of Smartphones and Tablets for Business and Government

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion - the Company's next-generation enterprise mobility solution and RIM's entry into the multi-platform Mobile Device Management (MDM) marketplace. Building on years of leading enterprise mobility management solutions from RIM, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will simplify the management of smartphones and tablets running BlackBerry®, Google® Android® and Apple® iOS® operating systems.

"We are pleased to introduce BlackBerry Mobile Fusion - RIM's next generation enterprise mobility solution - to make it easier for our business and government customers to manage the diversity of devices in their operations today," said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at Research In Motion. "BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together our industry-leading BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology for BlackBerry devices with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices, all managed from one web-based console. It provides the necessary management capabilities to allow IT departments to confidently oversee the use of both company-owned and employee-owned mobile devices within their organizations."

RIM is the leading provider of enterprise mobility solutions with over 90 percent of the Fortune 500 provisioning BlackBerry devices today. The enterprise market for smartphones and tablets continues to grow in both the company-provisioned and employee-owned (Bring Your Own Device or BYOD) categories. BYOD in particular has led to an increase in the diversity of mobile devices in use in the enterprise and new challenges for CIOs and IT departments as they struggle to manage and control wireless access to confidential company information on the corporate network. This has resulted in increased demand for mobile device management solutions.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together the market-leading BlackBerry® Enterprise Server (version 5.0.3) for BlackBerry smartphones; new management capabilities for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets built on BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology; and mobile device management for smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS operating systems.

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If you are involved with or interested in Enterprise Mobile Device Management, you will want to clear your calendar to attend the 2011 BlackBerry Innovation Forum if it comes to your area. These half day sessions are free to attend and cover several topics that are designed to make managing your company's mobile devices faster, easier, and more organized.

The agenda includes:

BlackBerry PlayBook Roadmap

• The next BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS will provide a slew of much anticipated features and functions.  This session will take a deeper look into the setup and functionality of these new functions and we will also explore updates to Documents to Go, the new look and feel of Video Chat and other new features that make the BlackBerry PlayBook a productivity-packed tablet and a viable laptop replacement

The Ideal Enterprise Solution for all your Mobility Needs

• The landscape of the BlackBerry ecosystem is evolving to provide more function, more control and more possibilities for your business.  Planning your backend infrastructure is a critical part in ensuring the long-term success of your mobile deployment.  This session will guide you through the requirements for BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook and additional personal liable devices. We will also provide the basics, tips and examples of how to architect a scalable, cost-controlled solution that provides the best-in-class BlackBerry manageability, reliability and security.

Managing Mobility -

• With the increasing number of employees “going mobile” IT organizations are tasked with supporting, managing and securing a wide array of devices. One thing an IT organization can’t afford is an increasing amount of backend systems to support the mobile workforce. Learn how Research In Motion is continuing to enhance how BlackBerry smartphones are managed in the enterprise through new tools that simplify administration while maintaining security.

If you are an IT Manager or Director, Wireless Specialist, Service Manager, BlackBerry Enterprise Solution or Messaging Admin, Mobility Engineer, or LoB Manager looking to improve mobility in your departments, this is an event you won't want to miss. You can see a complete schedule for the North American forums and get registered at the link below.

More information and register for BlackBerry Innovation Forum 2011

Alan Panezic came on stage during the BlackBerry DevCon general session keynote to talk a bit on the BlackBerry in Enterprise. He touched a bit on BlackBerry Balance and BBX, then dove a bit more into the BlackBerry PlayBook on BES. The PlayBook can be provisined through the server, giving you a full Enterprise app store and secure apps without an additional needs. The PlayBook creates a specific work folder keeping your work apps all in one place for easy access. Very cool stuff. Check out the video above for more.

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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Update: The Enterprise Activation app now supports all BlackBerry 7 devices including the new Curves. Download it from App World here. 

It's bitter sweet when a brand new series of BlackBerry and OS launches. Sweet because of the excitement of getting that shiny new device in your hands. Nobody was more excited than the fearless leader of the CrackBerry Nation Kevin. I don't think it could have been clearer in his unboxing video that he more excited than the 6 year old on Christmas morning when he finds that new red bike. For those of you who missed it, go back and watch the video, you can't fake that love for the BlackBerry.

