Johannesburg, 20 Aug 2013
South Africa remains a pivotal platform for the BlackBerry brand. Here, according to research by the independent ad network, InMobi*, devices made by BlackBerry dominate the South African cellular market, and in separate findings, BlackBerry's main channel partners* have said the Z10, the platform for the freshly minted BB10, has been well received.
"BB10 is a bold and exciting move from BlackBerry and it gives the channel something new to crow about when looking to bolster the mobile market," says Greg Pothitos, head of BlackBerry services at Tarsus Technologies. "What's encouraging is how well it works with BlackBerry Exchange Server to create a ubiquitous business and mobile solution."
BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) software is deployed on-premises and acts as a proxy between the device and the server. Here, the e-mails, contacts, calendar appointments and other snippets of vital data are whipped back and forth seamlessly.
The latest version of BES - BES10 - works either independently or in conjunction with the older software of BES v.5, the latter being an ideal solution for organisations that have already deployed older BlackBerry models, and are not looking to outfit all their employees with the new system anytime soon.
"Thanks to this backwards compatibility, the channel can offer a complete solution to the organisation," explains Pothitos. "BES10, also known as BlackBerry Mobile Fusion 6 Server, will drive control of both the newer and older devices, using BES v.5 as a go-between. What BES10 brings to the party is a new configuration simplicity, thanks to Exchange ActiveSync protocol."
Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) may be reliant on a commercial licence, but it also gives BlackBerry's new server a far more scalable and adaptable infrastructure. This means less fuss and mess for both user and organisation, and makes it a strong selling point for the latest in BlackBerry devices and solutions.
"For organisations that already have a BES solution in place, the addition of BES10 into their system is a no-brainer," concludes Pothitos. "The customisable options, the additional features, the improved security and the increasingly scalable and flexible infrastructure all show how far BlackBerry has come. It is an ideal upgrade that's not, for once, more complex than its predecessor to deploy."
Enterprise customers also get help in the form of the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program, which offers plenty of support for the transition period. Overall, the system looks set to deliver an interesting solution to the enterprise and one that few organisations can afford to ignore as their old BES v.5 systems stagger under their weight and complexity.
Sources:
* InMobi [http://www.bandwidthblog.com/2012/05/11/blackberry-use-in-sa-on-the-increase-inmobi/]
* Channel partners
[http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63362]