Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog » BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and BlackBerry Device Service Receive FIPS 140-2 Certification

Luke Reimer — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:30:04 +0000

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.

From the BlackBerry World Vault: Catching Up with David J. Smith, SVP of Mobile Computing

Luke Reimer — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:32:03 +0000

Another of the fantastic conversations we were able to have at BlackBerry® World™ 2012 in May was with David J. Smith, SVP of Mobile Computing at Research In Motion® (RIM®). David provides some perspective on mobile computing and how people connect with each other and the things around them, such as with their car. He also talks about BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0 and its important differentiators for the enterprise customer.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

My favorite recent example of innovation in mobile computing comes from our very own QNX auto team and their recent integration of BlackBerry software into yet another vehicle. If you could make one thing in your life “connected”, what would it be? Share in the comments below.

Introducing the BlackBerry App World Enterprise Solution for BlackBerry PlayBook

Luke Reimer — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:07:18 +0000

The private BlackBerry App World™ Enterprise app solution has officially arrived with BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0! This solution is designed to provide a streamlined framework for enterprises to deploy mobile applications for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users within their organization. The enterprise app catalog exists as a private channel within the BlackBerry App World storefront on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and offers a simple way for users to access approved and mandated apps that are managed by their internal IT department.

The growing trend in the enterprise space towards enabling a mobile workforce has meant the deployment of mobile apps, and the subsequent need and opportunity to streamline and organize the tools available to employees. Consistency and optimization in these apps can bring both efficiency and greater ROI to mobile investments. The Work app catalog in BlackBerry App World helps to make sure that your employees have easy access to enterprise apps managed by your organization – including updates to existing apps that are currently in use within your business.

App Availability

IT administrators are often looking to improve processes and efficiency within their organization. While they can request users to download certain applications, the new enterprise app catalog within BlackBerry App World provides IT admins with an easy way to distribute applications to BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users through BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion. It also allows users to access those apps from one convenient repository. When the user is connected to the corporate network, a “Work” app catalog will appear in BlackBerry App World, which can include group licensed apps purchased by the company and custom apps developed for the business.

Employees can download and manage these work apps the same way that they manage any other apps in BlackBerry App World. Apps listed in the Work app catalog include standard information such as available updates, current version, and more. The Work app catalog utilizes BlackBerry® Balance™ technology which is designed to separate work apps from personal apps in an easy and convenient way for both users and IT admins.

An Example

Consider an organization that has implemented software to track the operations of various internal groups on a variety of mobile devices including BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The IT group utilizes the Work app catalog within BlackBerry App World to make the mobile version of the app available to all BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users. When users open BlackBerry App World on their device and explore the “Work” app catalog, they will see the app is available for use.

Six months later, a new version of the app has been released and it becomes a priority for the IT group within the organization to have all employees operating with consistent versions of the app in order to remain functional. Updates can be made available through the Work app catalog and downloaded by users in a timely manner.

Requirements

In order to utilize the new BlackBerry App World Enterprise solution, you’ll need a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

Next Steps

Head over to the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion web site to investigate further and to try out BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for free for 90 days!

Does your business use mobile apps internally? Is this a consistent experience for employees? Share your current setup in the comments.

What is the future of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server? Discussing the Mobile Device Management (MDM) Product Roadmap

BlackBerry — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:02:34 +0000

I’m thrilled to take the opportunity today to discuss with you Mobile Device Management (MDM) in the enterprise, and to present a clear picture of the roadmap for what many have known and loved as the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. Conversation has steadily heated up since BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion was announced, followed by the launch of BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0 and the BlackBerry® Device Service for BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. Now the question has been asked: how do all of these pieces fit together, and where is it all going? You may also be wondering:

Is RIM getting rid of BlackBerry Enterprise Server?
What does the inclusion of Microsoft® ActiveSync® protocols mean for security?
Can iOS and Android devices (both tablets and smartphones) be managed with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion? Will the management be secure?
How will BlackBerry® 10 devices be managed?

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion: BlackBerry Enterprise Server and More

BlackBerry Enterprise Server has a rich history and is recognized as the most secure enterprise mobility device management solution available. Since its inception, the solution has grown in functionality, scalability, and a wide variety of other feature sets, and is now on version 5.0.3.

