Need to support the iPhone? Your BlackBerry VAR Can Help

by on 16/11/09 at 5:35 pm

Need to support the iPhone? Your BlackBerry VAR Can Help

Dan Dearing is the Vice President of Marketing & Product Management for Trust Digital and contributing editor for iPhoneCTO.

The iPhone is the hottest smartphone on the market today. Gartner recently reported that Apple saw a huge market share jump from 2.8 percent in 2008 to 13.3 percent in Q2 2009. Gartner also observed that this growth rate has Apple on track to overtake RIM by mid-2010 and become the number two player in the smartphone market. Some vendors may believe otherwise. Motorola, leveraging Android, is poised to make a big splash with Droid on the Verizon network and possibly create yet another blockbuster device. While the BlackBerry phenomenon took almost ten years to develop within the enterprise market, consumer adoption has the iPhone and other touch-screen smartphones on a very different trajectory.

Market pundits have been talking about it for a while, but IT will be awash in consumer devices. Starting with iPhoneOS 2.0, Apple enabled users to connect their iPhones to work and WebOS and Android have followed suit. So, just by sheer numbers, it’s inevitable that consumers are taking their iPhones to work. This was illustrated by a recent sales meeting Trust Digital had with a large Pan-European service provider in London, where the IT team discussed the merits of sticking with their BlackBerry strategy and why iPhone was not part of their strategy. This was contradicted by a quick inspection of the smartphones used by those sitting at the table (with amnesty offered to all for full disclosure) – six of eight people participating in the meeting had an iPhone. Other discussions have reinforced that often IT support specialists and C-level executives are the first adopters of the iPhone in the enterprise. The following quote was a reader’s response to an article and reinforces what we are seeing with our customers:

“Over half of our IT staff have switched to the iPhone, in lieu of the company issued Blackberry. We are hounded by our users daily to officially support it. I use it myself and prefer it for business, as do most people (here) that actually have one and use it. The heaviest criticism we see tends to come from folks that simply love to hate Apple, or assume all businesses are just like theirs. Of course no device is without limitations. Many of the so-called reasons against its business value may be true for their world, but are just not a problem in reality for us.” Posted By Blackberry Admin, Houston, TX: November 2, 2009 4:23 PM

RIM has long provided business IT with a comfort zone for supporting handheld devices like they have their other corporate IT assets. BlackBerry devices are easy to connect to the IT email environment and easy to manage from the centralized console of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Over the last ten years, RIM has also created a network of VARs to make it easy for IT to buy and service the BES while getting their BlackBerry devices from their carrier of choice. As a result, many IT organizations have standardized on the RIM solution for smartphone mobility.

The smartphone world is rapidly changing, however. David Pogue of the New York Times recently wrote an article that crystallized what is different about the latest generation of smartphones. iPhone, Android and webOS are not smartphones; they are “app phones”. Smartphones, such as the Palm Treo, Motorola Q and most BlackBerry devices, are primarily email devices wed with cell phones. App phones give the enterprise two benefits, they provide greater productivity for workers with applications beyond email and they also help better serve their consumer customers. “There’s an app for that” has been embraced by enterprises such as Nationwide Insurance, Virgin Atlantic Airlines and Starbucks. This trend has had some startling effects that just a few months ago would have been deemed unlikely. Reuters reported that some financial analysts are downgrading RIM stock because of mounting competition.

“Simply put, there is an invasion of new phones, applications, and competition,” Citi Investment Research analyst Jim Suva wrote to clients. He cut his rating to “sell” from “buy”. “The revolution of product and application service offerings is going to start to crack open the enterprise door and pose a risk for BlackBerry,” Suva wrote.

This does not signal that RIM is dead, but it does show that change is underway. IT needs to get ready. New enterprise mobility management platforms like Trust Digital EMM enable an open policy that leverages rapid smartphone innovation across many mobile OS platforms. The EMM server will co-exist with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, because BlackBerry devices will continue to be an important part of the enterprise. However, while the EMM server provides IT with the centralized management and control of the BES, it also enables app phones to plug into existing IT services (e.g. PKI and directory services) very much like a laptop by automating the configuration of WiFi, VPN and other app phone features to simplify application access.

For IT suppliers that are also BlackBerry VARs, adding an EMM platform will evolve their mobility offering beyond email. So, for many IT organizations that want to leverage the innovation of app phones such as the iPhone and Android, it may be as easy as asking their current BlackBerry VAR for help.

