Today I have the distinct privilege of sharing some of the excitement around the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 launch earlier this week. We here at BlackBerry are committed to keeping your business moving and are acutely aware that the greatest benefit we can generate for our enterprise customers is to strike that perfect balance between end-user and corporate needs. In order to ensure this balance, we are heavily focused on the key pillars of Mobile Device Management: Security, Unified Communications, and Business Applications. As we progress through 2013, you will hear more details around many of these pillars but today I want to talk about BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and 10 things that you should know:

1. It Helps Keep Corporate Data Secure

First and foremost, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 builds upon our long-held Security pedigree as the Gold Standard in Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) – so much so that we made sure to go out and get FIPS 140-2 certification prior to the official launch of the product. You can rest assured that the trusted BlackBerry infrastructure is in place along with proven end-to-end 256-bit encryption and a secure behind-the-firewall path for all applications, the browser, email, and PIM. In addition, you can configure corporate Wi-Fi and VPN connectivity. But we didn’t stop there: Seamless Sign-on and enterprise authentication from the work perimeter as well as enterprise notifications from behind-the-firewall make accessing corporate content and applications a rich and seamless user experience.

2. BlackBerry Balance Provides a Win-Win Scenario

We all know that there’s a tug of war in the workplace where businesses want to give employees the device they desire without sacrificing manageability, security, or cost. So, in order to have the best of both worlds, we have integrated BlackBerry Balance into the BlackBerry 10 platform. Once a device is activated within BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, all corporate data is segregated in its own encrypted “work” space. Administrators maintain granular control over a secure work perimeter while personal applications, data privacy, and the end user’s personal experience are fully preserved no matter whether the user is bringing their own device to work or it’s a corporate provided device.

3. It Manages Applications Like a Boss

Applications are increasingly becoming a key component of an Enterprise Mobility Management solution. With BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, we have created an enterprise-grade application management framework. IT Administrators can deploy, manage, and secure mandatory and recommended applications to employees. They have the ability to assign applications to specific users or groups of users. They can remove work applications if a user deactivates their device. Moreover, there is a great connection between BlackBerry Balance and application management. Businesses can easily manage and curate a corporate application store – BlackBerry World for Work. Securely deploy your own in-house and or third-party application to the Work Space on both a corporate provided or personally owned device.

4. A Buffet of Mobile Device Management Options

Device Management is paramount to an Enterprise Mobility Management strategy and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is the only solution which can manage the entire fleet of BlackBerry devices including BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. Some companies may take a relaxed approach to device management and security, in which case BlackBerry 10 support for the ActiveSync protocol will meet their needs for synchronizing with their email platform and basic device management. Enterprises which are sensitive to the need to secure their corporate data will require greater security and management capabilities, which BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers. For these customers, a solution that delivers more comprehensive security and management controls is required, and it also supports personal use of the device.

5. It Meets the Needs of Highly Regulated Industries

Highly regulated and government organizations, and those businesses that take security very seriously require more stringent and granular EMM controls. The ability to control how personal apps interact with work contacts and networks, how data moves between work and personal perimeters, specifying work domains so resources can be contained to work perimeters, and they ability to control transfer of work files, contacts and messages via Bluetooth profiles are just some of the examples that EMM controls can offer.

6. Enterprise Grade Multi-Platform Management is Here

In addition to BlackBerry smartphones and tablets, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 can be used to manage and secure iOS and Android devices. Administrators can add and import iOS and Android users, create group memberships, view user and device information, define IT controls and connectivity settings, manage applications, and assist users with the recovery of misplaced devices. In addition to these great management capabilities, we have integrated support for the TouchDown application for Android devices. Essentially, it is an ActiveSync-enabled add-on PIM application. It enables full PIM Sync and ActiveSync policies in order to fill the native ActiveSync gaps which exist on many Android devices.

The other key feature is Secure Enterprise Access, also referred to as Gatekeeping. A Gatekeeping solution acts as an access control and monitoring layer on top of an existing mobile email server. Some of the benefits of a Gatekeeping solution include requirement to block unauthorized employees from trying to access corporate email using personal devices by directly connecting to Exchange ActiveSync or a situation when an employee leaves your company and his or her personal device should no longer be permitted to connect to your server.

7. It Does it All from a Single Web-Based Console

An absolutely critical feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is the Unified Administrator Console – a single web-based console used to manage devices, applications, users, and security services. You can also manage your BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 and BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express environment through the single console. You can manage all devices in one location, provision and activate devices, administer controls, push mandatory applications, and group users based on common criteria – all available out of the box. Great new capabilities include multiple active devices per user – in the case of a BlackBerry 10 smartphone and a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, for example – as well as the ability to manage multiple servers from a single domain.