In the meantime, things in the market have gotten a bit messy and more than a bit challenging for IT administrators, IT specialists, and CIOs. Organizations are under pressure to support a wide variety of devices from multiple manufacturers, as well as multiple form factors, with tablets gaining steam as business tools. As a longstanding pillar of MDM in the enterprise, we’ve worked to provide a clean, simple, and secure solution to help you manage whatever gets thrown your way. This is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. It’s a huge leap forward for device management, and it’s built on the valued security model introduced with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The evolution of BlackBerry Enterprise Server is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

Microsoft ActiveSync: What’s the Deal?

With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet adds support for Microsoft ActiveSync technology. ActiveSync is a common email/PIM synchronization and transport protocol, which is used by Microsoft® Exchange and other on-premise and cloud mail/messaging providers. Microsoft ActiveSync on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is designed to allow consumers to connect to popular mail platforms such as Gmail® or Windows Live™. Individuals and small businesses can also use its transport functions for integration with Microsoft® Exchange, IBM® Lotus® Notes Traveler, and other Microsoft ActiveSync enabled systems.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion leverages Microsoft ActiveSync as an email and PIM sync protocol while providing enterprises with many of the same advantages that a BlackBerry Enterprise Server does for a BlackBerry smartphone. Namely, a straightforward yet highly secure connectivity model: proven BlackBerry end-to-end 256-bit encryption, and a behind-the-firewall path for applications, the browser, email, and PIM.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and Corporate Data Security

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is designed to establish and maintain a BlackBerry Secure Connection from the business network to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, leveraging the unique RIM infrastructure that IT departments around the world know and trust. Additionally, BlackBerry® Balance™ technology on BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 and enabled BlackBerry® smartphones is designed to create a secure corporate perimeter so that all corporate applications and data remain secure on a device and separate from personal data.

With BlackBerry Balance and secure enterprise connectivity, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion provides leading platform-level security for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and future BlackBerry 10 devices (smartphones and tablets), enabling administrators to manage, secure, and audit corporate data and applications, while preserving a seamless and personal user experience.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is also designed to enable companies to push applications directly to end users, or make them available for users to optionally download. The apps will conveniently appear in a tab labeled “Work” in BlackBerry App World™. End users get the rich app experience they expect, while enterprise data is kept separate and secure.

Managing iOS and Android Devices

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion extends the BlackBerry mobile device management to iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion supports the latest MDM capabilities available in iOS and Android, and is designed to enable administrators to apply corporate policies and configurations to manage and secure these devices. Additionally, customers will be able to leverage the application management capabilities of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion to manage the distribution of mobile applications to employees on these platforms.

Customers can of course leverage their existing investments, relationships, and support agreements with RIM to consistently and securely manage the personal and company owned mobile devices used by employees.

BlackBerry 10: How Mobile Fusion Prepares You for the Future

The benefits that BlackBerry Mobile Fusion provides customers today for managing the deployment and use of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets will also apply when BlackBerry 10 devices arrive later this year. This means that customers can deploy BlackBerry Mobile Fusion now knowing that managing future BlackBerry 10 devices will be seamless.

Conclusion: One MDM Solution to Manage Them All

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is a unified, multi-platform, mobile device management solution. It will provide one place to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and future BlackBerry 10 devices (tablets and smartphones), as well as iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Building on a foundation of over 10 years of experience in mobile device management (MDM), BlackBerry Mobile Fusion makes RIM the best partner for MDM solutions. This means that enterprise customers only have to contact one trusted global vendor for support.

-Alan Panezic, VP Enterprise Product Management, Research In Motion

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 at the BlackBerry Innovation Forum in Georgia [VIDEO]

Roger B. — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 19:34:44 +0000

[ 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.

BlackBerry Balance, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0: How to Manage Corporate and Personal Data without Compromise

Luke Reimer — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:04:12 +0000

BlackBerry® Balance™ technology was introduced last May, and since then I’m sure that you’ve heard the term thrown around in discussions about the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet, BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, and many other BlackBerry services and solutions. In short, BlackBerry Balance technology is designed to enable BlackBerry devices to be used for both business and personal purposes, without compromising company security or personal privacy. The technology is designed to intelligently partition data on your device, keeping corporate information secure without limiting your personal use of the device. For more details, check out the BlackBerry Balance presentation on SlideShare.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0 software update will support BlackBerry Balance technology in a few ways, continuing the theme of providing functionality for both work and play. Before digging into each of these instances, let’s take a quick look at how RIM’s new device management solution – BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion – makes use of this technology.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is designed to allow IT departments to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablets in the enterprise, allowing them to specify IT policies that work with BlackBerry Balance technology to secure corporate data. This device management platform is not only designed for company-provisioned hardware, but also for devices that employees may bring into the company themselves. It works seamlessly with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server to manage BlackBerry smartphones, and will include support for Android™ and iOS devices.

