[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

There has been one topic of conversation about technology which has been discussed at all of our BlackBerry® Innovation Forum events so far: consumerization. It is a term that has been talked about for a number of years and has generated debate and intrigue at our EMEA BIF series. However, companies are only just starting to become aware of the benefits and challenges they face with the consumerization of IT.

Advances in smartphones and tablets have changed the expectations of technology within businesses. The demand for access to the latest technology is continuing to grow, and the challenge is to be able to provide solutions that satisfy or balance employee desires with enterprise needs for maintaining IT policies and control. Being a leading provider of enterprise mobility solutions, Research In Motion® (RIM®) understands the challenges. In fact, a 2011 RIM-commissioned report (in conjunction with CIO Connect) states:

“The message coming back from our research is loud and clear, in the words of the CIO of a global IT vendor ‘the boundaries between personal and business computing are blurring fast – employees should be able to make their choices in both areas’. IT in the new consumer age will be all about fashioning the user experience rather than operating the technology.”

So what’s the solution?

BlackBerry® Balance™ technology is designed to allow BlackBerry smartphones to be used for business and personal purposes without compromising the security of company content or the privacy of personal content*. BlackBerry Balance technology is designed to be safe and secure, and that means IT managers can be confident in deploying and supporting employee-owned BlackBerry smartphones. BlackBerry Balance technology is also integral to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, and supported by BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion (more about BlackBerry Mobile Fusion below). Using BlackBerry Balance technology can:

• Offer greater flexibility to the workforce while retaining control over business data security
• Allow the use of personal apps while restricting copy-and-paste functionality to prevent business information from being inadvertently shared

To learn more about BlackBerry Balance technology, you can watch the video above.

In November 2011, RIM 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 is designed to simplify the management of BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, as well as upcoming functionality to allow management of Android™ and iOS devices.

You can learn more about BlackBerry Balance technology and how it can benefit your business by joining the conversations on Twitter® via @BBEMEABusiness, using the hashtag #BIF11.

* BlackBerry Balance requires BlackBerry® Enterprise Server v5.0 Service Pack 3, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express 5.0.3 and BlackBerry Device® Software version 6.0 MR2 or higher.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Flying out of Toronto it was snowing (and so I was miserable – I hate winter), but I was moments away from a sunny greeting and an even sunnier reception as I landed in Atlanta, Georgia to attend the BlackBerry® Innovation Forum being hosted in the city.

With nearly 100 customers and a handful of partners, the event in Atlanta, held simultaneously with events in New York and San Francisco, was the first in the BlackBerry Innovation Forum 2012 North American series. It was a great event and I was able to catch some video to give you a taste of what went on. Check it out above!

RIM technical experts, driving presentations using their BlackBerry smartphone as a remote control of their HDMI-connected BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets, were on hand to delve into the details of the recently launched BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

The audience was enthusiastically typing notes on their BlackBerry PlayBook tablets (with only a handful of attendees sneaking off an urgent email or two – the nature of any BlackBerry event!). In fact, attendees were so caught up in the presentations that it took a good 30 minutes before anyone even bothered to visit the refreshment table we had set up outside (even though the smoothies were delicious!).

Despite a quick ‘show of hands’ poll suggesting that around half of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users present had already upgraded to the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, the technical details on the latest software were eagerly consumed by all of those in the room.

Mobile Device Management and tablet computing are exciting technologies that open the door to new mobile deployment opportunities. Getting a strong understanding of these growing areas of technology is critical for those looking to play a leadership role in IT in the coming year.

So…have you signed up for the local BlackBerry Innovation Forum near your city? Watch the above video to discover what it’s all about. With some events now ‘sold out’ and only a few weeks left in the series, registering today is strongly suggested!

Of course for those who missed the cut off, or don’t have a BlackBerry Innovation Forum event near them, we will be posting some of the presentation material on our SlideShare page – it’s not the same as hearing it live, in person, from the experts, and with the opportunity to network with experts and industry peers, but it may have to suffice until, of course, we see you at BlackBerry World™!

What topics are you most looking forward to discussing at a BlackBerry Innovation Forum near you? Share in the comments.

The BlackBerry Innovation Forum (BIF) events are returning to the U.S. and Canada during February and March of 2012. These events will feature an overview of BlackBerry® solutions including BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, mobile device management with BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, and discussions about other aspects of mobility that organizations should be thinking about. You’ll also have the chance to connect and network with business leaders in your area to explore future trends and discuss corporate mobile strategy.

U.S. BlackBerry Innovation Forum events

• Will be held February 27th to March 2nd, 2012
• Taking place in New Jersey, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Bridgeport-Stamford, Philadelphia, Washington, Minneapolis, San Francisco/Los Angeles, Virginia

Canadian BlackBerry Innovation Forum events

• Will be held March 5th to March 19th, 2012
• Taking place in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Halifax

To get all of the details and to see the full schedule, head over to the North American BlackBerry Innovation Forum 2012 event web site.

Have you attended a BIF event in the past? What are you most looking forward to? Share in the comments.

Discussions about how Cloud computing and services can drive impact for cost management and solution delivery played a key part at our recent BlackBerry® Innovation Forum in Amsterdam, and these topics will also be a major focus for our remaining events across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The BlackBerry platform has a heritage in the cloud, operating in it for nearly 12 years with a proven system for security and data protection. (The “Cloud” means different things to different users, but includes options such as web-based applications, such as email, through to data storage and data farms.)

Why cloud computing?

