BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express Explained

What is BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a middleware software package on the BlackBerry wireless platform. This BlackBerry service and software connects to messaging and collaboration software on enterprise networks. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express provides users with secure, push based, wireless email access, contacts, calendar, tasks, notes and many business applications. It works with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server.

Features

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is free software pitched at small and mid-sized businesses. It works with any BlackBerry device that has internet access or an enterprise data plan. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express enables small and medium sized businesses more functionality than a full BlackBerry Enterprise Server. It benefits both the end users and the IT administrators. For end users, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express offers the following solutions:

• Synchronizing emails, contacts, calendars, tasks and notes wirelessly.
• Remotely manages email folders on the mail server.
• Manages booked meetings and appointments.
• Setting up “out of office” reply from BlackBerry device.
• Uses office suite Documents To Go for editing Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel.
• Accesses files stored on the company network.
• Allows the use of mobile applications to access business systems behind firewalls.

For IT administrators, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express offers the following solutions:

• Offers over 35 IT policies. It manages the smartphones of the company including resetting passwords and remotely wiping stolen or lost devices.
• Delegate tasks, deploy and manage applications OTA (over the air).
• Wirelessly updates the BlackBerry devices.
• Runs only on Microsoft mail server.

Furthermore, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express provides advanced security features to both the end users and IT administrators. These features include data encryption, device lock down, wirelessly enforcing security settings and protection against malware.

How it works

Before we conclude, let’s look at how the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express’s message flow works:

• A new message arrives in the user’s exchange mailbox. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express monitors this message via Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI).
• The message is encrypted using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and is compresses into chunks.
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express makes a secure outbound initiated authenticated bi-directional connection to RIM Network Operation Center.
• A PIN in plain text is generated at the front end of the encrypted message so that RIM knows where to direct the message.
• The message is sent to the mobile device through internet via the wireless carrier or the Wi-Fi network.
• The encryption is decrypted, once the message reaches the mobile device.

In the marketplace where smartphones are becoming omnipresent, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is drastically raising the bar by providing cost effective solutions without compromising the manageability and security. For that reason, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is a recommended solution for small and mid sized companies. It is software like this which explains why the BlackBerry is still better than the iPhone for business users.