Got the IT side nailed down? Good. Now on to the handheld aspect.

On the device side, through BlackBerry Balance technology corporate data is identified as obtained through business applications, and is then restricted from being accessed by personal applications. It’s really that simple, and this functionality is built into apps like Messages, Calendar, and Contacts – all with customizable behaviour set by the IT policies of the company you work for. For example, IT administrators can set an IT policy where messages received in a corporate email account can’t have content copied and pasted into apps like Facebook® or Twitter®. Beyond the day-to-day use cases, BlackBerry Balance technology is also designed to enable IT administrators to remotely wipe corporate data on BlackBerry devices without wiping a user’s personal info with it.

In summary, management of corporate data is no longer an all-or-nothing situation, but can now be accomplished intuitively and pragmatically, on both personal and work-provisioned devices.

BlackBerry Balance technology is built into the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, providing a unique experience for IT administrators and end-users, where neither the corporation’s data nor the user’s content is compromised. In BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0, the personal perimeter, by default, contains personal data and applications, while the optional corporate perimeter can be fully managed by BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. Upholding our strong security standards, this corporate data is kept safe with XTS-AES 256-bit encryption.

You can also see the BlackBerry Balance technology functionality in action with BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0 in a few of the app experiences. IT policies can manage the integrated Messages, Calendar, and Contacts applications. Beyond these, Print To Go also partitions work data securely, as well as apps like Citrix® Receiver and Documents To Go®.

As the range of devices being used within organizations expands, managing these under a balance of corporate and personal priorities has been challenging for many corporations. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and BlackBerry PlayBook tablet OS 2.0 equipped with BlackBerry Balance technology work to provide an incomparible device management and end-user tablet experience.

Note: For BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry Balance technology requires BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0.3 or later, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express v5.0.3, or MDaemon Messaging Server, BlackBerry Edition.

Are you an IT manager or IT administrator? How would you see BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and BlackBerry Balance technology improving device management within your organization? Share in the comments!

How to Use BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Video Chat for Business

Luke Reimer — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:19:15 +0000

I’ve had the chance to use the internal beta of the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet OS 2.0 for some time now both as a personal device and a work tool. Reflecting back on how it has found its way into countless areas of my life and usage scenarios, I must say that the Video Chat functionality on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet surprised me in its ability to improve business communications. Sure, I have the ability to connect with friends across the country to stay in touch – but I also have the ability to have a face-to-face conversation with anyone in the company, which is something that’s proven extremely valuable to my work. If you can find me, it’ll be at my desk, in a meeting, in another building altogether, at home, or on the road – and I know that many others operate in a similar fashion. Video Chat included in the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet – as well as the enhancements made with the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update – has the potential to take your business communication to a new level.

What is BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat?

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Video Chat application allows you to communicate with another BlackBerry PlayBook tablet owner using the HD video cameras and stereo speakers equipped on the device. If you set your status as available, individuals can place a video call to your device, which will notify you of the incoming call and allow you to instantly connect.

What’s New?

Several areas of BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat have been improved with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, making it an even easier app to use for collaborating and communicating with friends and colleagues. Check out the new enhancements below:

Improved user interface, which is now designed to provide an experience similar to that of the built-in Contacts application

Filtering within the Contacts application to display only contacts with access to the BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat. Existing Video Chat contacts are merged into the new Contacts application

The contact’s availability is now displayed: see who is online and start a conversation right from within the Contacts application

Invite based on PIN, in addition to BlackBerry® ID email addresses

Leverage Presenter Mode while inside Video Chat to display the conversation feed on an external screen through the HDMI connection. This allows you to run another app on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet while continuing the video conversation on a monitor or projector.

Use Cases of Video Chat for Business

I’ve explored a few use cases for BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat in business already, but I’m sure that you can think of more (and please share them in the comments!). With the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, I’ve made sure to stay reachable and online within the application. Sure enough, I’ve had my share of video calls from colleagues to discuss work-related issues.

The Video Chat app is designed to enable rich communication for remote workers. Many of my Video Chat calls have taken place while I was working from home, and it felt like we were talking face to face. With the ability to see facial expressions the conversation becomes more personal and improves immeasurably. In short, collaborating becomes much more intuitive.