8. There’s a Straightforward Migration Path

We’ve also made sure that the migration path is as straightforward as possible. In-market solutions such as the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (currently version 5 Service Pack 4), which manages BlackBerry OS devices including BlackBerry 7, as well as BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, which added support for managing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, iOS and Android devices, all have a path to the next generation BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. BES 10 will be an upgrade to BlackBerry Mobile Fusion which will add support for BlackBerry 10 devices, meaning the migration path will be seamless. We know you don’t want to touch your existing production environment, so BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 will continue to run and support your BlackBerry OS base. Users can migrate over time as you upgrade to BlackBerry 10. Keep in mind you can manage all your devices from a single Unified Admin Console!

The BlackBerry 10 Ready Program helps provide educational resources, tools, support, and offers to make the migration as seamless as possible. Learn more at www.blackberry.com/blackberry10ready.

9. You Can Trade Up Your BlackBerry Enterprise Server Licenses

To make the move to BlackBerry 10 even easier, we have implemented a BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up program. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server License Trade Up allows enterprise customers to leverage their existing investment in BlackBerry Enterprise Server licenses and trade them up for new licenses that will enable them to secure and manage BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. We will be offering customers who purchase BlackBerry 10 smartphones the ability to trade up their existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server licenses on a one for one basis for free, until December 31, 2013. Learn more at www.blackberry.com/licensetradeup.

10. Global Technical Support is Here to Help

You cannot have a complete solution without a Global technical support program behind it. Our BlackBerry Technical Support Services (BTSS) has been streamlined to three tiers—Basic, Advantage and Premium—and includes new simplified pricing to align with BlackBerry 10. We’ve taken the features from the former Enhanced tier and added them to the Basic tier at that lower price. And for customers who want direct support which was included in the former Standard tier, they may purchase it as an option at the Advantage tier, or for a limited time, in a bundle with a Support Service Specialist. Learn more about the BlackBerry 10 Readiness Services that can help speed you on your way.

So there you have it: 10 things you should know about BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10! We are committed to keeping your business moving! Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

As the trend for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) increases within the enterprise, organizations must establish criteria for an Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution that provides a balance of freedom for employees and security of corporate data. While end users want freedom of choice when it comes to the smartphones and tablets they use, organizations must address the added risks in security this freedom can bring in addition to potential unexplored issues in critical areas such as compliance, data, liability and support. By successfully deploying an EMM solution, IT can enable a company’s mobile workers and make the business more productive, efficient, agile, and responsive to the needs of the customers and employees.

Here are 7 key factors to consider while in the discovery phase of the search for MDM solutions:

1. Functionality – for example, how well the solution manages multiple mobile platforms, including BlackBerry®, iOS and Android™
2. Security features for data in transit and at rest
3. Reputation and reliability of vendor
4. Vendor support, including technical, sales, and account support
5. Management capabilities and policies
6. Availability of a complete solution
7. Flexibility of the solution to manage IT and user needs, as well as scalability

The opportunity – and the challenge – of finding the right EMM or MDM solution is to make workers and organizations more productive through enhanced mobility and the expanded use of personal-liable devices. There is no doubt, though, that this is a trend that is here to stay. IT administrators need MDM solutions to deliver the security, management capabilities, scalability and stability required in this new paradigm.

RIM® offers BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion, which provides unified management of BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets, and iOS or Android operating systems. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion also supports BlackBerry® Balance™ technology which enables IT to establish and enforce policies that separate personal and business data and allows IT admins to remote-wipe corporate data from devices if necessary, while leaving personal data untouched.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

In August, we introduced the next generation EMM solution, BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10 (BES 10). BES 10 is the future of managing your organizations’ mobile deployment with a single platform and the evolution of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, ActiveSync, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. BES 10 represents a consolidation of our enterprise mobility management (EMM) product portfolio, which includes our MDM, security, infrastructure, and app management products. In an update scheduled for May 2013, new features will allow you to upgrade your current BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, providing a solution which integrates with your current deployment.

To learn more about finding the right MDM solution for your enterprise, register for, or log into, the BlackBerry Resource Center and take a look at The 7 Key Factors in Choosing a Mobile Device Management Solution. The BlackBerry Resource Center is also your one stop BlackBerry Knowledge Source to access hundreds of resources including white papers, webcasts, and the Solutions Showcase.

What criteria are most important to your enterprise when deciding on an MDM solution?

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.

