RIM goes multi-platform

Research In Motion (RIM) is looking to capitalise on its strength in the mobile security space with the upcoming release of Mobile Fusion.

The device management platform will go beyond BlackBerry devices and provide support for competing operating systems iOS and Android.

Mobile Fusion marks RIM's entry into multi-platform device management, and is being billed as the “next-generation enterprise mobility solution”.

Mobile Fusion has a number of components that include the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (version 5.0.3) for BlackBerry smartphones, new management capabilities for BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, and mobile device management for smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS operating systems.

Alan Panezic, VP of enterprise product management and marketing research at RIM, says: “BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together our industry-leading BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology for BlackBerry devices with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices, all managed from one Web-based console.

“It provides the necessary management capabilities to allow IT departments to confidently oversee the use of both company-owned and employee-owned mobile devices within their organisations.”

Robyn Milham, head of enterprise sales for Southern Africa at RIM, says there were strong market reasons for the development of Mobile Fusion.

“We started to work with the product Mobile Fusion about a year ago, after we bought a company called Ubitexx, and that key acquisition was really based on the fact that we're seeing a lot of consumerisation within the enterprise.

“The mobile environment has grown so much, so all these factors have started to make life somewhat testing for CIOs,” says Milham, adding that RIM was approached by CIOs around the world, because of the company's reputation as being the gold standard for security and its management platform.

“I think it's really struck a chord in the industry, because people have trusted us for so long. Over 90% of the Fortune 500 companies use the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, and so that trust and that heritage that we come from is really deep in our roots and this is a natural extension really.”

Milham says RIM has already started working with some customers for the early adopter trial period, but the timeline for the official rollout hasn't yet been confirmed but is expected to be early next year.

Since the announcement of Mobile Fusion, there has been media speculation over whether RIM is essentially surrendering to the fact that it has lost its dominance in the enterprise space and extending an olive branch to its competitors.

Milham says unequivocally that this is not the case. “Absolutely not. Mobility is more than just about devices. What we're saying to our customers is that we're your enterprise solution mobility partner and we're here to really assist you in managing your mobile world.

“I think that in any organisation there are so many different factors that contribute to device choice, and we're already seeing in some organisations cultural issues mean you cannot dictate to users what device to use.

“So we're allowing for choice, and we definitely believe that BlackBerry device penetration in organisations will continue to grow and we will remain that trusted partner for mobility solutions.”

According to Milham, the provision for the inclusion of other platforms was a very considered decision on RIM's part and based on the market penetration of those products.

“By acquiring an organisation like Ubitexx, when multi-device platform management was their core business, as opposed to rebuilding the wheel, we are utilising what they've done for all these years and really integrating it into our product set to create this overarching platform.”

Strategy Worx MD Steven Ambrose says that, while RIM has been the preferred mobile solution partner for many enterprises, its hold has been slipping as BlackBerry devices have become less ubiquitous.

“This management solution may stem the tide for a short while,” says Ambrose.

“It is neither a white flag nor an olive branch to the enterprise, but a logical extension of a superb enterprise management platform that will enable enterprise to manage, integrate, and fully utilise, a number of diverse mobile platforms from a central space.

“It has the added benefit of entrenching RIM as the mobile solutions provider of choice, and keeps the competition out of the core enterprise space that RIM has spent so long developing,” comments Ambrose.

“There are no other solutions currently available that can manage all mobile platforms in this manner and this solution will have the effect of buying RIM some time to catch up on the consumer and enterprise device front.”

While some have speculated that bringing the BlackBerry solution to other devices is possibly a death-blow for BlackBerry devices themselves, Milham disagrees.

“We're taking the high road here - we've always seen ourselves as more than just a device and rather as a key partner for our enterprise customers.

“Of course, the BlackBerry devices are very important and the handsets and the OS will remain extremely competitive, but what I think we're doing here is helping enterprise manage a mobile environment in which ever form it may take.

“I don't believe that at any time RIM would have made a decision to do something that would be detrimental to the organisation,” notes Milham.

Responding to whether RIM is shifting focus from hardware to security, Milham says: “I think more than ever we're focusing on hardware because we've got a consumer market to cater for where devices are extremely important. But this is really a solution for how enterprise customers manage mobility.

“In a hundred billion dollar environment there's not going to be only one platform,” concludes Milham.