Remote workers may often be on one end of the conversation, but on the other end, the boardroom meeting benefits from the technology as well. An individual who can’t make it to the meeting can still take a virtual seat in the room and contribute to the conversation while the meeting is being displayed on a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet or HDMI monitor/projector.

Tips and Tricks

When you’re available to chat, set your status to “Online” to let your friends and colleagues know you’re reachable.

Make use of a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet docking station while at your desk, which you can position to be situated in ideal range for a video conversation.

Rather than a conference call, schedule a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Video Chat with an individual who isn’t at your location. The video aspect enhances the communication experience and allows you to maintain and build relationships with colleagues at a more personal level.

Heading out on the road for a sales call or a business trip? Use BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Video Chat to stay in touch with friends and loved ones who are back at home, without being tied to a laptop or PC.

Have you used the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s Video Chat for business? Which feature enhancement with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 are you enjoying the most? Share in the comments!

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion: We give you tools, not toys, for the workplace

Roger B. — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:40:04 +0000

People get excited by the “magic” of smartphones and tablets. Every party, conference, or event that I attend, there’s always someone showing me the new wallpaper they created for their BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet or the cool case they just bought for their BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphone. When RIM® launches a new device, there are events and guest appearances, and it’s a ton of fun. You can see the device, touch it, try it…and it’s all very exciting. But what I’m most passionate about is all of the stuff that’s invisible. I know it may not be as “sexy” as what’s on the outside, but it’s incredibly important – it’s the networks, software, tools, and other invisible components that make a product…productivity, and turning technology toys into useful tools.

With this in mind, I’m thrilled to be sharing details about the next evolution in managing and securing mobile devices – RIM’s new BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion! IT departments from thousands of organizations around the world have come to depend on the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server solution. Building on this rich heritage, today we are making available an initial release of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. It’s another one of those behind-the-scenes, invisible pieces run by IT folks…but, it’s the first end-to-end Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution that is designed to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, along with BlackBerry smartphones, and iOS and Android™-based devices in the near future.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion should be thought of as an overarching framework that includes a number of components. In this initial launch, there are a few key components for IT managers to be aware of:

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio

BlackBerry Enterprise Server

BlackBerry Device Service

Manage Devices and Users In One Place

At the ‘top’, so to speak, is BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio. Essentially this is a web-based admin console designed to provide a single place for an IT staffer to manage devices, users, configurations, policies and more.

The interface can be used to access select features of BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express (within multiple BlackBerry domains), as well as the new BlackBerry Device Services (which I’ll get to shortly). Essentially, this is your new one-stop shop.

Build On Your Current Environment

As mentioned, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio integrates with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Essentially there’s no change to this core product, but it’s important to understand how this technology fits into the big picture. Assuming that you’ve upgraded to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0.3 (I hope you read my previous post and took advantage of the upgrade incentives!), you’ll continue to manage your current deployment of BlackBerry smartphones through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server with virtually no impact to the capabilities or functionalities that you’re accustomed to. What is new is that the BlackBerry Enterprise Server will ‘feed’ into BlackBerry Mobile Fusion to allow for greater overall management visibility and a single point of control. Through the unified administrative interface of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, you’ll be able to access common management functions, creating a single place to perform the most common tasks to help you manage your deployments.

Configure Policies and Settings for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet

Also integrated into BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio is the new BlackBerry Device Service. Now this is where it gets really exciting! BlackBerry Device Service provides the management features that can allow organizations to manage the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

We hear from our enterprise customers that chief amongst the myriad reasons for this hesitant state is the lack of security and difficulty managing tablets. BlackBerry Device Service is designed to enable organizations to address these very issues as a part of an overall device management strategy.

Using a USB connection and BlackBerry® Web Desktop Manager, a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can be associated with an individual user. This allows you, the IT administrator to configure any BlackBerry PlayBook tablet for work purposes. After being enrolled in the work environment, you can configure all the key settings and IT policies for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet remotely.

And this is, of course, just the beginning…but what an exciting beginning it is! Over the coming weeks we’ll be digging into some of these components, interviewing various product experts, getting feedback from customers at BlackBerry Innovation Forum events, and sharing all of this with you through our various social channels – so stay tuned. Device management for Android™ and iOS devices is planned to be included in the full launch of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion.

Would your business benefit from a unified Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution that includes tablet management capabilities? Share in the comments below.

Good News for Business: BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Ready for Download!