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  • Frank Castle

    Reality is all these “solutions” are tied to Exchange ActiveSync for the bulk of their policy enforcement. So if you need encryption due to a regulation you better hope your Exchange back end is version 2007. Doesn't help the fact that Apple's encryption doesn't work on older models and requires the 3Gs, glad no one has thousands of 3G's deployed as their useless if you need encryption.

    Apple tries to stem these security flaws by releasing a new baseband (which I'm sure EMM can spot check like other solutions in this vertical). Trouble is its already been broken (again). Apple's biggest risk is the community that adores it.

    These solutions are sorely needed but at what cost? The per device CAL is often more and you have less control then BES. How does this cost work if your insane enough to allow personal liable? IT pick up that tab / users? What if they leave do you refund them?

    For any real traction this space needs to settle down from the consumer explosion as business see the interest but the bulk is not business related at all. Consumer growth will outpace enterprise in this space by tenfold.

    Enterprise Apps require security and right now Apple's is questionable at best. Huge difference between a Find a Starbucks app and intergration with your customer portfolio information.

  • dandearing

    The conversation in IT does not have to center on a binary choice between Blackberry and the iPhone. Blackberry is a mature product that is an excellent solution for push email. That’s the rub – users want something more. Often that is being driven by C-level execs, ironic given that it’s the same group of early adopters who demanded that IT support the Blackberry. They want the user experience of iPhone and other devices like it.

    So why not create an environment that supports both? I can’t speak for our competition but price is not the issue, since Trust Digital EMM pricing is similar to BES. EMM is an enterprise console, decoupled from the Exchange messaging platform, allowing IT to support the iPhone with a variety of email platforms and non email applications. This enables IT to match the user with the device that makes them productive and happy while still complying with corporate policies.

    Not all companies are ready for this, but everyday we see more IT organization that can no longer just call itself a “BlackBerry shop” as their iPhone pilot moves to full production and users have the choice of both devices.

  • Frank Castle

    I'm sorry but “something more” has nothing to do with enterprise usage. Does it matter to us if we support games, increasing adult content all while not having as robust PIM management all while dealing with less security to boot. Have I missed something?

    It's not like Blackberry is only doing push email, that was 2003. Chalk, a number of data intergrators (Antenna, Pyxis etc) as well LBS applications. Robost PBX extension, Enterprise IM, SAP, Concur and a growing number of enterprise platforms are extending to Blackberry. Sure iPhone will get some of this support but often with less functionality and importantly security. The issue is Apple won't provide the API's to control the device as needed and many applications require background processing (something Apple is against).

    Why not – simple – Budget constraint and already having an established mobile solution. Apple treats enterprise as an afterthought. No roadmaps, no information on patches (3.0 started reporting about encryption properly and broke a lot of people's connection to Exchange). Who wants to upgrade their iPhone deployment every year to keep current? Enterprise is not about to wait around for just one more thing to figure out their next year's mobile strategy.

    Does EMM provide encryption across all iPhones? What about bootloader modification – can you detect that / block jailbreak iPhones? What about application management – able to push / update applications made in house? For all financial firms there is a growing need to be compliant with 174A regulation around SMS/TXT – EMM able to help with that?

    These solutions offer limited capability that for some company new to mobile email are suffient but are lacking compared to current BES deployments that have established multiple year deployment. I realize your limited by Apple's control issues and think this side needs a couple more years to improve to provide everything needed to be a true enterprise mobile solution.

  • Frank Castle

    I'm sorry but “something more” has nothing to do with enterprise usage. Does it matter to us if we support games, increasing adult content all while not having as robust PIM management all while dealing with less security to boot. Have I missed something?

    It's not like Blackberry is only doing push email, that was 2003. Chalk, a number of data intergrators (Antenna, Pyxis etc) as well LBS applications. Robost PBX extension, Enterprise IM, SAP, Concur and a growing number of enterprise platforms are extending to Blackberry. Sure iPhone will get some of this support but often with less functionality and importantly security. The issue is Apple won't provide the API's to control the device as needed and many applications require background processing (something Apple is against).

    Why not – simple – Budget constraint and already having an established mobile solution. Apple treats enterprise as an afterthought. No roadmaps, no information on patches (3.0 started reporting about encryption properly and broke a lot of people's connection to Exchange). Who wants to upgrade their iPhone deployment every year to keep current? Enterprise is not about to wait around for just one more thing to figure out their next year's mobile strategy.

