Many of our enterprise customers are upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 following the launch on January 23rd. This re-engineered enterprise mobility management solution provides the capabilities to manage and secure BlackBerry devices, as well as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Today I’d like to share yet another reason large enterprises should upgrade from BlackBerry Enterprise Server to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10: Scalability.

From 2,000 devices to 15,000. All on a single server.

Large enterprises often deploy thousands of BlackBerry devices, which in the past has required a particular amount of servers and back-end infrastructure. With BlackBerry Enterprise Server, up to 2,000 devices could be supported on a single server. Today, with the updated BlackBerry Device Service component of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, up to 15,000 devices can be supported on a single server.

This dramatically increases the scalability of your infrastructure and allows more devices to run per server. Hardware costs are lowered, and ultimately you see a benefit in a decreased total cost of ownership. This is one of many reasons to begin planning and upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.

Get Started with the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program

To get started, check out the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program, which includes tools, resources, and offers to help you get up and running. Informational webcasts help fill in the blanks, and the Readiness Services provide you with the support that you need. Learn more at www.blackberry.com/blackberry10ready.

Are you using BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 in your organization? Will you take advantage of the increased scalability? Share your experience so far in the comments below.

A free service pack update is now available for BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion. The service pack includes enhancements to further help you manage mobile devices in your organization. Updates include BlackBerry® Device Service 6.1, Universal Device Service 6.1, and BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion Studio 6.2.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is designed to allow you to manage and secure BlackBerry®, iOS, and Android™ smartphones and tablets. The management tool is a unified web-based console called BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio. A few of the features include application management, setting user and group policies, and support for BlackBerry® Balance™ technology for BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry Balance technology helps add a layer of security and is designed to allow a user to use a BlackBerry device for both work and personal purposes by helping to keep business information secure and separate from personal information.

New Features Contained in the Service Pack 1 Update

Universal Device Service

• Improved iOS 5 support, including new features for Wi-Fi®, VPN, Microsoft® ActiveSync®, and managed app distribution
• iOS enterprise app distribution via web client
• Simplified error messages and notifications for updates
• Enhancements to iOS device enrollment
• iOS 6 compatibility
• Touchdown email configuration for Android devices (requires update to the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion client from Google Play – available today)

BlackBerry Device Service

• Over The Air (OTA) enrollment directly from a BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Once enrolled, enterprise configurations such as email, Wi-Fi, VPN profiles, and enterprise applications can be wirelessly pushed to the device
• Full device encryption option as a new IT policy (including personal and work areas)
• Developer mode can be disabled on enterprise-connected BlackBerry PlayBook tablets
• Support for Microsoft ActiveSync certificate-based authentication

Note: Updates for BlackBerry Device Service that involve functionality for managing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets will become functional after the upcoming release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1

Regional availability of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion has also been expanded to include additional countries in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. To find out if it’s available in your country, check the list of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion availability.

Stay up to date and get ready for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10! Download Service Pack 1 today.

Does your organization embrace a BYOD policy? What are some of the challenges that come along with it? Share in the comments below.

What is BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10?

BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 represents a consolidation of our enterprise mobility management (EMM) product portfolio, which includes our mobile device management (MDM), security, infrastructure, and app management products. It will prepare your organization for the future of mobile diversity, as well as integrate with your existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) deployment. From a single unified web-based console, BES 10 will manage the following devices:

• BlackBerry 7 OS and prior smartphones
• BlackBerry 10 devices
• BlackBerry PlayBook tablets
• iOS and Android™ smartphones and tablets

BES 10 will be the ultimate management solution for all BlackBerry platform devices, as well as iOS and Android devices. BES 10 will launch with the first BlackBerry 10 devices in Q1 of calendar year 2013.

RIM remains committed to our enterprise customers by providing advanced, innovative, and flexible options for a straight-forward migration to BlackBerry 10 smartphones, as well as cross-platform management of your mobile device deployment.

What will the components and requirements be for BES 10?

BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will be a complete solution that includes several components to manage multiple smartphones and tablets. Management occurs through a single, unified web-based administration console that will provide one place to manage all of the devices listed above.

