Version 5.0.3 of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server product added support for the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 unified messaging platform. In this article I shall look at how to configure your Lync infrastructure and the BES to support this integration.

For information on how to configure access to Office Communications Server 2007, read this article - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/setting-blackberry-enterprise-server-acc...

BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express wirelessly synchronises your in-house Microsoft® Exchange or IBM® Lotus® Domino® email and personal information management features (like tasks, notes and calendar) with BlackBerry® smartphones. And best of all, at a price you can afford...it's free.

Visit www.blackberry.com/express to learn more!

With the release of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 Service Pack 3 (5.0.3), RIM have dropped support for the Microsoft SQL Desktop Engine (MSDE).
If you have upgraded a previous version 4.x BlackBerry server to version 5.x and wish to upgrade to 5.0.3, you will receive an error message stating that you do not have a supported database platform and the upgrade will not proceed any further.

The MSDE installation must be upgraded to SQL Server 2005 Express or later in order to install BES 5.0.3
In this article I shall run through how I installed SQL Server Express 2008 in order to upgrade from BES 5.0.2 and MSDE to BES 5.0.3 - note this is not an official RIM solution.

There are two ways in which web browsing from activated BlackBerry devices can be restricted:

• Implementation of a firewall or web proxy between the BES Express server and the Internet
• Usage of Pull Authorisation rules on the BES Express server

Service Pack 3 for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 for both Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino is now available to download from http://blackberry.com/go/serverdownloads

New features include:

• Device software updates - administrators can choose to make device software updates available to users. Users can also optionally roll back to an earlier device software version following an update if desired
  

The SRP Key of a BlackBerry Enterprise Server installation is the unique identifier assigned to the BES which it uses to access the RIM Relay. If you need to locate this key for support or migration purposes, it can be located as follows.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 4.x / BlackBerry Professional Software

Launch the BlackBerry Server Configuration Utility from Start --> Programs --> BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
Click on the BlackBerry Server tab:

When ordering additional Client Access Licences (CALs) for your BlackBerry Enterprise Server, it is important to be aware of the different types of licence that are available: Small Business (SBE) and Enterprise.
Although there is no difference in functionality between an SBE BES and an Enterprise BES installation, the two CAL types are not interoperable: it is not possible to add SBE CALs to an Enterprise BES; neither is it possible to add Enterprise CALs to an SBE BES.

The BlackBerry Enterprise Activation feature is undoubtedly one of the principle selling points of the BES solution and makes remote device activation for corporate usage by users themselves as simple as any user-driven process can be - but it is possible to make the process even simpler, and more tailored to your BlackBerry deployment, by customising the default Enterprise Activation password received by users containing their Enterprise Activation password.

By default, the email contains the user's activation password and brief instructions as to where to put it on the device itself:

I talked a customer through this today so thought it was worth a blog post. I've detailed the different methods by which a BlackBerry device can be activated in a previous post here - http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/bes-5-enterprise-activation
But it's probably worth re-visiting and also running through how you can test functionality using the BlackBerry Device Simulator.

As well as being able to activate BlackBerry devices against a BES via the cellular network using the Enterprise Activation feature, and also via the BlackBerry Web Desktop feature, it is also possible to activate devices via WiFi over the (W)LAN, not requiring that users have access to the mobile network or a PC to connect their device to.

This is particularly useful for companies that deploy BlackBerries for use only via WiFi within the confines of their business premises for access to email, calendaring and instant messaging services on a "local" basis only.

As PDAs become increasingly powerful and the need to access and store larger amounts of data rises, so does the need to secure that data. When deploying mobile devices and granting users remote access to local network resources, be it email, an intranet site, file shares or specific line of business applications, the administrator needs to know that those devices are doing so securely, will automatically lock themselves if left unattended and can be remotely wiped if they are suspected of being lost or stolen.

In this article I shall look at the foremost products available today, in the author's opinion, as well as the features that should be considered when evaluating a device management solution. If you are interested in knowing more, or have any questions relating to any of the information in this article, call Brightpoint today on 0870 849 0225.