BlackBerry Introduces BES12 as the New Foundation for Enterprise Mobility

• New BES10 pricing made easier with two tiers, Silver and Gold
• New promotional program allows customers to deploy BES10 at no cost
• New ecosystem of enterprise applications

Be Mobile, 2014, Miami – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY; TSX:BB), a world leader in mobile communications, unveiled plans for BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 12 (BES12), a new enterprise mobility solution that is application-enabled and unifies BES10 and BES5 to one platform. In addition, a new promotional program will provide free migration to BES10, while a new pricing structure enables customers to simplify their enterprise mobility management (EMM) environment to a single trusted provider.

BlackBerry’s enterprise strategy is to extend beyond EMM to an application-based environment and ecosystem that provides a highly productive end-user experience. This will enable organizations to develop and deploy new services to mobile devices faster. By doing so, BlackBerry will target a global market that IDC has forecasted to reach $4.8 billion by 2017.(1)

“BES10 is the only mobility management solution that meets the highest security demands of regulated industries and is also flexible enough for BYOD,” said John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry. “This value proposition is why the new BES12 architecture is designed to ensure that the more than 80,000 existing BES customers can seamlessly migrate forward. As we execute on our long term vision, we will offer all customers the opportunity to move forward with us. The investment customers make in BlackBerry today will be a valuable investment for the future.”

The Next Generation of BES – BES12

As part of BlackBerry’s long term strategy, the Company is developing the next generation of the BES platform to enable organizations to develop enterprise-grade applications that can be quickly deployed to BlackBerry smartphones and other mobile devices.

In a report by Forrester Research, Inc.(2), authors Christian Kane and Michele Pelino wrote, “The wide variety of mobile devices and increased mobile application adoption require enterprises to broaden their mobility strategy beyond the simple management of devices, to include developing, deploying, securing, and managing mobile applications of all genres and capabilities.”

The new BES12 platform will focus on delivering the following core capabilities:

 

• Backwards Compatible and Future Proof: BlackBerry OS devices will be supported and the new platform provides the foundation for customers to integrate new mobile endpoints, enhanced user self-service, advanced service management, highly scalable datacenter-grade deployments, and implement active-active high availability clusters for ultimate reliability.
• Enhanced Multi-Platform Support: BlackBerry continues its commitment to providing multi-platform solutions and will add support for Windows Phone 8 in addition to already supported iOS®, Android™ and BlackBerry 10.
• Advanced Service Management: Proactive monitoring and systems tuning delivers a complete end-to-end perspective of the BES management platform and automates problem resolution.
• Connect Cloud and Mobile: The flexibility and scalability of the new BES12 architecture will provide customers with the ability to move from on-premise to the cloud effortlessly and securely. The new platform will support all deployment models, including on-premise, public cloud, private cloud and hybrid environments.
• Mobilize Apps: BlackBerry delivers the tools and integration points to easily develop and deploy securely connected enterprise apps across all supported platforms.

 

New EZ Pass migration program and BES10 Pricing

BlackBerry also announced today a new EZ Pass migration program that provides free migration for customers to move from BES and other MDM platforms to BES10 as well as a new pricing structure.

For existing BlackBerry customers, the BlackBerry EZ Pass migration program will match any active existing on-premise BES license and any active license customers may have from other MDM vendors with a corresponding Silver level BES10 perpetual license.(3) Customers will also receive free Advantage-level technical support with their new license to help them get up and running fast.

The new pricing and licensing structure will provide two simple tiers, Silver and Gold. Silver includes full device, application, email and security management for BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices, including the unique BlackBerry® Balance™ technology for BlackBerry 10 smartphones. Gold adds BlackBerry’s Secure Work Space containerization solution for iOS and Android, and advanced BlackBerry 10 management and security features for the most security-conscious organizations, including government, financial services and healthcare.

Enterprise Application Ecosystem

BlackBerry also announced today several new enterprise-grade applications, including:

 

• The eBBM™ Suite is a new family of products and services that work with BlackBerry smartphones and the BES10 platform to provide enterprise-class mobile messaging.
• SAP has certified SAP Fiori to run on BlackBerry 10 browsers which support HTML5, providing customers with tools and resources to be productive and efficient. SAP Fiori is a collection of apps that represents the new SAP user experience paradigm. It offers various business roles across lines of business in a simple, easy-to-use experience for SAP software functionality.
• GWAVA’s reseller partnership with BlackBerry helps meet the strict compliance requirements of regulated industries. GWAVA’s Retain for BlackBerry solution provides archiving and auditing capabilities for BBM conversations, PIN, SMS/MMS text messages and phone usage data for BlackBerry 10 smartphones.

 

The BES12 platform is expected to be available by the end of 2014. An early adopter program will be open for participation this summer. For more information on BlackBerry’s enterprise mobility management solutions, please visit www.BES10.com.

