Contest: Leave your best IT disaster story and how Mobile Admin would have helped and win 1 of 5 free Mobile Admin Basics licenses!

It was back in April of 2008 that Rove Mobile introduced their popular Mobile Admin 4.0 software for IT administrators. Fast forward to today and Rove has improved upon their solution with the release of Mobile Admin 5.0 Professional and a new product, Mobile Admin Basics, which trims down on some of the features (but cuts down on the price) found in the pro version, but should get it into the hands of more IT administrators at a great price point. The pro version has also undergone a price reduction. For more information you can read the press release below and jump over to roveit.com/products to compare the two offerings.

Contest: We often do contests around here for the BlackBerry end consumers, so it seems about time we do one for the admins! Rove Mobile wants to hear your IT horror story. Let us know in the comments how having Mobile Admin could have helped you and you coul win a free copy! Contest ends Sunday at midnight.  

Yikes... it's been a while since we've done an "enterprise" post around here. We got word from BoxTone back on Monday actually that they have released BoxTone 5.0. The release includes some major upgrades as the service just keeps getting better and better. BoxTone provides support for various devices and complete end-to-end secure service for IT teams. If you're in a company that runs a lot of BlackBerry devices, read on for the Boxtone 5.0 updates that include:

Back at WES we got a look at the Google Connector for BES and along with the enhanced gmail plugin, Google Connector has been released after missing their initial launch target date of July. The application which comes free to Google Apps Premier and Education users, allows for integration with BlackBerry Enterprise Servers without any need for an Exchange server. Seems as though the reason Google missed their launch date was due to new features being added, here is a break down:

• Messages sent to your Gmail inbox are pushed to your BlackBerry within 60 seconds.
• Emails read/deleted on your BlackBerry are marked as read/deleted in Gmail, and vice-versa.
• Emails archived/starred on your BlackBerry are archived/starred in Gmail, and vice-versa.
• BlackBerry folders are synchronized with labels in Gmail.
• You can search for contact information of coworkers from the global address list on your BlackBerry.
• Contacts in Gmail are automatically synchronized with your BlackBerry address book.
• You can view your Google Calendar schedule with the native
  BlackBerry application, with one-way synchronization from Google
  Calendar to your BlackBerry device. Two-way calendar sync with the
  ability to accept, decline and schedule meetings from your BlackBerry
  device is not available with this release but we are working on it.
• Administrators can use the management and security tools that are part of BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Google has set up some great information on their blog to further assist those interested, be sure to check it out. This may be great for some, but the lack of two way synch is still an issue within this application as it is with the enhanced gmail plugin, so if you have an exchange server now ya might wanna make sure the switch is the right choice should you be looking towards google connecter.

• For More Information And Downloads Head Over The Google Mobile Page>>

RIM has always been a leader in the IT security field, with the usage of BlackBerry Enterprise Server spread across so many organizations now it would make your head spin. In these times when demand for higher levels of security is important, RIM has just announced their forth coming updated version of the BlackBerry Smart Card reader. More details below.

*UPDATE* Domino release notes are available and BES 5.0 SP1 release notes are available for Domino and MS Exchange as well*

It just seems not too long ago at WES that RIM was announcing the availability of BES 5.0, which brings some significant changes to the BES infrastructure as BES Admins know it. Now, word comes from port3101's hdawg that BES 5.0 MR2 is soon to be launched. RIM has taken the time to outline some of the changes within MR2 through their downloadable PDF documentation but the major details, as it stands -- still remain unavailable. Be sure to check out what's within the PDF file as it addresses some concerns BES Admins may have had with the original launch and I'm sure RIM has much more in store for this release as it draws closer.

• Download The Available PDF File Documentation To Get A Closer Look >> 

Calling all BES Admins...

Win a Free License of BoxTone Essentials 500 - Enter Here! >>

BoxTone has been hard at working creating some great user tools for all you BES Admins out there and have just unveiled, their latest product, BoxTone Essentials. BoxTone Essentials is everything you need for a full on monitoring system for your BES environment, targeted towards smaller oragnizations with modest budgets but still need to have the safety and security that is offered to larger organizations.

BoxTone Essentials -- part of the BoxTone mobile user management platform -- automates core monitoring and management activities, proactively alerting you to mobile service issues then helping you to find, fix and validate them in less than 3 minutes. Features include:

• End-to-End Visibility - via a Dashboard that displays in real time the health of individual and groups of mobile users, BlackBerry Enterprise Servers, Exchange and Domino mail servers and wireless carriers, and, when needed, a drill-down for more detail and to take action.
• Proactive Alerts - via SmartAlerting that warns you of pending issues and risks – such as high rescan rates, hung threads, carrier outages, SRP outages or VIP low memory -- so you can fix them before users call
• The Right Answer - via a User Console that in plain language enables you to pinpoint and resolve an issue immediately with simple instructions (no hunting through logs or searching online forums)
• Click to Fix - via 1-Click Fix-It for the most common service issues – such as reset password, send service books, wipe device -- right from the User Console without the need to jump to other tools.
  