Luke Reimer — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:03:37 +0000

We’re very excited to officially launch BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0, available as a software update to all existing and new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users. The enhanced OS was made available in beta to BlackBerry developers at BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011, and we’ve since provided details on how the new features – such as the integrated email and PIM apps – allow you to communicate more effectively, integrate socially, connect to your BlackBerry® smartphone with incredible new functionality, and help to supercharge your productivity. Demonstrations at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show were met with as much excitement from the BlackBerry community as our own. Now, the wait is finally over. So, what does this mean for business users, decision-makers, IT professionals, and CIO’s?

Telling the whole story

You’ve likely seen your share of sneak peeks, specific feature demonstrations, screenshots, and video highlights – but how do all of these aspects tie together into a unified platform that works for your business? The answer: by standing on core functional values of productivity, collaboration, communication and security, as well as introducing brand new features to the market in a device that is designed to perform.

Saving costs, but increasing productivity and performance in your organization

Tablets entered the work space with excitement, but also with caution and a healthy dose of skepticism. Were these devices shiny new toys, outside of feasibility for those with a concern for the bottom line? But as we’ve seen over the past year and beyond, tablets represent a new form-factor within the ecosystem of corporate hardware provisioning and network assets. They’ve found their place in field services, sales groups who travel often, administrative work, and countless other industries and roles. I’ll back myself up here by referencing the BlackBerry Customer Success web site, which showcases the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in action for businesses like McCain Foods Limited, Edge Imaging, Sun Life Financial Inc., and more.

With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has reached a level of functionality that can allow it to integrate more deeply within both enterprise and SMB environments. In fact, it’s no secret that the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet was designed to meet these needs and thrive as a tool that increases productivity and collaboration, integrates within your IT infrastructure, and provides rich media experiences.

Use cases from experience

I’m a blogger who is most passionate about the topics that I’m familiar with and products that I use on a regular basis. And, being a RIM employee I get to play with unreleased software, so let me share a few ways that BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 has improved my own daily work:

1. Workflow comes with me when I leave my desk

The options are vast, but I personally use a combination of Documents To Go®, which allows me to create/open/edit Microsoft® documents using my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, and Print To Go, which I use to instantly and securely to shoot documents from my PC to my tablet. With these powerful tools, I’m able to not only read and review documents that are sent my way, but also to make changes, apply comments, and even finalize them completely – all using my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

2. A powerhouse in the boardroom

Not me – my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. Three examples here: taking notes, referencing documents, and presenting. If I’m tasked with recording the events and inclinations of a particular meeting, I can use either the native email, Microsoft® Word® via Documents To Go, or third-party apps. I also like to use my BlackBerry smartphone keyboard to type on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using the new remote control capabilities in BlackBerry® Bridge™. For referencing documents, I haven’t found one yet that won’t pop open and allow for smooth interaction. When I’m presenting, all I need is my HDMI cable and BlackBerry Bridge to control my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using my BlackBerry smartphone. It lets me navigate through Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentations. The icing on the cake is that the 7-inch form factor of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet allows me to travel light, while still expanding my functionality rather than limiting it.

3. Airports have become fun

Okay, maybe that’s taking it a little far…but I can say that there are two functional aspects of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 that have made the travel waiting a breeze. First, organizing and referencing my travel documents has never been easier. I always receive 3-5 confirmation documents leading up to a trip, and believe it or not, finding time to print these off physically and then remembering to bring them with me is a pain (does that make me busy or lazy?). Using the Print To Go app, where I’ve already sent all of these confirmations with a quick “File > Print” from my PC as they came in, I simply walk up to a check-in kiosk, reference the flight number, and I’m off – same goes for the hotel. Secondly, the games on BlackBerry PlayBook tablet are fantastic. Waiting at the gate no longer entails watch-checking and foot tapping. Instead, I’m completely engrossed in some of the incredible games, like Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, and others. I think I scared the kid next to me with Dead Space from Electronic Arts.

These are just a few examples; I’m constantly finding areas in my work and personal life where my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 allows for additional tasks, or replaces more time-consuming methods. A few of the features of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 include:

Built-in email, calendar, and contacts; all integrated with social media

Documents To Go and Print To Go

BlackBerry App World™

BlackBerry Video Store (initially be available in the United States – support for other countries is expected to be added later this year)

Updates to BlackBerry Bridge app

BlackBerry® Balance technology

Enhancements to Video Chat

To learn more about the free software update for your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, head over to www.blackberry.com/playbook. I’d love to get your reactions once you’ve had a chance to upgrade – share in the comments below!