Global Outlook, a secure cloud-based Business Communication Service provider and Research In Motion (RIM) has announced the launch of hosted BlackBerry Enterprises Server (BES) service for enterprises and SME customers in India. This unique service will enable enterprise and SMB organisations to leverage the hosted services model for MS Exchange 2010, SharePoint 2010, Lync 2010 and BlackBerry services in a pay per user format.
Pay per user per month model eliminates the need for hardware (server), software, maintenance or other support costs for organisations. It provides secure corporate data management, even on employee owned devices through features like BlackBerry Balance.
The services enable enhanced organisation and employee productivity with access to collaboration tools like Microsoft SharePoint, Lync on BlackBerry smartphones. Hosted BES service provides the same levels of security, uptime, and reliability that BlackBerry platform is synonymous with.
The new BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software will be provided free of charge in order to address two key market opportunities. First, the software offers economical advantages to small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) that desire the enterprise-grade security and manageability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server but don’t require all of its advanced features. Second, more and more consumers are purchasing BlackBerry smartphones and the free BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software provides a cost-effective solution that enables IT departments to meet the growing demand from employees to be able to connect their personal BlackBerry smartphones to their work email.
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express works with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007 and 2003 and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 and 2003 to provide users with secure, push-based, wireless access to email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks, as well as other business applications and enterprise systems behind the firewall. Importantly, the new server software utilises the same robust security architecture found in BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
With BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express connected to Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Windows Small Business Server, BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to wirelessly synchronise their email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks, manage email folders and search email on the mail server remotely, book meetings and appointments, check availability and forward calendar attachments, set an out-of-office reply, edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files using Documents To Go, access files stored on the company network and use mobile applications to access business systems behind the firewall.
For IT administrators, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express also offers over 90 IT controls and policies, including the ability to remotely wipe a smartphone and enforce and reset passwords and a Web-based interface that allows remote administration and makes it easy to install the software, connect BlackBerry smartphones and apply usage policies.
It runs on the same physical or virtual server as the Microsoft mail server or on its own server. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is also certified for use with VMware ESX.