BlackBerry BES 10.2 takes on enterprise BYOD
Connecting state and local government leaders
New features for enterprise mobile management include API and update support for iOS and Android.
Government users make up one of BlackBerry’s largest installed bases, but as more Android and Apple's iOS smartphones flow into the enterprise via bring-your-own-device programs, agencies may run into problems keeping personal and government data separate. BlackBerry addresses that issue with its enterprise mobility management suite, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, which works with iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices.
BES10 version 10.2 allows for a separate partition to be created for government data on BlackBerry, iOS and Android phones. The government partition is encrypted and is controlled by system administrators. Government admins can add approved apps, delete or block apps and can even wipe the entire set of government data remotely if needed.
Users will see no difference between the private and the government interface, no matter the OS. So those using an iPhone for personal communications will find a similar look and feel on the government side.
Michael Brown, vice president of product management and research for BlackBerry pointed out that while government data is protected, so is a user's private information. A user's personal data is totally separate under the BlackBerry management suite and is not able to be manipulated or viewed by government administrators. He said he feels that protecting data both ways should go a long way to comforting users, making them feel more at ease when offering their phones for use in a BYOD program.
BES10 version 10.2 brings new features to mobile management, including:
- Secure Work Space (SWS) support for BYOD enrollment.
- Scalability extended to support 50,000 devices (iOS and Android) per domain.
- API support for iOS and Android through BlackBerry Web Services.
- Dynamic support for iOS and Android updates.
- Generic LDAP directory integration of corporate directories into BES10.
- Graphical self-service portal for user device management.
BlackBerry says that to date, over 30,000 commercial and test servers running BES10 have been installed.