Research in Motion's BES 4.0

For this review, I tested BES 4.0 for Microsoft Exchange in my home lab and throughout the Washington, D.C., area. (For a review of BES 3.6, go to www.mobilepipeline.com/ 19201871.) I used two servers, one running Exchange Server 2003 (Service Pack 1), the other running BES 4.0. Both machines had 1 GB of RAM and ran Windows Server 2003. On the client side, RIM supplied me with a BlackBerry 7780.

Server InstallationInstallation has been greatly streamlined in BES 4.0. The process runs smoothly after a service account is created and a CDO (collaborative data objects) patch from Microsoft is applied to the server. Components that once required multiple installers for BES 3.6 now need only one. Even a relatively inexperienced IT admin can handle BES 4.0.

BES communicates with RIM's SRP (Server Relay Protocol) server using Port 3101. Communication is outbound only; BES initiates a connection to the SRP server, and data passes between BES and the SRP server using this connection. The advantage here is that no inbound connection is allowed to the BES server, so no inbound ports have to be opened on the corporate firewall.

Handheld Configuration

Of all BES' improvements, handheld provisioning and deployment will bring the most joy to IT. Version 4.0 introduces two means of deploying a handheld without having to configure anything on the user's workstation: BlackBerry Configuration Tool 4.0 and the enterprise configuration option in BlackBerry Manager 4.0. I found both effective.

Users with older devices will have to upgrade the handheld software to take advantage of new features like enterprise activation and enhanced attachment viewing.

Although I am partial to the form factor of devices like PalmOne's Treo 600, the Blackberry 7780 is a capable smartphone with all the features one would expect. Its adequate call quality improves with the included headset. The 7780, like its siblings, has a great color screen that is easy to view without the backlight even in dim environments.

The 7780 offers e-mail, calendaring, address book and Web browsing. Two browsers--a conventional WAP browser and the BlackBerry browser--are included. The full-featured BlackBerry browser is intended to drive Web-based mobile apps in conjunction with BlackBerry's Mobile Data Service. Although I didn't test these features extensively, I found the Blackberry browser worked well.

Overall Impressions

BES 4.0 offers simplified configuration and management. Using BlackBerry Manager 4.0's unified interface, you can deploy new applications, manage handheld policies and even wipe the handheld if the device is ever lost or stolen. The only drawback is that full management functionality is limited to BlackBerry devices.All in all, I was impressed with BES 4.0. Its new features make it a compelling solution for companies that want to provide wireless PIM to their users. IT managers be warned: If you start a wireless messaging pilot project with your users, they may never want to give their BlackBerries back.

Sean Ginevan is a freelance writer for Network Computing and Mobilepipeline.com. Write to him at [email protected].