Not only is RIM sponsoring the Ontario Linux Fest lined up to start October 13th. in Toronto, but they’ll be hiring open source gurus there as well. Linux and the like supposedly play a big part in RIM’s internal workings, so what better place to pick up fresh, local talent than a Linux convention in Toronto, a scant two hours drive from their Waterloo home base? Linux is lined up to be a major platform for mobiles in the next couple of years; it’s good to see RIM getting friendly with it at least.
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We just found a cool site called NetworkSolutions through BlackBerry Insight that lets you not only check domain availability from your mobile browser, but even buy it through their 800 line. Now this might seem like a pretty esoteric service to offer, but there’s a lot of people out there who hoard domains, sometimes to great profit. Hell, just look at the iPhone.com guys (although they weren’t really squatting, to be fair). NetworkSolutions could let you nab that domain name as soon as you think of it, no matter where you are.
Josep at Miblackberry just reminded us that Connect with the Experts is on the way, starting off in London on October 11th. What is Connect with the Experts, you ask? Well, “The Connect With The Experts – BlackBerry® Technical Seminar for IT Professionals is a seminar series designed for Information Technology experts by BlackBerry experts. A selection of workshops over the course of this one day event offer focused BlackBerry content for the IT manager or administrator who needs in-depth, technical information on how to get the most from BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, achieve optimal BlackBerry smartphone deployments and how best to mobilise applications for BlackBerry.”
The London seminar costs £149 while it’s on an early bird special through September, so sign up while it’s hot, you British IT dudes.
Local Ottawa company, Idokorro, have finally come to the grim realization that their name is downright silly, and have announced a change to the considerably sleeker Rove. At least they’ve got a sense of humor about it, eh? For anyone unfamiliar with Rove, they do a whole range of office utility applications for your BlackBerry. Mobile Admin lets you manage your network servers while on the move; Mobile Citrix Client gives you access from your BlackBerry to applications published on your Citrix Presentation Server; Mobile SSH gives you an SSH and Telnet client so you can create terminal sessions on Unix and Linux servers, among others; Mobile File Manager hooks you up with file access on your remote computers and networks; and finally, Mobile Desktop gives you remote access to your computer, be it Windows, Mac, Linux or just about anything else, so you can view the desktop and control the mouse and keyboard from your BlackBerry. For more info, check out their new site at www.rovemobile.com.
In RIM’s recent issue of BlackBerry Connection, there was an interesting article on how to improve corporate BlackBerry adoption by “seducing” users. We’re used to hearing about companies with restrictive IT policies that block downloading ringtones or games, but the IT director at British and American Tobacco has gone another route. By not only allowing but encouraging employees to use the devices for business and personal activities, the BlackBerry experience had become an entirely enjoyable one for the folks at BAT. When implementing the devices, they targeted executives who had shown a high level of acceptance to innovative technologies to build excitement among peers before issuing more BlackBerrys. Enough people out there see their BlackBerry as the ball and chain that the boss has latched onto them; maybe it’s time IT directors change that and show a little love.
A reader just let us know about a Zenprise report they were going over, which included some crazy numbers about e-mail and stress in the workplace.
The survey found that 36% of respondents indicated that their job is ‘stressful’ or ‘extremely stressful’. However, when email is down, 74% of respondents indicated that their job is ‘stressful’ or ‘extremely stressful’. Only air traffic controllers and police officers were viewed as having jobs more stressful than that of an IT administator whose email system is down!
Wow. Respect to the IT admins out there who are dealing with stress levels comparable to that of cops. The report had a few pointers that might help keep that blood pressure down, like “be ready to assemble a cross-functional SWAT team to quickly resolve BlackBerry issues” and “consistently monitor & audit your Active Directory infrastructure”.
Thanks, Chris!
It’s not exactly a shocker, but an Osterman Research report comissioned by Zenprise shows that “95 per cent of the 76 messaging-oriented North American decision-makers that responded to the survey said the senior managers in their organizations have BlackBerry devices”. On top of that, 65% of middle managers have a BlackBerry at their side and for half of the organizations, traveling personnel are also using them. In the long view, the report’s forecasting 100 million enterprise users by 2010. The report’s main point, however, is that since such a high percentage of of top-level executives are using the devices, IT professionals are feeling the extra pressure from above to make absolutely sure that service is up and potentially cutting into their time on other responsibilities. Does this translate into a requirement for full-time BlackBerry administrators?
As bloggers who must duck and cover whenever the site explodes from massive traffic, BBCool has a fine appreciation for accurate traffic monitoring software. iWebTrack has announced an update to their service, featuring SMS or IM alerts when your site hits peak traffic levels, as well better handling of high-traffic sites. Also, they have what’s called iWebTrack LITE which is a mobile interface for BlackBerrys and other handhelds available to subscribers. For the whole shebang you’ll be looking at around $40/month, or $20 for standalone tracking. They’ve also got a month-long trial, if you’re looking for a test run.
So long as we’re talking about BlackBerry alternatives, Motorola’s recently-acquired Good Technology Group has included security and management functions with the latest version of their mobile e-mail app, Good Mobile messaging 5. This includes implementing IT policies (such as restricting and allowing software on mobiles), locking devices, and encrypted e-mail support. The software is only working on Palm and Windows Mobile right now since BlackBerry already has push e-mail, but a stand-alone IT security suite on BlackBerry could sell, if Motorola were so inclined.
Full IT features behind the jump.
Our main man (to borrow from Ahmad Rashad), Jibi, once again flexes his insider IT knowledge, this time concerning an IT policy that has pestered BES admins for years. Previously, admins had been unable to remove IT policy on a BlackBerry that was formerly on a BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Jibi tells us that RIM has now added the ability for BES admins to send a kill command that will remotely wipe the device and set it back to “Factory Defaults”, removing the IT Policy (and third-party applications), in addition to the command’s standard wiping tasks.
Jibi says the feature is available in BES 4.1 SP4 and only applies to OS 4.2.2 and above devices (i.e. BlackBerry Curve and 8830).
Continue reading ‘RIM adds “default reset” option to BlackBerrys’
