Latest Version of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is Now Available

There were several interesting announcements made during the BlackBerry Live 2013 keynote address, including the announcement of a new version of BlackBerry 10. With version 10.1 comes an update to BlackBerry’s multi-platform Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solution.

BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10 version 10.1 is now available for download. BES 10.1 provides device and application management for all corporate owned BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices. It also provides support for BYOD.

The latest update brings with it new “Regulated-level” IT policy controls and settings, providing government agencies and companies in regulated industries with advanced security and logging capabilities.

According to David J Smith, executive vice president of enterprise mobile computing at BlackBerry, “The new Regulated-level EMM options in BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 version 10.1 give our government and high-security customers the advanced settings they need to have complete control of the BlackBerry 10 smartphones connected to their networks. Extending BlackBerry security, device and application management to iOS and Android frees our customers from the need to invest in multiple device management technologies, giving them an easy and cost-effective upgrade path to a solution that supports their entire mobile environment globally.”

BlackBerry’s chief operating officer, Kristian Tear, mentioned during the keynote address that BlackBerry is making this download available for free to all BES 10 licensed users. In addition, BES 5 customers can exchange their client access licenses for free until the end of this year.

Earlier this year in March, BlackBerry announced that there were additional updates that were scheduled for the end of June 2013. In addition to providing extra security, this update is designed to provide complete separation between work and personal data and applications for Android and iOS devices.

As stated in the BlackBerry press release, the new BlackBerry Secure Work Space for iOS and Android solution would include client applications that secure email, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, browsing and document editing.

Additionally it would introduce BlackBerry’s single outbound port solution. The goal of this is really to simplify firewall configuration and give customers a more secure, simple, cost effective and VPN-less infrastructure. All of this is designed to reliably manage all of the company’s mobile devices.

Some of the key features of BES 10 version 10.1 are:

• Regulated-level EMM – BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 version 10.1 provides customers with an optional set of extended IT policy settings and controls that restrict the use of a BlackBerry 10 smartphone for work only (does not allow personal apps and content).
• Simplified deployment for a lower total cost of ownership – Following a simple installation process, customer will be able to use BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 version 10.1 to manage BlackBerry 10 smartphones, BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets, iOS and Android devices, as well as earlier model BlackBerry smartphones.  Upgrading to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 version 10.1 is simple and intuitive, and existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 customers can quickly upgrade to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 version 10.1 with no firewall changes.
• Dashboard & reporting – New dashboard capabilities provide an "at-a-glance" graphical view of information and statistics associated with the customer's complete fleet of devices, providing administrators with immediate access to the information they need. The dashboard displays a high level overview of information, such as a device deployment summary by platform, carrier, device compliance, state, application deployment, and more.
• High Availability – All components of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 can now be deployed in a highly available, active/passive configuration, similar to the high availability support offered by BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0. It offers simple, easy to configure threshold settings and improved failover performance.
• BlackBerry Support is now included as standard – Care now comes standard with BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 deployments, providing 12x5 telephone access to BlackBerry  experts, responsive online support, and training, productivity and diagnostic tools. Extended technical support offerings are also available.