With the information on how BoxTone Essentials (view Press Release) can help you now out of the way, let's move onto the contest! CrackBerry and BoxTone have teamed up and are offering you (and your organization) the chance to win $10,000 worth of BoxTone software courtesy of BoxTone. Read on for full contest rules.

As we mentioned yesterday, WES 2009 kicks off early next month and one of the big things we know will take life there is the long-awaited release of BES 5.0. In case any of you enterprise folk were thinking it could get delayed further, be at ease. Yesterday some of the BES 5.0 marketing materials leaked out (click the image above to see them all in detail - it's kind of funny how many of the ads feature the Storm considering in the enterprise space I barely know anyone who uses that device) and RIM also shot out a ton of BES 5.0 info in the I.T. edition of the BlackBerry Connection newsletter. You can also sign up at BlackBerry.com to be notified of BES 5.0's release. All positive signs that it will be here soon!

Related Articles:

• BES 5.0 - What is it? And Walk through >>
• BES 5.0 and OS 5.0 in Action >>
• OS 5.0 In Action >> 
• BlackBerry 101: BES & BIS - What's the Difference? >>
  

We have seen the BlackBerry 5.0 OS in action, many of you all probably still have 5.0 loaded onto either your Bold or 8900 at this point as well, but what we have not really seen is some of new features OS 5.0 brings with it to those of you all who are attached to a BES. Fortunately, Greg over at Berry Review and the good folks at BlackBerry Forums Australia have put together a nice collection of screen shots highlighting some of the new options which will soon be available, BBF Australia have also posted some of the BES 5.0 details as well. More screens after the break.

[ BerryReview via BBFAU ]

BoxTone has been an integral part of BlackBerry enterprise environments for many years now. BoxTone provides a clear window and a magnifying glass view of your BlackBerry environment. It graphically represents the data that can be found in your BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) log files and configuration databases as well as providing real-time trending of that information. BoxTone also alerts (via email or SNMP) when problems arise or certain trended values go above a set threshold. Its alerting engines apply intelligent algorithms to the data it sees and helps it alert appropriately.

BoxTone also provides different views of this data in the form of separate console views. A Help Desk console view for example displays only user information relevant to a first line HelpDesk representative while the Messaging Operator's console provides much more information more relevant to the messaging systems and BESs themselves. So far BoxTone has made a real impact on how BES environments are monitored and maintained but now they are releasing BoxTone version 4.0 which promises to up the ante even further.

Research In Motion announced a new version of BES, version 5.0 on February 11th. It improves upon the existing BES platform in many ways which make administering a BES easier and more flexible. It brings a few new handheld features too which I know users will love.

However, before we get into what's new, let's go over what a BES is. In a future article I'll discuss the differences between a BES and the Microsoft mobile strategy using System Center Mobile Device Manager (SCMDM) and Windows Mobile 6.1.

If your BlackBerry users are complaining about receiving emails every fifteen to thirty minutes in batches, or not receiving emails for many hours, then you may be experiencing a problem between your BlackBerry Enterprise Server(s) (BES) and your Exchange server(s).

The reasons that this occurs can sometimes be hotly contested between the people that run your Exchange servers and the people that run your BESs. This article should help you diagnose the problem and get your email flowing again in real time.

Today RIM announced that they will be acquiring Chalk Media Corp. I have been a believer in Chalk ever since I first saw them at WES in 2007. In fact Doug Soltys from BlackBerry Cool and I recorded a podcast at WES that year where we spoke to Brook Van Hatton from Chalk. If you'd like to take a listen, click here. The product that was creating a stir at WES was called Mobile Chalkboard.  Continue reading after the jump for more info on Mobile Chalkboard and what I think the acquisition is all about.

The company ISEC7 recently won the Enterprise category of the BlackBerry Developers Challenge with a pretty unique product for the BlackBerry called B*Nator Remote Control.

ISEC7 actually sells a BlackBerry monitoring suite, but it is this remote control tool that got all of the attention, and for good reason.

What is B*Nator Remote Control?

As the name suggests, B*Nator Remote Control allows a BlackBerry support person to take control of a BlackBerry.  Not only can they take control of someone’s BlackBerry, but they can do this over the air!

A very useful tool for BlackBerry administrators and support staff is RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server Compatibility. Just head over to this link, pick your email system (Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise) and you will get a PDF with a very detailed matrix.

This matrix details operating systems, versions of database servers, version of instant messaging infrastructures, etc. Keeping this matrix handy will certainly cut down on the number of questions that remain unanswered when it is time to upgrade a component of your network.

Tomorrow BoxTone will announce a new product called myBoxTone Expert. The product addresses a problem that has not been thought about for any smartphone, let alone a BlackBerry. That is the problem of helping a BlackBerry user with issues that may arise on their device. After seeing our pal Al Sacco make mention of the app this morning, I just had to get myBoxTone Expert up and running on my BlackBerry Bold. Continue reading after the jump for a whole lot more on this excellent enterprise application.