    Does EMM provide encryption across all iPhones? What about bootloader modification – can you detect that / block jailbreak iPhones? What about application management – able to push / update applications made in house? For all financial firms there is a growing need to be compliant with 174A regulation around SMS/TXT – EMM able to help with that?

    These solutions offer limited capability that for some company new to mobile email are suffient but are lacking compared to current BES deployments that have established multiple year deployment. I realize your limited by Apple's control issues and think this side needs a couple more years to improve to provide everything needed to be a true enterprise mobile solution.

  • Calvin Keegan

    Frank,

    I keep running across your comments, and I have to ask – do you work for RIM? You are arguing against iPhone as though the device is wholly terrible and as if there is no need for enterprises to look beyond RIM. Blackberry is a great device for what it was originally intended, but the market is telling us (IT departments included) that the iPhone offers something interesting. We ultimately have to acknowledge these trends. Instead of trying to refute iPhone at every turn, we should be asking HOW DO WE MAKE IT WORK? Companies like Trust Digital seem sensible to me. Whatever approach IT groups take, we'll do so based on discussions around HOW and not by burying our heads in the sand.

    Beyond the trends, iPhone's App framework is solid. We have an increasingly robust array of capabilities to extend to our employees, and some of those are nothing short of compelling. Unlike my frustration with Windows Mobile, Apple's limitations on multi-threading give us great confidence in its basic security (add in encryption etc). ActiveSync doesn't offer the control we have from our BES, and we are looking at companies like Trust Digital and MobileIron because they approximate what BES gives us.

    So Frank – be constructive here. You sound like an old friend of mine who still argues about why Frame Relay is better than TCP/IP. Whatever the arguments and however true/false – it's wasted breath. iPhone is a reality. iPhone also offers new possibilities. It has challenges, but we address them. That's what good IT organizations do. Get busy doing that, Frank.

    Calvin

  • Calvin Keegan

    Frank,

    I keep running across your comments, and I have to ask – do you work for RIM? You are arguing against iPhone as though the device is wholly terrible and as if there is no need for enterprises to look beyond RIM. Blackberry is a great device for what it was originally intended, but the market is telling us (IT departments included) that the iPhone offers something interesting. We ultimately have to acknowledge these trends. Instead of trying to refute iPhone at every turn, we should be asking HOW DO WE MAKE IT WORK? Companies like Trust Digital seem sensible to me. Whatever approach IT groups take, we'll do so based on discussions around HOW and not by burying our heads in the sand.

    Beyond the trends, iPhone's App framework is solid. We have an increasingly robust array of capabilities to extend to our employees, and some of those are nothing short of compelling. Unlike my frustration with Windows Mobile, Apple's limitations on multi-threading give us great confidence in its basic security (add in encryption etc). ActiveSync doesn't offer the control we have from our BES, and we are looking at companies like Trust Digital and MobileIron because they approximate what BES gives us.

    So Frank – be constructive here. You sound like an old friend of mine who still argues about why Frame Relay is better than TCP/IP. Whatever the arguments and however true/false – it's wasted breath. iPhone is a reality. iPhone also offers new possibilities. It has challenges, but we address them. That's what good IT organizations do. Get busy doing that, Frank.

    Calvin

  • Calvin Keegan

    Frank,

    I keep running across your comments, and I have to ask – do you work for RIM? You are arguing against iPhone as though the device is wholly terrible and as if there is no need for enterprises to look beyond RIM. Blackberry is a great device for what it was originally intended, but the market is telling us (IT departments included) that the iPhone offers something interesting. We ultimately have to acknowledge these trends. Instead of trying to refute iPhone at every turn, we should be asking HOW DO WE MAKE IT WORK? Companies like Trust Digital seem sensible to me. Whatever approach IT groups take, we'll do so based on discussions around HOW and not by burying our heads in the sand.

    Beyond the trends, iPhone's App framework is solid. We have an increasingly robust array of capabilities to extend to our employees, and some of those are nothing short of compelling. Unlike my frustration with Windows Mobile, Apple's limitations on multi-threading give us great confidence in its basic security (add in encryption etc). ActiveSync doesn't offer the control we have from our BES, and we are looking at companies like Trust Digital and MobileIron because they approximate what BES gives us.

    So Frank – be constructive here. You sound like an old friend of mine who still argues about why Frame Relay is better than TCP/IP. Whatever the arguments and however true/false – it's wasted breath. iPhone is a reality. iPhone also offers new possibilities. It has challenges, but we address them. That's what good IT organizations do. Get busy doing that, Frank.

    Calvin