In addition to the unified management console, the components of BES 10 will initially include current products already in market:

• BlackBerry® Device Service (BDS) – supporting BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry 10 smartphones when they launch in Q1 2013 through the use of Microsoft ActiveSync for email and PIM synchronization
• Universal Device Service (UDS) – providing Enterprise Mobility Management functions for iOS and Android devices
• Integration with existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) 5.0.3 and above

During 2013 we will consolidate the multiple names that we have in our portfolio today into one single product name. The terms “BlackBerry Mobile Fusion”, “BlackBerry Device Service” and “Universal Device Service” will be phased out in favor of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.

What about servers? Will multiple physical deployments be required?

With the initial launch of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, BES 5+ will require its own server, while BlackBerry Device Service and Universal Device Service can reside on separate servers or be combined on the same physical or virtual server. Should you opt to work with virtual servers, we fully support this type of deployment. Today, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion operates in a similar fashion, with BES 5+ requiring one server, and both BDS and UDS able to be deployed on a single server or on separate servers.

The future of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10

The roadmap for BES 10 includes an upgrade currently scheduled for BlackBerry World in May 2013. This upgrade will consolidate BDS and UDS into a single component, and will allow for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and existing BlackBerry Enterprise Servers (BES 5.0.3+) to run on the same physical server; both seamlessly managed using a single fully featured management console. Additionally, with BES 10 there will no longer be a requirement to have the server connected to the same Local Area Network as the mail server. These developments will centralize mobility management into a single point and provide flexibility, convenience, and added functionality.

We are excited to share more about BES 10 through this autumn. Stay tuned for further details on pricing, the path forward from a current BES 5 deployment, and details on IT policies and management configurations. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will launch with the first BlackBerry 10 devices in early 2013.

Frequently Asked Questions about BES 10

Is this a net new service or a name change?

BES 10 represents both an evolution and consolidation of RIM’s enterprise mobility management (EMM) offer to make things simple, flexible, and scalable for your organization. New functionality for managing BlackBerry 10 devices will be included, and existing functionality (currently in BlackBerry Mobile Fusion) will be incorporated into a single product offering.

The “BES 10″ name builds on our heritage as the leading provider of enterprise mobility management solutions. We are working to consolidate our product offerings, including our operating systems, smartphones, tablets, software, cloud services, and enterprise mobility management (EMM) solutions.

If the platform is changing to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, should I install BlackBerry Mobile Fusion today?

Yes. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will allow you to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablets as well as iOS and Android devices today; it will also prepare you for a simple and straightforward upgrade to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 once it’s available in early 2013, when it launches together with the first of our new BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

I have an existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Why should I add BES 10 to my infrastructure?

BES 10 is designed to integrate with your existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server deployment, allowing you to seamlessly manage not only your existing BlackBerry smartphones, but also upcoming BlackBerry 10 devices and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, as well as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. It will work with what you have, and set you up for success in the future.

How does RIM plan to support BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) moving forward?

We will continue to provide support for the many existing BES deployments, as well as provide updates and patches to make sure that you’re running the most secure mobile device management solution available. We’re committed to protecting your investment, while anticipating the challenges that your business will face moving forward when it comes to enterprise mobility. Updates for current BES deployments are planned throughout this Fall: The 5.0.4 update for BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express running Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino is scheduled for September 2012, with support for servers running Novell GroupWise planned to become available later in the Fall of 2012.

A new series of technical webinars are kicking off this week, beginning with a platform overview of BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion led by Ajay Malhan, Technical Solutions Manager for Research In Motion (RIM). The webinars will continue over the following weeks and provide an in-depth look at how to install Universal Device Service for managing iOS® and Android™ devices, as well as how to install BlackBerry Device Service for managing BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets and upcoming BlackBerry® 10 smartphones. See the schedule below:

• August 15th – BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Platform Overview
• August 22nd – Installing Universal Device Service and Mobile Fusion Studio
• September 5th – Installing BlackBerry Device Service and Mobile Fusion Studio

Head over to the BlackBerry Resource Center to register, and be sure to block off your calendar. There will be live Q&A sessions after each webinar, so be sure to stick around and discuss with the presenter.

When building custom enterprise apps for BlackBerry® smartphones connected to a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets connected to BlackBerry® Device Service, we’ve worked to make it simple to create this type of connection. A component is available called BlackBerry MDS Connection Service (or MDS-CS), which helps to provide a VPN-like connection to the backend, allowing your application to easily connect to important data. It connects apps on BlackBerry devices to information stored on an organization’s servers or web servers, processing push and pull requests for data. Data conversion, optimization, authentication methods, access control, and much more can be configured using MDS-CS.

