Research In Motion (RIM) has launched BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, the firm’s next-generation mobile device management (MDM) solution for enterprise customers.
According to RIM, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion delivers a cost-efficient, secure, reliable and scalable solution that consolidates the management of smartphones and tablets running BlackBerry OS, including support for BlackBerry PlayBook and future BlackBerry 10 devices, as well as Android and iOS, and provides a single, unified, web-based console for easily managing all devices.
“For businesses and government, managing a mix of mobile devices on any scale is chaotic,” says said Alan Panezic, vice president, enterprise product management and marketing at RIM. “Organisations face pressure to allow employees to bring their own devices into the workplace, and they are looking to RIM as the global leader in the enterprise mobility space to solve that problem. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion allows organisations to manage a mixed environment of devices in the most secure, simple, and cost efficient manner possible. It also means that businesses and government do not have to move to the lowest common denominator on security for all the devices they need to manage.”
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion integrates the features and security architecture of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (version 5.0.3), providing advanced IT management and controls; a single outbound security connection (256-bit AES encrypted BlackBerry VPN); enforceable IT policies; support for BlackBerry Balance technology; and over-the-air app and software installation capabilities for the management of BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook tablets, as well as future BlackBerry 10 devices. 
BlackBerry Mobile Fusion also provides comprehensive mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices including support for multiple devices per user; application and software management; connectivity management (wi-fi, VPN, certificates); a centralised, easy-to-use, unified web-based console; security and policy definition and management; asset and configuration management; and security and protection for lost or stolen devices, including remote lock and wipe. BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software is available as a free download and is priced by the number of devices being managed. Client Access Licences (CALs) start at $99 per user or $4 per user per month (billed annually); volume discounts are also available. In addition, RIM is offering a 60-day free trial, enabling customers to deploy a pilot before purchasing a licence. The 60-day free trial is available here.
iOS and Android devices require the Mobile Fusion Client app to enable the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion management services, which is available as a free download for iOS and Android devices from their respective app stores. Device security, manageability and controls vary according to the inherent capabilities of the individual device operating systems.
