Research In Motion announced that it will soon launch software that will bring security and management features once only found on BlackBerrys over to Android and iOS phones and tablets. The new plan for RIM revolves around focusing on what it does best for mobile device management software—asset management, configuration, security policies, group administration and centralized management and RIM appears to be trying to thread the needle between the bring your own device movement. System requirements include the latest version of BES, v5.0.3; Apple iOS 4 or later; Android 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3--it's unclear if Mobile Fusion will support the latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet OS and some BlackBerry PlayBook security and management features require a Microsoft Exchange server or virtualized server. In addition to BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, RIM is also betting on an upcoming line of superphones running its in-development BBX operating system and an exact launch date for those devices has not been publicly declared.
Research In Motion introduced
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, the Company's next-generation enterprise mobility solution and
RIM's entry into the multi-platform
Mobile Device Management (MDM) marketplace. Building on years of leading enterprise mobility management solutions from
RIM, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will simplify the management of smartphones and tablets running
BlackBerry, Google Android and
Apple iOS operating systems. "
We are pleased to introduce BlackBerry Mobile Fusion – RIM's next generation enterprise mobility solution – to make it easier for our business and government customers to manage the diversity of devices in their operations today," said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at Research In Motion.
"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 organizations." RIM is the leading provider of enterprise mobility solutions with over 90 percent of the Fortune 500 provisioning BlackBerry devices today. The enterprise market for smartphones and tablets continues to grow in both the company-provisioned and employee-owned (Bring Your Own Device or BYOD) categories. BYOD in particular has led to an increase in the diversity of mobile devices in use in the enterprise and new challenges for CIOs and IT departments as they struggle to manage and control wireless access to confidential company information on the corporate network. This has resulted in increased demand for mobile device management solutions.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion brings together the market-leading
BlackBerry Enterprise Server (version 5.0.3) for BlackBerry smartphones; new management capabilities for
BlackBerry PlayBook tablets built on BlackBerry Enterprise Server technology; and mobile device management for smartphones and tablets running
Android and
iOS operating systems. BlackBerry smartphones will continue to benefit from the many advantages of the end-to-end BlackBerry solution including the same advanced IT management, security and control available with
BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which is part of
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion. These advanced features include
BlackBerry Balance technology supporting the use of a single device for both work and personal purposes without compromising the organization's need to secure, manage and control confidential information; over 500 IT policies; over-the-air app and software installation and management; high availability; and much more.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will also introduce new self-service functionality for employees to secure lost or stolen BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is currently in early beta testing with select enterprise customers. RIM is now accepting customer nominations for the closed beta program which will start in January, and general availability is expected in late March.
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion will provide the following mobile device management capabilities for all supported mobile devices:
- Asset management
- Configuration management
- Security and policy definition and management
- Secure and protect lost or stolen devices (remote lock, wipe)
- User- and group-based administration
- Multiple device per user capable
- Application and software management
- Connectivity management (Wi-Fi, VPN, certificate)
- Centralized console
- High scalability
