Hasta La Gadget!

One of the reasons companies were so into BlackBerry back in the day was because of services like BES. This allowed companies to provide BlackBerry phones to their employees, while maintaining a level of control as well as ensuring that messages and emails sent to and from BlackBerry devices were secure thanks to encryption. It also allowed IT managers to remotely lock and wipe devices in the event that it is lost or stolen, preventing the public or the competition from finding out about company trade secrets. However as BlackBerry began to decline, companies started to turn to alternatives and the BYOD (bring your own device) program was starting to catch on, with employees bringing in iPhones, Android devices, and even Windows Phone.

Well the good news is that companies who are worried about BYOD can rest assured knowing that in the future, BES 10 will be adding Windows Phone support. This is according to BlackBerry’s Managing Director for India, Sunil Lalvani, who in an interview with the Economic Times in India confirmed that Windows Phone support for BES 10 will be happening “soon”. While we’re sure Lalvani knows what’s going on in the company, he has in the past made some statements that BlackBerry was forced to clarify or refute, but hopefully this time will be different. In the meantime what do you guys think of BES 10 support Windows Phone?

BES 10 Support For Windows Phone Could Be Coming Soon original content from Ubergizmo.

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.

Filed under: Cellphones

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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