Take this scenario, for example: You have a workflow application to provide your executives with the ability to approve a time-sensitive contract. In this instance, you can build an application for BlackBerry smartphones without trying to reinvent the connection; it’s already there. Unlike VPN connections, there is no need for the end user to invoke a session, nor do you need to build that into your app. It is simply just there.

Here’s a high level overview of the architecture that allows for that inherent connection in BlackBerry devices. Develop along these lines with confidence; MDS-CS will remain part of the future for the BlackBerry Enterprise solution.

Let’s get that app off of the drawing board and into the hands of a mobile workforce – don’t forget connectivity, and when it does come time, consider the elements that are already in place with BlackBerry smartphones and tablets connected through enterprise servers. Learn more by checking out the Feature and Technical Overview for MDS Connection Service.

Has your organization developed a custom application? How does it connect to back-end data? Share in the comments below.

Earlier today we announced the 4G LTE™ BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, which will be available in Canada on August 9th and will become available in other countries and regions around the world in the coming months. With its ultra-fast 4G LTE wireless network support and 1.5 GHz dual core processor, this device delivers an improved performance experience. For those of you who work from home, travel frequently or who are constantly on the road and need wireless connectivity beyond Wi-Fi®, your PlayBook tablet has now arrived.

Experiencing the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet

When you’re running from one meeting to the next or trying to catch a plane, you need all of your information to be consolidated in one place as it arrives in your inbox. You need to have this information be easy to digest, organize, and filter. This is where the unified inbox of BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0 provides serious benefit, with all of your emails, LinkedIn® messages, Facebook® notifications, and Twitter® mentions flowing simply and cleanly into the inbox.

Your flight information, hotel confirmation, and map to the conference center can be stored in the Print To Go® application, where you “printed” them from your PC to the PlayBook tablet as they were received. Information about who you’re meeting with, which may include people you may have never met before, is automatically culled for you from LinkedIn and stored in the Calendar application, giving you context and helping you be better prepared for your meetings.

Sure, hotels and airports generally have Wi-Fi®, but cabs, trains, city streets, and many restaurants are still gaps that need to be filled. For those with Wi-Fi enabled PlayBook tablets, the BlackBerry® Bridge™ app or the Mobile Hotspot feature with BlackBerry® 7.1 OS smartphones can help keep you connected. But with a 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet you’ll have broader coverage and faster wireless access on 4G LTE while on the go (when a 4G LTE network is available).

When you’re back in the hotel at the end of your day, take some time for yourself. You’ll find amazing games for the PlayBook tablet on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. You also shouldn’t have to worry about the mix of corporate and personal data, and neither should your organization; BlackBerry® Balance™ technology helps keep those data stores nicely separated within your PlayBook tablet.

Solving the Challenges of Mobile Device Management for Your Organization

You may have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy within your organization, perhaps mixed with a few corporately-provisioned smartphones, and even a few special cases within your executive staff. There is little black and white and many shades of gray when it comes to the mobile landscape within many organizations today, both large and small. BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion is our solution to making sense of it all, designed to protect your data, help meet priorities of both employees and IT departments, and ultimately help to lower your total cost of ownership.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is designed to allow your organization to manage BlackBerry®, iOS®, and Android™ smartphones and tablets from a single unified interface, leveraging existing BlackBerry technology and new innovations to provide an all-in-one solution from a trusted and experienced provider that’s been delivering Mobile Device Management solutions to enterprise and government customers for more than a decade.

Combined with the BlackBerry® Device Service component of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, your 4G LTE PlayBook tablet can be securely connected and fully integrated with common corporate mail servers like Microsoft® Exchange®, Lotus® Domino, or Novell® GroupWise®, helping to keep emails, contacts, and calendar appointments synchronized every step of the way so that you won’t miss a beat.

The Experience Doesn’t Stop Here

In future blog posts, we’ll be diving deeper into a fully optimized mobile office experience. Add in a BlackBerry® Mini Keyboard and the Citrix® Receiver for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, for example, and you’ve got a serious powerhouse of productivity and functionality that can be far easier on the bottom-line (and easier to carry), than laptops or other on-the-go technology. The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook will be pre-loaded with OS 2.0.1, which is also now available for Wi-Fi PlayBook owners as a maintenance update.

