This article is based on Notes from a Web Cast that was presented by David Heit, Senior Product Manager for RIM and Ron Sanders, Nterprise Collaboration Partner Development Manager. Further information can be found at:http://www.blackberry.com/go/groupwise.html

Within this article I have provided some additional comments and information which can prove useful for those organizations reviewing mobility solutions.

Organizations first need to determine what the business problem is that exists today within their organization, that Blackberry will solve for them. Typically this business problem revolves around the reduction of administrative staff (secretaries taking phone messages, and updating paper calendars), coupled with the evolution of technology in the workplace. This evolution has taken the business personnel from managing paper-based phone messages, through the evolution of voicemail and now into the newest phase; email. It is not unheard of where a mobile user receives hundreds of emails while out of the office. This deluge of email, coupled with the fact that the user is typically "not connected" results in them being behind in communications or follow-up with customers, business partners or other staff based on the lack of time at their desk. This is where mobility solutions fit in.

Mobility solutions provide users with the ability to stay current with communications while away from their desk. This means, employees who travel a campus, a city, a state or a country (or more) can remain connected to the office, making sure they don't miss critical business opportunities. The Blackberry solution allows corporations to maximize this connection, allowing for a multitude of applications to integrate with the remote device:

CRM application integration
Problem management (fields service automation)
Sales Force Automation
Database Access
Instant Messaging
Document management
Access to the corporate intranet
and many more...

Other business factors for implementing the Blackberry mobility solution is to consolidate the plethora of mobility devices; PDAs, Pagers, Cell Phones and laptops. This reduction of devices and expansion of capabilities from a single device can provide enhanced benefits to IT support staff, management of business areas and many others by having a single device that is capable of providing similar services from anywhere that cellular technology is available.

Mobility decisions should also consider some of the following:

Devices - devices should be readily available in the market and capable of connecting to multiple wireless networks.
Degree of mobility and coverage - as mentioned above, does the user commute on campus, across a city, a state, etc.
NetWork and Carrier - pricing and regional coverage can play a factor in solutions.
User requirements - how well the device and solution integrate with the environment coupled with meeting the needs of the mobile user.
Administrative requirements - These devices are viewed as computers themselves and must be managed and utilized in the same manner.

More on users:

User want the GroupWise client in their hand when it comes to wireless capabilities. They expect nothing less than full functionality. Full email, calendaring, contacts that are completely in sync is a high demand. User also want to control their own experience; choosing font type, what information is sent to the device, multiple signatures. Users also want the capability to file items into folders, browse the Internet and intranet along with integrating third party applications to the device (business applications such as word processors, spreadsheet applications, games, etc.). All of these desires from users MUST be packaged into an easy to use device.

End Users Features of the RIM Device:

A small device
Long battery life
Low cost of ownership for the solution
Integrated wireless solution
Broad carrier coverage
Always on with Push Technology
Low latency

Overall a complete solution providing mail and applications to end users wirelessly. Included are the capabilities for development of additional applications and integration within the secure encrypted channel. NOTE: Development of these applications is done via J2ME.

User Functionality:

Secure two-way synchronization is the basis for the Blackberry solution. This allows for the dynamic user data held within GroupWise (mail, contacts, calendar, tasks, etc.). The solution allows for complete wireless reconciliation. A two-way process that allows users to delete, send, mark read/un-read, purge deleted items and file items to folders. This same synchronization process also allows the device to hold a copy of a personal address book and still search a global addresses book from the GroupWise system, reducing the amount of data being held on the device. This global search of the address book returns addresses that match the criteria specified on the device. Another noteworthy piece of information is that the user can categorize any of the contacts, making search capabilities easier from the device.

Attachment viewing and handling capabilities are very thorough with the Blackberry solution. Attachment support is provided for a number of image formats (JPG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, BMP). Additionally the device support file format such as ZIP, HTML, XML, WML, etc. This capability leverages the MDS (Mobile Data services) of the BES server. This component reformats documents, providing Table Of Contents for navigation through large word processing and spreadsheet documents. This formatting also marks up the documents providing hyperlinks to phone numbers, email addresses, etc., linking them to the appropriate RIM component. The MDS components also is used for behind the firewall application integration, intranet and Internet browsing. This provides additional functionality as the MDS server will re-format public and private web sites to the proper screen resolution and size of the RIM device, increasing the response time and usability of the browsing capabilities over wireless speeds.

More on administrators:

From the administrative perspective, devices should be easy to deploy and manage. Because the devices are viewed as computers themselves, they should be easy to support and functionality should be nearly that of a laptop. In essence, they are treated as an extension of the network and desktop application environment. Finally, administrators also require salability and security. With the GroupWise integrated Blackberry Enterprise Server a single server can support up to 500 users on the initial release. This number is expected to grow to match other existing integrations where numbers range into the thousands and tens of thousands per organization. Security for the Blackberry is trusted by organizations such as The White house, US Congress, Senate, and FBI amongst many highly known private organizations. Security is handled via AES encryption (256-bit key generated by the BES).

This solution provides the administrator with two ways to enable users; Wireless (over the air) or cradled. The over the air deployment is a significant benefit for administrators and users alike as the device does not much in the way of configuration before it can be fully deployed. In fact, the device only needs to be told it's email address and a one-time use password that is provided to the user by the administrator. After the initial connection is made and the device and BES server synchronize encryptions keys, data immediately begins to flow to the device. Additionally, the BES server keep automatic backup of the user data specific to the device, allowing for implementing/changing to new devices in the event of upgrading or replacing lost or damaged equipment. No desktop application is required to configure the device for synchronization.

Administrators also have the ability to control the devices in detail. Lost devices can be disabled and wiped clean of the "GroupWise data", or they can be locked with a display screen that says "return the device to ..." To further manage the devices the administrator can control every detail of the user experience. Applications can be pushed down to the device, font information can be specified, signatures can be controlled, device options such as the phone, Instant Messaging, Pin-to-Pin communication, SMS etc. can all be enabled or disabled by the administrator. Along with these abilities come inventory-type information that is retained. This includes device type, model, carrier, network, phone number, applications installed and much more are all available within the administration utility of the BES.

Availability:

RIM does not sell the Blackberry Enterprise Server or devices directly. Instead, RIM relies upon channel partners and wireless carriers to handle the deployment devices. Support and availability is currently available in over 30 countries and across over 70 networks throughout the world. Prices are then also left to the determination of the same carriers. NOTE: The wireless carrier market is competitive. Organizations that are not committed to one carrier over another can use the competitive nature to obtain better pricing.

The product itself is scheduled to be released in February of 2005. The platform requires the GroupWise 6.5.4 client to provide the GroupWise Object API the proper integration for functionality. At this time, the 6.5.4 client is released in beta. The hosting platform for the BES/MDS is Windows 2000 or Windows 2003. NOTE: This requirement is based upon the need of the GroupWise Object API. The Object API is what provides the capabilities for third party vendors to access and provide features similar to the native GroupWise client applications.

One final note that is important is when considering a mobility solution is ROI - return on investment. The folks at RIM have purchased a study that was performed by IPSOS Reid concerning the ROI of a Blackberry wireless solution. To view this study go to: http://www.blackberry.com/go/groupwise.html and download this study.

For more information on Blackberry see:

www.blackberry.com