Daniel's Blog

BlackBerry phones are becoming less and less prevalent in the small business market. Historically, Blackberry phones offered the benefit of securely accesing enterprise class Microsoft Exchange e-mail servers. The cost of adding the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) application t your Microsoft Exchange server is typically cost prohibitive for the small business market.  Rival phone products like Windows Mobile 7, Apple Iphone, and Android phones have greatly improved thier capabilities in accessing business resources such as Microsoft Exchange based e-mail. The most major difference is that most of the rivals offer similar functionality as Blackberry, but for free.  The BlackBerry Enterprise Server features that aid in phone integration and security are unmatched by any competitor, but at the entry cost of over a thousand dollars and a per user license fee of one hundred dollars.  Many small business users are tranistioning to rival products once contracts expire due mainly to the total cost of ownership of the Blackberry Enterprise Server solution.

BlackBerry now offers the free option called the BlackBerry Enterprise Express Server which fills this market segment. The BlackBerry Enterprise Express Server still retains most of the important features (listed below) for up to two thousand users at no additional charge. BES Express works with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007 and 2003 and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 and 2003. With this new software connected to your servers, your employees' BlackBerry smartphones will be able to do the following:

·    Wirelessly synchronize their email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks.
·    Manage email folders and search email on the mail server remotely.
·    Book meetings and appointments, check availability and forward calendar attachments
·    Set an out-of-office reply.
·    Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files using Documents To Go.
·    Access files stored on the company network.
·    Use mobile applications to access business systems behind the firewall.

For IT administrators, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express also offers:

·    Runs on the same physical or virtual server as the Microsoft mail server or on its own server.
·    BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is also certified for use with VMware ESX
·    Over 35 IT controls and policies, including the ability to remotely wipe a smartphone and enforce and reset passwords.
·    A Web-based interface that allows remote administration and makes it easy to install the software, connect BlackBerry smartphones and apply usage policies.

For more information on our Blackberry server configuration service in Indiana and business phone support please call us at 317-831-0704. We also provide BlackBerry server troubleshooting services for our Indiana clients.