The BlackBerry EZ Pass migration program offer including Advantage-level technical support will be available March 31, 2014 through January 31, 2015.(3) Please visit www.blackberry.com/ezpass to apply for the program.

The Silver and Gold pricing structure will be in effect beginning March 31, 2014.(4) Please visit www.blackberry.com/pricingupdate.

(1) IDC Worldwide Mobile Enterprise Application Development Platform 2013-2017 Forecast and 2012 Vendor Shares, doc #24418, November 2013. $4.8B in reference to the Mobile Enterprise Application Platform market.

(2) “Apps Everywhere: Understanding The Need For Mobile Application Management”, Forrester Research, May 30, 2013.

(3) Terms and conditions apply

(4) Availability and timing will vary by country and channel partner

 

The Medellin Chamber of Commerce Upgrades to BlackBerry’s Multi-platform Mobility Management Solution

Medellin, Colombia – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a world leader in mobile communications, announced today that The Medellin Chamber of Commerce, a leading provider of enterprise and corporate services, will upgrade its enterprise mobility management (EMM) platform to BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10 (BES10), with the objective of enhancing the company’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy.

For The Medellin Chamber of Commerce, a renowned local entity that focuses on the advancement and regional competitiveness of its member companies, BES10 allows the organization to be more productive and effective by optimizing its communications and improving the collaboration processes among employees. BES10 also offers The Medellin Chamber of Commerce the flexibility to manage iOS® and Android™ devices, which enables the organization’s workforce to align itself with the organization’s security policies no matter which platform a user selects.

“Our dynamic workforce demands real-time mobility as well as the freedom to utilize their own devices, and as IT administrators, we need the most secure and flexible platform in the market to manage this multi-OS environment,” said Irley Gonzalez Echavarria, IT Support Department, Vice President of Operations at The Medellin Chamber of Commerce. “Our experience with the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 platform has been very positive as we have been able to securely manage all of our devices through a simple unified console,” said Gonzalez Echavarria.

“With its upgrade to BES10, The Medellin Chamber of Commerce will be better equipped to manage their mix of mobile devices, offering employees secure access to corporate information and assets in order to increase their productivity,” said Nuncio Di Mare, Enterprise Sales Manager for Colombia at BlackBerry. “BlackBerry remains the most trusted enterprise mobility solution, offering customers a reliable, secure and cost-effective solution for multi-OS mobility management.”

The BES10 multi-platform solution allows customers to manage BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices from a single, highly secure, reliable platform. Around the globe, nearly 33,000 BES10 commercial and test servers have been installed to date. To further accelerate migration to BES10, BlackBerry launched the new BlackBerry’s EZ Pass migration program that provides free migration for existing BlackBerry customers or those on any other mobility management platform. The BlackBerry’s EZ Pass migration program will be available until January 31, 2015. Please visit www.blackberry.com/ezpass for additional details and to apply for the program.

 

Argentina’s Ministry of Social Development Upgrades Mobile Fleet to Enhance Communications among Employees

Buenos Aires, Argentina — BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a world leader in mobile communications, announced today that the Ministry of Social Development of Argentina has upgraded its fleet of BlackBerry® smartphones. The Ministry purchased 1,200 BlackBerry® Z10 and 1,100 BlackBerry® Q10 smartphones, with BlackBerry® 10 OS version 10.2.1, to help boost employee productivity.

The Ministry of Social Development is a government agency devoted to addressing and reducing situations of social vulnerability, and promoting social integration and human development. With a staff of 15,700 employees, it comprises five decentralized bodies and several National Social Programs providing varied services, including but not limited to: education, social inclusion, integral prevention and relief of situations of vulnerability, and food and medical assistance from childhood into old age.

Throughout the country’s expansive borders, the Ministry assists citizens in many different provinces. This calls for the use of state-of-the-art technology to enable communication between all staff members, as well as reliable service to effectively implement the initiatives in populations that require ongoing support and aid.

The Ministry has been working with BlackBerry on its mobile solutions since 2012. Now, the agency’s current administration is upgrading to a BlackBerry solution that complements the advances the organization has already implemented.

“The Ministry chose to invest in BlackBerry because it’s the ideal mobility solution for governments, because of the high-level security, user experience and low total cost of ownership,” said Diana Beatriz Gomes, Chief of Heritage and Head of the Cellular and Satellite Communication Network of the Ministry of Social Development. “BlackBerry also provides several features which enable employees to be productive no matter where they are, such as super-fast browsing speeds and Documents To Go, which enables users to update spreadsheets, make edits to documents and give interactive presentations.”

“Corporate email with the BlackBerry Balance technology allows employees to access their personal and work information without compromising security. And BBM’s immediacy and reliability was a key factor in our purchase decision,” added Gomes.

“At BlackBerry we strive to provide customers such as the Ministry of Social Development with a mobile platform that enables them to be always on, always connected,” said Juan Cardona, Regional Director, Southern Cone, BlackBerry. “This government agency carries out a remarkable mission to provide social aid all throughout the country, and BlackBerry 10 helps them get the job done. The BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones have advanced hardware, communications and multimedia features, as well as an extended battery life, and that means the Ministry employees will always be well-informed and up to date anywhere the job takes them.”