The bitter part though is many of our favorite apps are not supported on the new series of devices. Today was no different when I went to setup my new Bold 9900. OK so my Audible.com app isn't working, the Cineplex Mobile app isn't' supported, nor is Copy2Contact; but Enterprise Activation for BESX isn't supported?!?

*Note: The article doesn't imply that BES isn't supported by BB7, just that the BlackBerry Enterprise Express Activation app in AppWorld isn't supported.*

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OK time to get your enterprise propeller hat on, the BlackBerry Smart Card reader has now been given FIPS 140-2 approval.  If you know what that means, you're excited at this good news and can now scroll down and click on the link to the NIST Computer Security Resource Center for more enterprise pr0n.  If you have no idea what a FIPS certification on a Smart Card reader is, I'll give you a quick snapshot without putting you to sleep.

We got a real world glimpse of the Smart Card reader in action just last week when Kevin posted the video inside the next generation police car powered by a BlackBerry PlayBook.  Essentially the Smart Card reader provides two-factor authentication to use your BlackBerry.  First factor presumably would be the device password and the second is your smart card inserted in the card reader and is witinh the 30-foot Bluetooth range of your BlackBerry smartphone.

That's really all it is.  This is a product that would be used by the extremely sensitive crowd who can't risk the content stored on a BlackBerry be compromised. Some may ask "Isn't the BlackBerry password good enough?  After 10 tries it wipes the device back to factory out-of-the-box doesn't it?"

Well yes it does, but if I put my device down it could be anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes before the lock enables itself.  If a police officer leaves this next generation police car in pursuit of a suspect and leaves the BlackBerry in the vehicle with the smart card reader in his pocket, the BlackBerry will lock up when the two pieces leave Bluetooth range. Keep reading for more.

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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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Today RIM held a webcast to talk a bit on the BlackBerry PlayBook and its use in the business/Enterprise space. We heard from Alec Taylor, RIM's Vice President, Software, Services and Enterprise talk about PlayBook for enterprise and new initiatives that RIM is working on to bring more cloud-based services to the BlackBerry Platform (it was interesting to see such a heavy emphasis on the word cloud from RIM). The topics weren't totally shocking, but we did get some great insight into what is to come down the road for the PlayBook and RIM when it comes to business, such as their work with Microsoft.

Some key topics were Enterprise solutions for the PlayBook and cloud services as well as the many connectivity options for the PlayBook. We did learn that the PlayBook will feature various mode options for different types of users including personal mode, BlackBerry Bridge mode, VPN mode and BlackBerry Balance mode. The good thing is that there will always be new things coming down the road for the BlackBerry PlayBook as well - RIM made it clear that while at the start they'll be leveraging the BlackBerry Smartphone as the secure tunnel connection to the NOC that they are working hard to bring that full BES-like enterprise functionality to the PlayBook/QNX OS. Keep reading to check out slides from the presentation that sum things up, and if you have an hour to spare check out the full audio webcast above.

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BlackBerry developers concerned with creating applications for Enterprise have have some new tools to consider. The announcement of BlackBerry Enterprise Application Middleware (BEAM) brings the capabilities to create and build Super Apps for enterprise. With big names such as Oracle, IBM and ING Direct already making use of the environment to create compelling applications for their users. Read on for the full press release after the jump

Press Release

RIM Announces New BlackBerry Enterprise Application Development Platform to Accelerate Creation of “Super Apps” for Business

BlackBerry Enterprise Application Middleware to Ease Development of “Super App” Enterprise Applications for BlackBerry Smartphones

San Francisco, CA – BlackBerry DEVCON 2010 – Onstage at the BlackBerry developer conference, DEVCON 2010, in San Francisco today, Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM, TSX: RIM) previewed BlackBerry® Enterprise Application Middleware – an innovative application development platform that will enable commercial enterprise and corporate developers to more easily build “super app” enterprise applications and services for BlackBerry® smartphones. IBM Interactive and customer ING DIRECT, Oracle, and SAP joined RIM on-stage at the conference today to present their plans to enable “super app” development solutions and services using the new platform.

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