BoxTone

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:

1. Real-Time BlackBerry Productivity Tracking and Reporting - With our unique ability to track real-time utilization of each mobile user based on time of day and day of week, we can now calculate off-hours productivity gains in real financial terms.

2. Controlling Employee Device Invasion - The major cost saving trend sweeping the industry is employee purchased devices, but that creates complexity and risks for IT. So with BoxTone 5.0 we've added device ownership tracking (employee-liable vs. corporate-liable) so that companies can auto-discover, identify, track, ensure IT Policy compliance, and protect themselves from rogue devices and applications.

3. BoxTone Expert Connected - BoxTone Expert (formerly called myBoxTone) is now optionally connected back to the BoxTone 5.0 server mother-ship, so BES Admins can get all kinds of remote data like detailed data usage and application tracking.

4. Roaming and Data Overage Tracking and Reporting - Leveraging Expert Connected and the productivity tracking above, BoxTone 5.0 now tracks detailed roaming and data plan overage details. A company can quickly identify pockets of wasted spend and take action.

5. Expanded User Self-Service - We had BoxTone Expert before as our on-device User Self-Service capability. Back in August we announced the BoxTone Portal -- our new web-based User Self-Service Module that BES Admins can deploy so that users can help themselves.

Boxtone provides support mostly for BlackBerry devices, however they can toss in a few iPhones or WinMo's into the mix as well. For more information, check out boxtone.com/release50.