by Al Sacco

BlackBerry Tools for iOS, Android Management Now Available

Opinion
Apr 03, 20122 mins
iPhoneSecuritySmartphones

RIM today released a version of its new BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software, which it is calling the "next generation of BES," with BlackBerry, Apple iOS and Google Android security and management features.

UPDATE: Apple just released the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion app for iOS in the iTunes Store. Check out the screen shots at the bottom of the post for a look at the new handheld software, which is required for iOS Mobile Fusion management. The Android client is also available via Google’s Play store.

Research In Motion (RIM) today released a new version of its BlackBerry Mobile Fusion mobile device security and management suite that lets IT managers secure not only BlackBerry smartphone and tablets but also Android and iOS devices.

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BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is the “next generation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES),” according to RIM’s VP of Enterprise Product Management Alan Panezic.  BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is designed to integrate with organizations’ existing BlackBerry infrastructure and eventually allow them to manage and secure “smartphones and tablets from any manufacturer,” Panezic told me in an interview in February.

The new tool contains a five device management and security components: BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio, a web-based interface that lets administrator manage mobile devices, users, configurations, policies and more; BES software, which will still be used to manage corporate-liable BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 7.1 or earlier; BES Express, free software used to manage personal-liable BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry OS 7.1 or earlier; the BlackBerry Device Service, which is used to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablets; and the Universal Device Service, which provides mobile device management tools for Apple iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets.

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The first version of Mobile Fusion was released last month, but it did not include the iOS and Android management features. RIM is currently offering up a free, 60-day BlackBerry Mobile Fusion trial, and you can find more information on RIM’s website.

Also, check out a couple of recent stories I wrote on Mobile Fusion and what it, along with RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS, means to IT: “What You Need to Know About BlackBerry Mobile Fusion” and “BlackBerry 10 OS to Support Microsoft ActiveSync, No BES: What It Means for IT.”

AS

Via @banthon