For many organizations, BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express is the essential platform for mobilizing employees worldwide, and Research In Motion® (RIM®) continues to make improvements and enhancements to the solution. BlackBerry Enterprise Server is recognized as the gold standard in Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM), which also encompasses Mobile Device Management (MDM).

Features and Enhancements

BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5 Service Pack 4 is available today for Microsoft® Exchange and IBM® Lotus® Domino®, and coming in November 2012 for Novell® GroupWise®. This free update introduces new features for both administrators and end-users. The service pack and all feature updates apply to both BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express deployments. Check out the details below:

Improvements for administrators

• Access control rules for groups
• BlackBerry Administration Service improvements
• The latest security patches and bug fixes are included

Improvements for the End User experience

• Improved handling of HTML email messages
• Support for larger email attachments
• Improved graphics rendering for Microsoft® PowerPoint® attachments
• Support for Microsoft Office password-protected attachments
• Calendar & message enhancements

Enterprises that utilize Novell GroupWise as their business email platform will be pleased to learn that BlackBerry Balance is now available to address the needs of their employee-owned BlackBerry® smartphones, or to extend the full BlackBerry experience to their corporately-owned BlackBerry smartphones. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.4 update will be available for Novell GroupWise in November of 2012.

Getting ready for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10

We’ve heard it from our customers – your enterprise mobility management needs are changing as you face new trends and challenges, and as you prepare for the future. We’re expanding and consolidating our enterprise product portfolio alongside you to make sure that you’re well prepared, by releasing solutions like BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and designing BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10.

While these are exciting changes, RIM does remain firmly committed to supporting the BlackBerry Enterprise Server well into the future with care and attention paid to keeping security and management up to date with service packs and maintenance releases.

Upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5 Service Pack 4 prepares you for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 which will be launching with BlackBerry® 10 smartphones, with an update planned for BlackBerry World™ in May 2013. The May update is designed to enable BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 to be installed on the same physical server that is currently running BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5, enabling organizations to securely manage all of their BlackBerry smartphones & tablets, in addition to iOS® and Android™ devices, from a single platform.

Get the Service Pack Today

This Service Pack is available at no additional charge for existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 customers, and can be downloaded from www.blackberry.com/besupdate

There is no change in server or Client Access License (CAL) pricing. If you currently run BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4, you can upgrade to the latest version of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 for $999 USD (plus any applicable fees/taxes), or for free for those with Advantage or higher BlackBerry® Technical Support Services subscriptions.

Need help upgrading to the latest Service Pack? Don’t forget that you can always contact BlackBerry Technical Support Services to assist you. BlackBerry Technical Support Services offers both incident-based pricing or annual subscriptions which provide 7x24x365 end-to-end technical support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, and BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry® PlayBookTM tablets. For more information on BlackBerry Technical Support Services, check out www.blackberry.com/btss

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

TRC Companies, Inc. is an engineering services, consulting and construction management firm that serves a broad range of clients in government and industry. With 2,700 technical professionals and support personnel spread between more than 100 offices throughout the United States, TRC implements complex projects that address business challenges in the energy, environmental and infrastructure markets.

With mobile innovation at an all-time high and a variety of devices available to consumers in the business community, enterprises are now faced with a new challenge – the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) trend. Employees who use functional consumer devices now want to bring them to work and use them to handle the valuable tasks that businesses expect to be completed at any time and from any place.

Devank Kumar, Manager of Enterprise Systems and Network Security at TRC, understood that the BYOD trend could potentially save the company money in new devices and training, but only if he could meet the challenge of managing multiple mobile Operating System (“OS”) environments in the enterprise. A longtime BlackBerry® smartphone client, TRC wanted to avoid having to deploy multiple Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions that would result in additional costs and training for help desk staff to handle separate interfaces.

The company initially integrated a different MDM provider to manage the BYOD trend but quickly found that it did not offer the appropriate solution that it needed. When Research In Motion® (RIM®) announced BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion in late 2011; TRC Solutions’ Chief Technology Officer requested that the company implement it as soon as it became available as its multi-platform MDM solution.

“Our company liked the assurances that the BlackBerry solution offered,” said Kumar. “We have had BlackBerry smartphones deployed for many years and still manage more than 500 BlackBerry devices on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, so finding this simple, yet secure MDM solution was really important.”

TRC has started a gradual deployment process of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion to manage its employee’s mobile devices throughout its U.S. offices. The company can now connect its existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server with iOS® and Android™ smartphones and tablets and manage them all from one place, integrating existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server management and security capabilities for iOS and for Android devices.

