Tag Archives: bes

BlackBerry reveals the lengths it went to make Android ‘secure’

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BlackBerry's reputation for security is so strong that its devices are frequently used by world leaders as their go-to smartphone of choice. With the forthcoming Priv, the firm has had to try and bring its brand-name security to Android, an opera...

India’s government and BlackBerry reach an agreement, ready to teleport to 1984

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India's government will soon be able to see almost everything you do on a BlackBerry

After nearly being banned in India in 2010, BlackBerry has finally reached an agreement with the Indian government regarding surveillance in the name of security. According to a leaked document from the country's Department of Telecommunications that was obtained by The Times of India, it'll soon be possible for the government to see who you're emailing, who you're BBMing, the read-states of your BBM messages and even which websites you're visiting (hello!). An unnamed BlackBerry spokesperson is emphasizing that this is all legal, adding that those who use BlackBerry Enterprise Server will not be monitored -- which makes for an eyebrow raising sales pitch. There's no official date as to when this system turns on, but the report says the required equipment is "ready for use."

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Source: The Times of India

BlackBerry’s response to Samsung’s SAFE Knox for enterprise: ‘We’ve been doing that since 1999’

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Blackberry's response SAFE Knox tktk

With Samsung stepping on Blackberry's enterprise turf via its SAFE with Knox launch, it's not too surprising the Canadian outfit has a few choice words on the subject. We spoke with mobile computing Executive VP David J. Smith, who finds it "flattering" that Samsung is taking a similar interest in enterprise security, but said it may take awhile to catch up since his own company's been doing it "since 1999." He said that experience means "nothing is more secure" than BB10 smartphones combined with its Balance work/home app and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10 (BES). Of course, the latter now supports Android and iOS devices, but Smith added that the main problem with Samsung's approach is Android itself -- which he feels brings its own bag of insecure worms to the enterprise space.

With Samsung touting Knox's ability to separate enterprise functions from a user's "personal space," Smith pointed to the Balance app -- which has been doing that since 2011 -- claiming it's the only solution that "can effectively keep sensitive corporate information secure while keeping an individual's personal information private." In contrast, Smith said Android is still inherently "vulnerable" due to its open nature, while BB engineered its Blackberry OS kernel in-house to be secure and that aspect was "completely understood" by company engineers. He added that programmers are constantly fine-tuning those features for its own BB10 and legacy handsets, adding that it would bring new Android and iOS "containers" and other features later this year to further boost security for those devices. Naturally, the outfit's likely hoping you'll want one of its shiny new devices to swipe or click, but failing that, says that you'll be the most secure under its BES 10 umbrella, regardless of your handset.

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BlackBerry says TIFF vulnerability exposes enterprise servers to malware

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BlackBerry says TIFF vulnerability exposes enterprise servers to malware

BlackBerry has always prided itself on its top-notch security features, so it's a little worrying to see the company release a "high severity" advisory today warning of a potential exploit. According to the Waterloo-based operation:

Vulnerabilities exist in how the BlackBerry MDS Connection Service and the BlackBerry Messaging Agent process TIFF images for rendering on the BlackBerry smartphone.

Essentially, hackers could rig a TIFF file with malware and then trick a BlackBerry user into loading it via webpage, email or an embedded message, thus allowing the bad guys into their company's Enterprise Server. BlackBerry hasn't received any reports of attacks just yet, but urges IT administrators to update their BES software all the same. The update is available at the source, as are several temporary workarounds for those that can't update their installations just yet.

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Via: Naked Security

Source: BlackBerry Knowledge Base

PSA: BlackBerry 10 doesn’t need a special data plan

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PSA BlackBerry 10 doesn't need a special data plan

With BlackBerry 10 devices wending their way into the hands of patient fans, there's been some uncertainty as to just what service plans customers need to reach the new platform's full potential. The short answer, after confirmations at CrackBerry: just about any of them. Unlike older BlackBerrys, the Z10 and future models don't require tiers with BlackBerry Internet Service or BlackBerry Enterprise Server support in order to work their push messaging magic. Those migrating from a regular BlackBerry plan won't have to worry about switching, though. The lone exceptions are subscribers who have barebones, social-only plans where BIS serves as the filter. While the switch could lead to price hikes for those cost-conscious users, it's otherwise good news for BlackBerry devotees who've wanted the same choice in service as the rest of their smartphone-owning peers.

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Source: CrackBerry

BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 now up for download (video)

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BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 now up for download (video)

BlackBerry's just served up fresh tools to replace its Mobile Fusion brand and help businesses manage employee phones: BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. BES 10, which is now available for download, not only supports the upcoming fleet of BB 10 phones and existing BlackBerry hardware, but Android and iOS devices as well. With the software, businesses can use a web-based interface to manage applications and data on company-issued devices or personal hardware that's welcomed into the fold. Also, Heins and Co. are baking in their BlackBerry Balance tech to help separate data and apps between work and personal life. Hit the break for a brief glimpse of BES 10 in action and more details in the press release.

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BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 Now Available for Download

RIM's New Multiplatform Enterprise Mobility Management Solution Makes Mobility Easy for Businesses

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that its new Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, is now available for download. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 re-invents RIM's EMM by bringing together device management, industry leading security, and mobile applications management for BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry PlayBook tablets, and new BlackBerry 10 smartphones in a consolidated solution. It also provides a single console for managing BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices.

BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 builds on more than a decade of RIM's enterprise mobility management expertise and the most widely deployed mobility solution in enterprises today. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers mobile device management, mobile application management and secure mobile connectivity, and delivers a cost-efficient and reliable solution for business customers.

"BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 empowers employees to be more productive and better equipped to serve customers while it provides business and IT leaders with the confidence that corporate data is protected and manageable in the same way they have long enjoyed with BlackBerry," said Peter Devenyi, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Software, Research In Motion. "BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 makes mobility easy for businesses to help keep them moving."

Flexible Enterprise Mobility Management
BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 gives organizations a highly scalable solution and the flexibility to manage their mobile deployment as needed. It supports both corporate-owned and personal-owned (BYOD - Bring Your Own Device) device deployments and mixed environments of BlackBerry and other devices, providing mobile device management, mobile application management, and secure access to corporate data. It includes an intuitive, unified, web-based administration console to manage devices and users. It also supports BlackBerry Balance technology, which elegantly separates and secures work applications and data from personal content on BlackBerry devices. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is built on the same security and connectivity model for BlackBerry 10 smartphones that enterprise customers have always trusted and relied upon with BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Key Features for BlackBerry 10 smartphones with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10

Support for secure separation of work and personal applications and data on BlackBerry 10 smartphones through BlackBerry Balance technology.
Support for seamless and secure access to work email, content and secure connectivity to "behind the firewall" applications and data.
BlackBerry World for Work, the new corporate app storefront for BlackBerry 10 smartphones that allows organizations to easily manage apps for employees. Administrators can push and install the organization's mandatory apps to both corporate and personal-owned devices and publish recommended apps to employees.
Rich management controls for securing and managing work profiles including hierarchical group management with Active Directory integration, support for customizable administrative roles with granular capabilities, an intuitive enterprise enrollment process for employees that offers a self-service console, and centralized control of assignable profiles for email, SCEP, Wi-Fi, VPN and proxy servers.

What Customers Are Saying

"The BlackBerry solution has been meeting our enterprise mobility needs for 10 years and it's been incredibly exciting to be among the first UK customers to try out BlackBerry 10," said Craig Allcock, Head of Networks, Group Technology, The Co-operative Group. "The re-designed UI is excellent, providing a smooth experience which enables you to seamlessly switch between applications and content across both the personal and work profiles. We're confident that BlackBerry 10 smartphones and the new BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will enable us to both anticipate and meet the existing and future enterprise mobility needs of our individual employees."

"We've been testing BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 in our environment and we're pleased with the manageability, security and reliability that the solution offers, along with expanded management capabilities to other devices within our network," said Peter E. Lesser, Director of Global Technology, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. "BlackBerry has been a trusted partner of ours for many years, and we're excited to implement BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 in our organization."

What Industry Analysts Are Saying

"BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 brings some important technology, cost and operational improvements to existing BlackBerry customers," said Nick McQuire, Research Director Mobile Enterprise Strategies EMEA for IDC. "We believe RIM is poised to capitalize on its strong history in delivering reliable, scalable and secure mobile enterprise management solutions to help organizations address an increasingly diverse mobile environment."

"Companies require maximum flexibility and diversity in mobile deployments," said Jack Gold, principal analyst of J.Gold Associates, LLC. "Products that manage multiple platforms, while at the same time enabling the segregation of personal and corporate data, represent an optimum solution by offering the lowest total cost of ownership, most end-user friendly, and highest security approach to enterprise mobility."

Availability

The BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 software as well as a limited sixty (60) day free trial (includes client access licenses) is available to be ordered here.

Through the BlackBerry 10 Ready Program, existing customers can take advantage of the free license trade up program at www.blackberry.com/licensetradeup, which is available until December 31, 2013.**

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Via: CrackBerry, ZDNet

Source: BlackBerry (YouTube)

RIM says BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 users will get legacy device support, IT admins (may) rest easy

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BlackBerry 10 hands-on swipe

Corporate server managers everywhere were given a jolt this week when rumors emerged that RIM might implement a hard cutoff for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10: any devices based on BlackBerry 7 and earlier might not connect at all, leaving IT leads with the uncomfortable choice of either running a BlackBerry server platform that's supposedly without a future (BES 5) or having to upgrade both the servers and phones all at once. RIM is putting minds at ease -- more or less. The company's Kim Geiger has confirmed in a statement to the media that BES 10 will support legacy devices when it ships in the first quarter of 2013, and that existing server customers will get an upgrade for smooth sailing around when BlackBerry 10 arrives. That's no doubt a comfort, but there are lingering doubts. Rumor source BGR maintains that companies will have to run both the old and new servers side-by-side to address everyone, which could make a truly harmonious environment complex, expensive or both. We've reached out to RIM for a more definitive explanation to hopefully settle the matter. In the meantime, we wouldn't panic; no one is being pushed to adopt BES 10 right away, and those that want to upgrade don't have to give up their legacy hardware.

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RIM says BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 users will get legacy device support, IT admins (may) rest easy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indian official claims BlackBerry eavesdropping standoff is ‘heading towards a resolution’

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Indian official claims BlackBerry eavesdropping standoff is 'heading towards a resolution'

Oh, bureaucracies, the fun in dealing with them is that you're told exactly what they want you to know -- or at least, believe. That's the name of the game in India, where -- as you're surely aware -- the government has been at odds with RIM for years over its insistence that the Waterloo firm provide the means to monitor encrypted emails and BBM messages. In a revelation that may relate to those BlackBerry servers in Mumbai, R. Chandrasekhar of India's Department of Information Technology has asserted, "The issue is heading towards a resolution." While it's difficult to know whether monitoring is already in place, Chandrasekhar added that, "Law enforcement agencies will get what they need." Another unknown is whether RIM played a role in these developments. For its part, the company claims, "RIM maintains a consistent global standard for lawful access requirements that does not include special deals for specific countries." So, if everything is now clear as mud for you, just remember: that's how those in charge like it.

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Indian official claims BlackBerry eavesdropping standoff is 'heading towards a resolution' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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