The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is currently available in Canada from Bell, Rogers and TELUS. Get all of the details in our press release, and learn more on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet web site. Data plans are sold separately.

Do you travel often for business? How would you use a 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Share in the comments below.

* LTE connectivity is currently only available from a limited number of carriers in specific countries. Where LTE is not available, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can automatically adjust to connect on HSPA+.

BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, having made its debut at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, recently joined the family of FIPS 140-2 certified BlackBerry solutions. Along with it, BlackBerry® Device Service, a component of BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, is now also FIPS 140-2 certified. This is an important certification and a U.S. government computer security standard; many organizations and governments have FIPS 140-2 certification as a requirement for use within their networks.

Why does FIPS 140-2 certification matter?

Good question! Certifications in general, and this one in particular, are an indication not only of security and reliability, but also of a process in which independent third parties have provided validation. Beyond government, industries like health care and finance also trust in FIPS 140-2 certifications, as both involve the storing of personal and sensitive information.

Hearing from the Business Analyst community

Today we’ve caught up with Eugene Signorini, Senior Vice President of the Yankee Group’s research team, to chat about these recent certifications of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry Device Service. Check out the interview below:

[Biz Blog]: Thanks for joining us today! Why don’t you share a bit of info on your experience and what you focus on in your work?

[Eugene Signorini]: I currently lead Yankee Group’s research team, which is 100% focused on mobility trends and issues. Personally, I focus on enterprise mobility, which includes mobile applications, mobility management, mobile device & OS issues for business, mobile payments, and mobile security. I co-founded Yankee Group’s enterprise mobility research practice in 2002 and have been focused on the topic for more than 10 years.

[Biz Blog]: What is the general significance of certifications like FIPS 140-2? Who does this apply to?

Certifications such as FIPS 140-2 provide an important benchmark for organizations when evaluating security credentials for certain devices and solutions. Essentially, for companies with the most stringent standards for security – whether those are for regulatory or compliance issues, or just standard company practice – benefit from these certifications because it removes uncertainty when approving vendors or suppliers. Knowing something is FIPS certified essentially provides a gold standard, a seal of approval for IT and security organizations. This level of security especially applies to government agencies, financial services firms, and health care, where regulatory and compliance standards are rigid, and require the highest levels of data and information protection.

[Biz Blog]: Is security still an important consideration concerning mobile devices?

Security remains top of mind for IT leaders when it comes to implementing mobility solutions. Yankee Group’s June 2012 Enterprise Mobility IT Decision Maker Survey reveals that security remains the number one obstacle for companies in supporting mobile workers. And mobile security ranks third among all IT priorities across the organization, coming behind only cloud-based services and mobile applications.

[Biz Blog]: What are some of the most prominent security challenges facing businesses today, and how are they reacting?

Most companies are increasingly concerned about managing mobile devices, and securing information on those devices. Specifically, the top three security challenges that we’ve seen enterprises facing are secure network access for mobile workers, mitigating potential loss of data or intellectual property, and prevention of malware across multiple devices and operating systems.

[Biz Blog]: How does security extend beyond simple password protection? Should consumers also be concerned about the security built into their smartphones and tablets?

Password protection is really the baseline level of security for mobile devices – it’s a no brainer and something all organizations should implement. After all, the easiest way to expose sensitive information is by a device falling into the wrong hands. However, organizations are quickly coming to the realization that there is more to security than just basic password enforcement. At the end of the day, it’s about protecting the information on the device both in transit and in static state. Consumers are slower to understand the threats related to information security, but recent events such as compromises to passwords on popular social media and consumer cloud sites raise awareness that consumers need protection as well. I anticipate that as more of these incidents occur, consumers will place a much higher value on device and personal information security.

[Biz Blog]: Thanks for joining us and sharing from your experience!

What type of security challenges is your business experiencing? What steps and approaches have been taken to meet them? Share in the comments below.

Hopefully you were able to check out our June webinar series on BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, with a particular focus on the Universal Device Service component for managing iOS® and Android™ smartphones and tablets. This month, the webinar series is back, and this time we’re diving deep into BlackBerry® Device Service, the next generation device management component of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for managing BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets and the upcoming BlackBerry® 10 platform.