“It is a logical evolution for companies like us who have leveraged BlackBerry Enterprise Server in the past,” said Kumar. “Rather than require the BlackBerry Enterprise Server to co-exist with an outside MDM solution, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion allows us to maintain all of the benefits of our current BlackBerry solution and evolve with BYOD trends with one MDM.”

This BlackBerry solution will help to avoid the duplication of effort involved with managing multiple platforms separately and prevent the need to train its helpdesk to learn two different systems.

Deploying BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will also mean that the company can avoid dealing with multiple vendors, contracts and support calls. The company can call one number to receive tech support for management on BlackBerry smartphones as well as for other devices.

“It just makes sense,” said Kumar. “Why would we integrate a completely new system that takes time to put through a test environment and train the help desk when BlackBerry Mobile Fusion allows us to move forward with one unified interface and management system?”

To take a deeper dive into how Mobile Fusion works in the office environment, here’s a “live” version of our interview with Martha Stewart Living’s Vice President of IT, Steve Rollins:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Is your organization faced with the challenge of managing cross-platform mobile devices? How would BlackBerry Mobile Fusion help? 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+.

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.

We recently had a chance to catch up with Steve Rollins, Vice-President of IT at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc., who discussed with us the company’s experience implementing BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion. We’re clearly excited about the launch of this multi-platform Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, but it’s fantastic to see how it’s being used “on the ground” within organizations to help mobilize employees and bring tangible benefits. Check out what Steve had to say below:

Biz Blog: Why was BlackBerry Mobile Fusion an important product for Martha Stewart Living to implement?

As a company with publishing, broadcast and merchandising divisions, we create a lot of mobile content for consumers across a variety of platforms. Our corporate-deployed devices have always been BlackBerry® smartphones, but in order to meet the needs of our staff (employees that have to be familiar with a range of devices and how they differ from one another), we have definitely evolved into a cross-platform company. With the introduction of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, we can reduce the number of devices that people have to carry, expand the reach of the enterprise data to people who didn’t have access before and allow them to continue using the smartphone that best suits their particular work needs.

When we were initially looking at MDM software, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion was our number-one choice because it was simple to fit it into the infrastructure we had already built. That simplicity and the fact that we could secure other devices without assuming any significant cost were the biggest drivers.

Biz Blog: How does BlackBerry Mobile Fusion help keep sensitive company information more secure?

As a publicly-traded company, we’ve always relied on BlackBerry smartphones and the security of the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server to help protect our financial data and comply with certain rules and regulations. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion has given us the flexibility to protect all of the important non-financial information that we don’t want in the public domain, whether it’s trade secrets or next year’s designs and partners. That’s the sort of information that gives us an advantage in the marketplace and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion allows us to bring it back within the castle walls, so to speak. If someone happens to misplace their consumer device, it’s really important for us to have that ability to retrieve and protect that sort of data.

Biz Blog: What is another benefit that BlackBerry Mobile Fusion has offered your company?

When we were first looking into implementing BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, it was very important for us to be able to reduce the response time for employees to events that happen in the enterprise. It wasn’t fiscally responsible for us to give everyone a device of their choice, but being able to use BlackBerry Mobile Fusion allows us to put data on their existing smartphone or tablet securely and allow them to respond to our business needs more efficiently.

Are you considering BlackBerry Mobile Fusion to manage your corporate liable and individual liable devices? Why is it important to your organization? Tell us about it in the comments.

Throughout the month of June we’ll be hosting a series of webinars designed to help organizations get familiar with BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion as a Mobile Device Management solution. The webinars will be hosted by individuals specializing in specific areas in order to provide expertise and technical insights.

Check out the topics and schedule below and be sure to mark it in your calendar:

June 7:
Installing Universal Device Service – 2:00PM ET (Password: Fusion)
June 12:
Universal Device Service Overview – Thomas Dingfelder from Ubitexx – 2:00PM ET (Password: Fusion)
June 14:
Universal Device Service Overview – Thomas Dingfelder from Ubitexx – 2:00PM ET (Password: Fusion)
June 19:
Administrating BlackBerry Mobile Fusion with demos – 2:00PM ET (Password: Fusion)
June 21:
Installing Universal Device Service – 2:00 PM (Password: Fusion)
June 26:
Universal Device Service Overview (French Language) Alain Marcil – 2:00PM ET (Password: Fusion)
June 28:
Administrating BlackBerry Mobile Fusion with demos – 2:00PM ET (Password: Fusion)

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is a Mobile Device Management solution that allows your organization to manage BlackBerry® smartphones and BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets, as well as Android™ and iOS® platforms. To learn more, visit the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion website, which includes an overview, specifications, features, and much more.

What are you looking forward to learning from the webinars? Share in the comments below.