 

Neal & Massy Wood Group Upgrades to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10

Chaguanas, Trinidad – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY; TSX:BB), a world leader in mobile communications, today announced that Neal & Massy Wood Group (NMWG), a leading service provider in Trinidad & Tobago’s energy industry, has upgraded to BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10 as its Enterprise Mobility Management solution, to manage its deployment of BlackBerry® 10 smartphones. With the migration to BES10, NMWG will be able to reach new levels of mobile security, flexibility and productivity across its workforce.

BES10 enables enterprise customers to securely manage applications and content on BlackBerry, iOS® and Android™ devices, allowing for more streamlined communication and collaboration. Businesses such as NMWG value the easy access to information and the ability to deploy key applications that can increase productivity, while delivering the system security they require.

“We have implemented the best EMM solution on the market to suit our business’ mobility needs, which are secure email handling and editing of attachments during local and international travel. Users like the ease of data access through the hub while BES10 Management Studio makes managing devices so much easier for our IT Department.

We are also impressed by the excellent service provided by the BlackBerry team fulfilling requests on time and making us able to acquire Client Access Licenses and Support Packages in a timely manner.,” said Shivanand Sinanan, IT Technician at Neal and Massy Wood Group.

BlackBerry has made upgrading to BES10 very easy, and existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 clients can be quickly migrated without making any firewall changes. The BES10 solution provides customers with an optional set of extended IT policy settings, including corporate-only use of devices.

“BlackBerry is excited that NMWG has chosen BES10 to manage its mobile fleet and enhance worker productivity,” said Andrew Persaud, Enterprise Sales Manager Caribbean at BlackBerry. “BlackBerry provides the best and most secure mobile enterprise solution, ensuring an easier way for our customers of doing business all around the world.”

Around the globe, nearly 33,000 BES10 commercial and test servers have been installed to date.

To learn more about BES10, please visit http://mx.blackberry.com/business/software/bes-10.html

 

BlackBerry’s Be Mobile Conference Focuses on Mobile Security in Latin America

Second Annual Event Will Convene Mobile Industry Leaders and Academics to Focus on Emerging Trends

Miami, Florida – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX), a world leader in mobile communications, kicks off today its second Be Mobile Conference for Latin American media. The event will focus on the topic of mobile security and how current and future security trends are impacting governments, enterprises and individuals around the world.

“BlackBerry is the gold standard when it comes to secure mobile communications,” said Jorge Aguiar, BlackBerry’s Regional Director for Latin America. “As the global conversation on the importance of mobile security becomes more prominent, the significance of the unique mobile enterprise solutions BlackBerry provides has grown still further. This year’s Be Mobile Conference will offer a wealth of information on mobile security trends that our large base of enterprise customers and more than 500 government customers across Latin America need to understand.”

The Be Mobile Conference 2014 is a two day event for media that will include lectures from world-renowned security experts, interactive presentations and live demonstrations of BlackBerry’s advanced enterprise mobility solutions, panel discussions and debates on mobile security trends.

The full program for the Be Mobile Conference is available at: www.thebemobileconference.com. Among the guest speakers presenting at the event will be:

• Bruce Schneier: An internationally renowned security technologist, called a “security guru” by The Economist. He is the author of 12 books — including Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust that Society Needs to Thrive — as well as hundreds of articles, essays and academic papers. His influential newsletter “Crypto-Gram” and blog “Schneier on Security” are read by over 250,000 people.

 

• Jeff Holleran: As Senior Director, Enterprise Product Strategy at BlackBerry, Jeff Holleran is responsible for setting the product strategy and roadmap for BlackBerry’s enterprise software offerings. Jeff has also held leadership roles in product management, technical sales and solutions development since joining BlackBerry in November, 2001.

 

• Andrew Lippman: One of the founders of the world-famous MIT Media Lab, Andy is one of the world’s foremost researchers on the evolution and impact of technology and media on business, society and everyday life.

 

• John Sileo: CEO of The Sileo Group, a privacy and security think tank that helps organizations protect the data that drives their profits. His body of work includes engagements with the Pentagon, USA Today, Blue Cross, the FDIC, Pfizer, 60 Minutes, Homeland Security, and organizations of all sizes.

 

• Jay Gumbiner: Oversees IDC’s Latin America research organization, managing diverse teams of hardware, software and services analysts spread throughout the region, providing analysis across more than a dozen countries in Latin America through quarterly, semiannual and annual studies. These services provide detailed forecasts of the region’s leading consumer and enterprise markets.

The conference can be followed on Twitter: @BlackBerryESP, @BlackBerry4Biz and via #bemobile.

 

About BlackBerry

A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols “BB” on the Toronto Stock Exchange and “BBRY” on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.blackberry.com