Rove’s Mobile Admin has been bumped up to version 4.0, featuring a per user licensing system, which allows individual workers to access any number of servers from their BlackBerry. Aside from that, there’s also a new web interface that gives IT personnel access from remote computers, as well as Vista support. BES admins and anyone handling any kind of server would do well to check it out.
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Tracking e-mail through a BES is easy enough, but SMS text messaging from a BlackBerry has been a little trickier for admins. GWAVA has just released Retain, a clientless archiving system that aims to solve the issue. It installs on your BES in a half hour, and will keep track of all PIN and SMS messages, as well as phone logs. This sounds like a solid option for enterprises that want to be ready for audits and enforce their IT policy with an iron fist.
Josep spotted a link on the BlackBerry Forums to B*Remote, which is aimed to let admins and help desk operators fix BlackBerrys without having to haul the devices in. This way employees don’t have to show their shamed, clueless faces to the IT staff, and the IT staff don’t have to wrestle with walking them through fixing the problem. Everybody wins!
Today BoxTone has busted out a new asset management module, which will let BES admins track volume, inventory and security of BlackBerry devices, as well as pinpoint inactive BlackBerrys which are uselessly draining your enterprise’s budget. They’ve got a slew of other modules, including one for help desk personnel. BoxTone is a BES administration system very similar to Zenprise with a few twists. For one, they support Lotus Domino servers in addition to Exchange. Secondly, BoxTone has a core product for which you can buy additional modules that expand the basic functionality, this way BoxTone can be tailored to whatever your BES setup is like.
There’s been some debate over the differences between the Zenprise and BoxTone (mainly revolving around the presence of a web-based interface), but we’re going to be taking a closer look at both real soon just to see what the key selling points are. If you’ve got any experience with either, feel free to drop a comment.
Neil just gave us the heads up on a free virtual BlackBerry Technical Seminar this Thursday from 9 AM – 6 PM EST. A separate seminar will be available for anyone in the Asia-Pacific region on November 21st. What do you have to look forward to?
* See the next generation BlackBerry Enterprise Server
* Understand the opportunities in developing applications for the BlackBerry solution
* Learn what the latest updates and tools can do
* Ask tough technical questions and get answers direct from BlackBerry experts
* New Troubleshooting and Developing Tips and Tricks
* Hear from IT professionals and developers world-wide about how they’ve taken the BlackBerry solution far beyond email
* Chat online with select BlackBerry solution partners
Josep has tipped us off to Mobile Device Manager by CA, which aims to automate mundane and repetitive tasks, such as locking and unlocking devices, and setting up IT policies. By attributing BlackBerry security profiles to particular roles in a company’s Microsoft Active Directory, a lot of the bare-bones administration can handle itself.
* Leverages BlackBerry Enterprise Server IT policies to deliver over-the-air (OTA) management from a web-based interface, including device lock/unlock and data wipe to prevent access to data on lost or stolen devices
* Automated role-based device security and configuration enforcement and lifecycle management leveraging Active Directory data
* Automatic disabling of devices upon employee termination
* Customizable workflow for approvals, escalations, event management, and support processes
* A Bulk Addition feature that enables administrators to quickly roll out large numbers of devices
Windows Mobile and Symbian versions of the software are also in the works.
