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Sweet! Things are continuing to grow around here on all fronts. Building upon our already broad network of podcasts, CrackBerry's longtime resident Enterprise Editors and Experts Craig Johnston and Isaac Kendall have fittingly kicked off a new Enterprise focused podcast for Mobile Nations (joined by good 'ole Rene Ritchie, who also has a lot of experience in IT and Enterprise). So join Craig, Isaac, and Rene as they kick off the new Mobile Nations Enterprise show with an introduction and look at the consumerization of IT. Heck, I haven't even watched this one... so am going to hit play on the video as soon as I hit publish on this post. Let's hope it's good! ;)

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BlackBerry Users Can Now Send Encrypted and Verified Email

RPost has extended its Registered Email services to create a new class of mobile messaging, bringing the security of BlackBerry email to any recipient regardless of where they access their email. This new RPost app for BlackBerry is tightly integrated into the native ‘compose email’ function, permitting users to scroll up one position to ‘Send Registered’ email messages.

The sender can choose to:

• Encrypt to any recipient address regardless of how the recipient accesses their email, with proof of compliance with HIPAA and other data privacy mandates;
• Track email opening with an official time-stamp of the content opened;
• Send documents specially formatted to obtain recipient electronic signatures on the attached document;
• Include a client reference code with the message. RPost will later embed this code into the Registered Receipt emails and usage reports; and
• Receive auditable and time-stamped proof of content in replies to the BlackBerry sender's email, serving as records of responses to offers, messages, and negotiations.

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Earlier today we posted the RIM press release announcing BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. They just wrapped up a webinar which gave more details about this coming service, but the question many have is just what is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion?

The simplest answer is that Mobile Fusion is a Mobile Device Management(MDM) platform that fuses the deployment and management of multiple device platforms to on console. It should be said that this is nothing new and there are many MDM options out there, but for my it's exciting because with the Fusion announcement we have a better look at how the PlayBook and BBX devices will be handled at the corporate enterprise level.

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Press Release

WATERLOO, ONTARIO - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) announced today the BlackBerry® Client for Microsoft SharePoint, delivering the most advanced mobile SharePoint solution on the market. The BlackBerry Client app provides a deeply integrated and intuitive mobile experience for users together with the market-leading manageability and security of BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, providing a secure and cost-effective solution for businesses and government organizations.

"Our enterprise and government customers asked us to bring a highly refined mobile experience to SharePoint and we are delivering that today with the BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint," said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at Research In Motion.

Connectivity between BlackBerry® smartphones and SharePoint servers is made possible with the market-leading BlackBerry® Enterprise Server software. The complete solution features:

• Client app integration with core BlackBerry features and functions such as email, calendar, browser, and Universal Search providing an intuitive user experience
• Check-out, check-in, and versioning of files reflected on the SharePoint server
• Microsoft Office document editing using Documents To Go® (pre-installed on BlackBerry smartphones) to download, create, revise and upload documents
• Access to Blogs, Wikis and Lists and the ability to update from a BlackBerry smartphone
• Content searches across multiple SharePoint sites from a BlackBerry smartphone

In addition to user benefits, the complete solution also comes with many benefits for organizations and their IT departments. Application management and over-the-air provisioning of the Client app is made easy for IT departments with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. The DataSmart™ efficiency of the BlackBerry solution transmits more data with less monthly data plan usage, allowing organizations to consider smaller or more budget-friendly plans. And CIOs will welcome the fact that confidential company information is being transmitted securely over the wireless network between BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry smartphones.

"In a world of continuous connectivity, businesses and governments require products, services and information faster and more reliably than ever before," said Victor Garcia, Chief Technology Officer at HP Canada. "The BlackBerry Client for Microsoft SharePoint helps to address the needs of today's mobile workforce with new tools and mobile applications to enable collaboration and productivity."

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Press Release

WATERLOO, ONTARIO and CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) and Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ:TECD) today announced a new agreement that enables Tech Data to distribute BlackBerry® devices, software and technical support services to its channel of over 60,000 value-added resellers in the United States. The agreement also allows Tech Data to support the end-to-end sale of BlackBerry solutions for small to mid-sized businesses through Tech Data's new TDMobility offering operated by ActivateIT, a Tech Data and Brightstar Corp. joint venture company.

"This agreement opens up new channels for BlackBerry solutions targeted at small to mid-sized businesses in the U.S.," said Derek Peper, Vice President, Enterprise Sales and Strategic Partnerships at Research In Motion. "RIM is also pleased to support the innovative TDMobility offering through this new relationship with Tech Data – an offering that supports the end-to-end sale of BlackBerry solutions, from devices and software through to training and technical support. This is a great win for RIM, Tech Data, Brightstar, the reseller community, our carrier partners and, most importantly, our business customers."

Bringing together two of the world's largest technology distribution companies, Tech Data and Brightstar, gives TDMobility tremendous size and a wide-ranging set of skills. Tech Data's existing operations allow TDMobility to simplify the entire mobility transaction for resellers, while providing access to state-of-the-art mobile devices, a streamlined activation process with leading mobile carriers, and a commission structure that can improve profitability and cash flow for resellers. Completing the solution, TDMobility enables resellers to create a recurring revenue stream by taking advantage of ActivateIT's Cell Manage platform to help resellers simplify their customers' deployments by offering consolidated billing.

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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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I'm an "Inbox Zero" guy - my goal is to empty my email inbox as quickly as possible. Once a message has been dealt with I file it in an appropriate folder immediately. Once it's filed I move on to the next one. This is also how I deal with my follow-up - if it's in the inbox it is not done yet.

Depending on how many folders and sub-folders you have it can be quite time consuming to file messages in Outlook, I'm forever dragging and scrolling messages from the Inbox to my labyrinth of sub-folders. I've moved to filing exclusively on my BlackBerry smartphone because it is just easier and for those of you who use Outlook can appreciate, the BlackBerry is actually smarter than Outlook.

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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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Press Release

COLUMBIA, MD – August 29, 2011 – BoxTone, the leader in Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), today announced support for the BlackBerry® 7 operating system (OS), now running on new mobile devices including the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900 and 9930 with touch display and keyboard, BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 with touch display and slide-out keyboard, and the all-touch BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 and 9860.

Across these new devices, key capabilities for the enterprise user include the faster processors, increased memory, sharper high resolution display, faster WebKit browser with HTML5, and pre-loaded Documents To Go®, across a variety of form factors to meet the need and preferences of enterprise users. The launch across 255 carriers and partners ensures global availability often required by the enterprise.

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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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Last week we posted an article how the PlayBook automatically transfers your saved Wi-Fi networks from your BlackBerry the first time it Bridges.  I first noticed this when I got my PlayBook home and saw it attached to my Guest 'g' Network by itself.  My first thought was "WOW how cool is this!!"  I hit up come colleagues on BBM and had them check their saved Wi-Fi networks and we noticed that all our saved Wi-Fi networks from our BlackBerry Smartphone's had copied over to the PlayBook.

Wait, is this good or bad?

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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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