On the heels of our recent announcement of FIPS 140-2 certification for the upcoming BlackBerry 10 platform, our current in-market favorite BlackBerry 7.1 OS has received CESG approval for government use in the United Kingdom. This is a significant step forward for enabling government mobility in the region by allowing access to data classified up to and including “Restricted”.

The BlackBerry Enterprise Solution from RIM remains the only holistic mobile solution approved by CESG. Governments around the world have long been our partners, utilizing secure BlackBerry solutions to access sensitive data and to enable public service workers. Law enforcement, government agencies, and medical industries are just a few areas in which this takes place. In the UK specifically, the NHS, local government bodies, and the Ministry of Defense all employ BlackBerry solutions to efficient, secure, and productive ends.

A great example can be found with UK police forces. By extending core processes and systems as well as access to information databases, officers are able to spend more time in the communities in which they work rather than being tied up with paperwork back at the office. The use of mobile social media in similar settings also enables government industries to use BlackBerry technology to connect more closely with their citizens.

Learn more about BlackBerry security today, and our stance on security when it comes to the upcoming BlackBerry 10 mobile computing platform. Does your work rely on secure BlackBerry solutions? Share in the comments below.

A couple weeks ago, I posted that BlackBerry® 7 OS had been approved in North America for Department of Defense use. This was great news, and apparently has now been extended to include BlackBerry® 7.1 OS devices as well. In fact, many US government organizations are responding to this certification quite positively and contacting dodsales@rim.com to take advantage of a variety of trade-up/trade-in programs.

However, within minutes of publishing that blog post, my Research In Motion® (RIM®) colleagues began BBMing me to point out that I’m not the only story in town. Apparently there’s a bigger story than I was aware of! As important as the USDOD approval is – and despite my local pride in the achievement of my North American friends on the security, regulatory compliance, and government marketing teams – apparently, RIM staff across the pond and around the world have their own bragging rights with governments globally certifying BlackBerry 7 OS for use.

In Australia, for example, the BlackBerry 7.0 and 7.1 Operating Systems (BlackBerry 7) were successfully evaluated and approved for Government use by the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) of the Australian Government. This certification affirms that BlackBerry 7 OS meets the Australian and New Zealand Governments’ strict security standards for a wide range of scenarios, representing the majority of day-to-day operational communications. This includes potential use in securing information classified up to and including PROTECTED (Australia) and RESTRICTED (New Zealand).

Not to be outdone, my U.K. counterparts chimed in adding that the CESG (Communications-Electronics Security Group), the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, has also approved BlackBerry 7 for government use across the U.K., making BlackBerry the only mobile solution approved by CESG to protect material ‘Restricted’ materials.

Whether it’s U.S., U.K., or Australia, governments around the world continue to use and officially approve the BlackBerry platform. For political reasons, it’s seldom they can speak about it publically, but time and again, after significant testing and review, our solutions pass with flying colors – acknowledging key facets of the BlackBerry solution including security, manageability, and scalability.

However, leading organizations, from both government and corporate sectors must look beyond certifications and focus simply on leveraging their investment in mobile infrastructure. Ensuring their staff have the tools they need to be the most productive often means accessing newer technology like the advanced features incorporated in the newest BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones – fast web browsing, NFC interoperability, augmented reality applications, and so on.

Moreover, in light of consumerization demands, IT organizations need to appease end user demands, opening up access to BlackBerry consumer features like the MP3 player, built-in radio, and camera functionality, not to mention access to fun and entertaining apps in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront.

So whether driven by regulatory approval or the built-in benefits (both personal and organizational), organizations are increasingly moving towards BlackBerry 7 OS. These governments have clearly defined their enterprise grade device choice, providing departments and staff with a much needed benchmark. Where is your organization at in defining your ‘approved’ mobile solution…are you leading or lagging public sector?

Your peers would be as grateful as I would be to hear your comments on mobile device selection and policy. Where is your organization at in defining and controlling device selection? Do you provide approved lists? Do you depend on analogous industry certifications or do you have your own approval program? Where does Mobile Strategy stop and Mobile Device Management start? What criteria do you use to evaluate whether a device is worthy of your organization’s staff and data?

Damian Collins, MP – who backed the recent StartUp Hub UK campaign – believes there are opportunities for SMBs in the current economic climate:

“It’s a tough economy, but that’s often when the best new start-ups are launched. SMBs can be agile enough to respond to the changes in the market. Start-ups are often closer to their customers and work all hours to make their businesses succeed. They can also be more innovative and embracing of new technology that can give them the cutting edge. But you need to get the business idea right first and you should keep challenging yourself until you know you have.

“Smartphones and apps have created new ways of connecting businesses with their customers. The distinction between commerce conducted on the go, rather than from a fixed computer in the home of office is already disappearing, this trend will only grow.”

Dan, our Marketing Manager at Research In Motion® (RIM®) for SMB in Europe, Middle East and Africa, has put together some top tips to help small businesses start and grow more effectively:

• Get a step ahead of the competition by responding rapidly and effectively to customer’s queries and questions. By having tools like email, Twitter®, Facebook® or BlackBerry® Messenger™ (BBM™) with you wherever you go, you can be in the office even though you are technically out of it!
• The BlackBerry platform allows you to be agile. You can respond to clients and customers at any time whilst also co-ordinating with your business teams around the world. BBM is the perfect tool for communicating with both customers and employees. Share a message, picture, or document instantly, and see when it’s been delivered and read.
• For peace of mind, you can protect and manage company and employee-owned devices using BlackBerry Management Center. This web-based cloud service allows you to lock and wipe devices plus set up and manage email accounts and new devices, so your staff is free to focus on the job at hand. Plus, it’s free!

RIM has a history of working with SMBs and we have some wonderful case studies from all sorts of businesses. See how BlackBerry has made a difference to SMBs in our Case Study database.