The Cloud is about information management, and companies naturally want to give employees access to information in the easiest and most cost efficient way. Using the Cloud can be one of the best solutions for information management for a number of reasons:

1. For companies who don’t want the hassle of IT issues, they can purchase Cloud computing solutions to help keep IT costs low as the initial cost barrier of entry is generally low.
2. Pricing for Cloud computing can include options to only pay for what you have used. There is a clear understanding of what services you pay for to help forecast operating expenditures.
3. Cloud computing is scalable and flexible. It gives you the ability to adjust your services for season peaks and troughs to give you a totally customizable service that doesn’t require long-term capital commitments. For large Enterprise businesses, this can save costs by way of outsourcing services to the Cloud.

BlackBerry Management Centre is a service that allows businesses to centrally manage their devices and provide email support from all major web browsers, simply and effectively without the need for specialist skills or IT systems support, all for free. BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 allows organizations to realize the benefits of using Microsoft Office 365, such as Microsoft® Office and Microsoft Exchange email through their BlackBerry smartphones – and all through the Cloud. You can learn more about these innovations and how they can benefit your business by joining the conversations at our BlackBerry Innovation Forum events or via @BBEMEABusiness using the hashtag #BIF11.

The need to multitask and juggle both business and personal activity is becoming much more prevalent. The growing pace in the consumerization of IT has led to the emergence of a new decision maker when it comes to technology selection: the end user. Employee satisfaction seems as important a concern in some organizations as cost. The IT department is no longer the single force behind business changes in technology. Rather, end users’ demands are shaping when, how and what technology is purchased and deployed.

This is not a negative, however. Those businesses that capitalize on the enthusiasm and understanding of technology demonstrated by their staff will benefit from consumerization. “Enterprising Minds” are those people in business who most astutely understand and react to this trend. It is these “Enterprising Minds” that we are celebrating through the BlackBerry Innovation Forum series.

The UK’s South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is just one example, having embraced how social media can increase the connections between front-line police officers and their communities. By being visible on social platforms such as Twitter® and utilizing the BlackBerry platform to provide real time updates, SYP are changing not just the way that they engage with their communities, but where. They are engaging with socially active citizens in a forum they are already comfortable with, joining public conversations in an open way– while adding a personal side to the local force.

To see highlights from the London event and a close up with Jayne Forest, Inspector, South Yorkshire Police, check out the videos.

To stay up to date with the remaining Innovation Forums across EMEA, follow us on Twitter® at @BBEMEABusiness with the hashtag #BIF11.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

With the world’s population continuing to blur the boundaries between business and consumer life through an ever-increasingly connected planet, social networking is now considered a global phenomenon. With analysts forecasting that social networking will be the top communications mechanism by 2015*, Research In Motion® (RIM®) experts at the BlackBerry® Innovation Forum 2011 events are discussing how social networking is making the shift from purely consumer use into the enterprise.

Businesses are adopting and using social networking at a phenomenal rate. As Erik Vermeulen, Keynote Speaker at the BlackBerry Innovation Forum in South Africa, stated:

“At this point, 7/10 SMB’s already believe that Social Media is allowing them to get closer to their customers. When we consider that businesses who use Social Media are twice as likely to see opportunities as their competitors who don’t, it’s best to become an early adopter than being an observer. Dive in, start engaging, and partner with experienced users to develop a strategy.”

Social Networking is rapidly becoming a vital business tool, with companies being able to use the mechanism to add benefits to almost every department of a business – from marketing and customer service to product development and human resources.

Social businesses, no matter what their size, need to communicate, ideally in near real time, across a network of clients, partners, and employees. With the use of mobile in enterprise continuing to increase, companies are looking at ways in which they can integrate social networking on smartphones and tablets within departments to help collaboration, deepen customer relationships, reach decisions quicker, and enable a more effective workforce overall.

The video above discusses how different companies are integrating mobility and in particular are using BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) to connect and collaborate for business use. BBM is a social networking platform with approximately 50 million active users and 5.2 million different BBM groups. Companies are benefiting greatly by using social networking to help boost collaboration and create virtual enterprise communities.

For highlights from our BlackBerry Innovation Forum 2011 in Johannesburg, check out the video. For more information on our BIF11 series in EMEA, follow us @BBEMEABusiness and join the conversation using #BIF11.

How has social networking impacted your business? Share in the comments.

The BlackBerry® Innovation Forum (North American edition) is almost here! Join us for a half-day session at a U.S. or Canadian city near you where you can learn about best practices that will make managing mobile devices in your business faster, easier and more organized.

At the Innovation Forums you will learn about:

• How Research In Motion® is continuing to evolve the way that BlackBerry smartphones and tablets are managed in the enterprise
• How to help improve employee satisfaction and productivity by allowing the use of personal and business apps
• Updates on the much anticipated new features coming to the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – expect a few surprises!
• How the BlackBerry ecosystem is continuing to expand and what it means to you

Why should you attend?

The BlackBerry Innovation Forums (U.S. and Canada) are designed to meet the needs of BlackBerry users from all areas of your organization. If you are an IT Manager or Director, Wireless Specialist, Service Manager, BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution or Messaging Admin, Mobility Engineer, or Line of Business Manager looking to improve mobility in your departments, this is an event that you won’t want to miss.

Location and Dates

• NEW JERSEY – November 2
• BOSTON – November 3
• ATLANTA – November 4
• HOUSTON – November 8
• LOS ANGELES – November 9
• CHICAGO – November 10
• CHARLOTTE – November 15
• WASHINGTON – November 16
• TORONTO – November 21
• OTTAWA – November 22

To learn more and to register, visit www.blackberryinnovation.com. We hope that you can join us!