There are 7 webinars scheduled throughout July; be sure to take a look at the dates below and book time in your calendar to attend. There are duplicates in the list below to help make sure that you can get all of the information that you need even if you have a conflict. The password for each webinar is “Fusion”.

July 10, 2:00pm     Installing BlackBerry Device Service and Mobile Fusion Studio
July 12, 2:00pm     Installing Universal Device Service
July 17, 2:00pm     BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Overview
July 19, 2:00pm     Installing BlackBerry Device Service and Mobile Fusion Studio
July 24, 2:00pm     Installing Universal Device Service
July 26, 2:00pm     BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Overview
July 31, 2:00pm     Installing BlackBerry Device Service and Mobile Fusion Studio

How to access the webinars

To view any of the webinar events listed above, simply click on the title link to head to the event WebEx page, use the password “Fusion” (without the quotes), and you’ll be up and running in no time.

What is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion?

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is a comprehensive Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution that brings security, organization, and convenience to managing smartphones and tablets in your organization. The features and components of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion include:

• Universal Device Service for managing iOS and Android smartphones and tablets
• BlackBerry Device Service for managing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets
• Integration with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for managing existing and past BlackBerry smartphones
• BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio: a web-based, unified console for managing devices, users, configurations, policies, and more.

Learn more on the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion website. If you’re already using BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, like Martha Stewart Living, head over to our LinkedIn Products & Services page to leave your thoughts!

What feature of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion do you see as most useful to your organization? Share in the comments below.

Essentially, Microsoft ActiveSync on BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 allows you to connect to popular free mail platforms such as Gmail from Google or Microsoft Live Mail, but also provides the option to integrate with your work email if your business uses Microsoft Exchange or other popular mail servers that utilize ActiveSync.

A Note on Security

While you can likely connect your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to your corporate email server using Microsoft ActiveSync, this is by no means the most secure solution. To securely and manageably connect a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to your mail server, the best route to take is through the BlackBerry® Device Service component of BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion. This provides end-to-end encryption, device management capabilities, remote wipe, and much more.

How to Connect with ActiveSync

Note: You may be required to setup a device password and “work” partition. But don’t sweat it; with BlackBerry Balance technology included, you’re well set-up for personal and work use of the tablet.

1. Tap > Accounts > Add New Account > Email, Calendar, and Contacts
a. Enter your enterprise email address and password. [Your enterprise password is typically the password you use to log in to your work computer]
2. Tap Continue.
3. Type a description for the email address and change any synchronization settings.
4. Tap Save.

The Account Setup process, detailed above, may return an error stating that “Please check your username and password and try again”. The two most common causes for this are:

a) The username or password entered is incorrect.
Tap Show Password to ensure the password was entered properly.
b) The Autodiscover Service for your company’s Microsoft Exchange Server is not available.
Use the Advanced Setup process to manually enter in configuration details for your account.

What is the Autodiscover Service? The Autodiscover service simplifies the provisioning of your mobile device by returning the required system settings after you enter your e-mail address and password.

Configuring your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to access your enterprise email through Advanced Setup:

1. Tap > Accounts > Add New Account > Email, Calendar, and Contacts
2. Tap Advanced Setup.
3. Tap Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync.
a. Enter the appropriate information into all of the fields marked with an asterisk. You may have to consult your IT Help Desk for this information.
4. Adjust the remaining sections as appropriate.
5. Tap Continue.
6. Type a description for the email address and change any synchronization settings.
7. Tap Save.

If you run into any issues, feel free to check out the Support & Documentation section of the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion website. If you have an IT department, they may need to review the Exchange ActiveSync configuration or guide you through importing a certificate to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

Do you have corporate mail set up on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? How has it improved your ability to take care of work on the go? Share in the comments.

The biggest area of interest is around the specific details of the BlackBerry® Device Service component of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. Simply put, the BlackBerry Device Service is to BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets as the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server is to BlackBerry smartphones. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server manages your current BlackBerry smartphones, and the BlackBerry Device Service allows you to manage and secure your organization’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablets – and, moving forward, it will also manage BlackBerry® 10 smartphones. But that’s not all that BlackBerry Device Service offers – there’s even more going on underneath the covers.

In terms of core functionality, the BlackBerry Device Service is designed to enable you to manage and secure your company’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. Once you’ve associated a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with a specific user (a capability available with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0) and enrolled them within the work environment, you can configure settings and policies for the device. Hopefully your organization is looking at the kinds of policies that are appropriate for your staff, but some common examples that BlackBerry Device Service can provide include:

• Encryption of work information
• Requiring manual synchronization while a user is roaming
• Remotely locking tablets
• Remote wipe of work-related (or all) information
• Password controls/enforcement

It’s worth noting that, in typical RIM® fashion, when we talk about “password controls”…we don’t just mean “users can create a password if they want”. We’re talking about a robust set of IT-managed options such as:

• Mandatory Password
• Password required only for work perimeter
• Minimum Password Length
• Required Password Pattern
• Password Timeout
• Maximum Password Attempts
• Maximum Password History
• Maximum Password Age, etc.

It’s important to give options to IT departments, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is really about providing options, choices, and flexibility…without compromise. Besides, did you expect any less from the company that offers over 500 IT policies on its BlackBerry Enterprise Server? We don’t take this stuff lightly!

While the BlackBerry Device Service brings new and important management and security capabilities, there are a few more important things to be aware of.

BlackBerry® Balance™ technology: Keeping control in the right hands

BlackBerry Balance technology certainly isn’t new. Since its launch, this technology has been widely adopted by end users interested in protecting their personal data, as well as organizations interested in safeguarding their corporate assets. What is new, however, is the extension of BlackBerry Balance technology to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion includes BlackBerry Balance technology. When a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is activated with the service, a secure AES-256 bit encrypted file system is created on the tablet for work information and applications. This creates a perimeter between work and personal data and helps keep information secure. In the event an employee leaves the organization or a device is misplaced, for example, you can choose to wipe only work-related information or all of the information from the device. Not only does this help to ensure that sensitive information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, but it also provides a comfort factor to encourage employees to purchase and bring their own BlackBerry PlayBook tablets to their workplace. With an estimated 65% (Source: Yankee Group’s 2011 US Enterprise Mobility: Employee Survey, Wave 2) of tablets entering the workplace as personal purchases, this is an important consideration.

While it may seem trivial to an end user, the fear that their irreplaceable vacation photos could get wiped by IT, or that their Plants Vs. Zombies high score could be erased is very real.

BlackBerry Balance technology and the Work App Catalogue

And speaking of games and applications, the second key feature to consider is the new “Work App Catalogue”. As a key part of the BlackBerry Device Service, this feature is designed to allow you to manage required and optional work applications remotely on an end users’ BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Remember though, with BlackBerry Balance technology in place, this does not mean you’ll waste your time sorting out whether people should download Angry Birds or Madden 12 – your colleagues can handle that themselves. What it does mean is that you can securely turn an individual’s personal products into corporate productivity tools by providing easy to discover, pre-ordained enterprise apps.

BlackBerry Device Service is designed to provide administrators with a simple method to securely deliver corporate applications to their employees. End users can simply ‘discover’ optional and required corporate applications that have been approved for use by the organization. This approach leverages the familiar and easy-to-use interface of the BlackBerry App World™ storefront to display both corporate and personal applications through a single discovery channel. End users can visually differentiate between personal applications and business applications which are displayed in a private list.

WHAT THE IT ADMIN SEES

WHAT USERS SEE

Optionally, IT administrators can push mandatory applications in a controlled manner to end users. Using BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, administrators can support over-the-air installation, upgrade and audit required and optional applications for BlackBerry devices. For the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion works with BlackBerry App World to enable administrators to push and install required work apps on a user’s tablet.

I know there’s a lot to digest…but that’s rather the point. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is a big deal! This is not just a BlackBerry Enterpriser Server service pack – this is a fundamental evolution in the BlackBerry management tool set. If you haven’t already taken advantage of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and started to test it in your environment, I’d encourage you to get moving…time’s a wastin’! Right now you can download BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and enjoy a free 90-day trial (before standard CAL prices kick in). It’s a great way to test out the technology in a controlled environment before you deploy it companywide.

And don’t worry, we’re here to help you with your deployment and make sure you understand the capabilities of this new technology. If you haven’t already, take a look at this educational webcast, feel free to ask us questions below, and stay tuned to our LinkedIn group and SlideShare™ channel for more information and updates.