BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 now available

Waterloo, Ontario -- Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the immediate availability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server(TM) v4.1 and BlackBerry Enterprise Server - Small Business Edition v4.1 for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino(TM). The latest versions of BlackBerry Enterprise Server build upon the manageability and power of BlackBerry as a platform for wireless communications and mobile access to corporate data.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 includes new functionality that makes it easier than ever to expand populations of BlackBerry users and manage larger scale deployments. The new release further expands wireless communications in the enterprise by providing tight integration with leading platforms for enterprise instant messaging, including Microsoft Windows Messenger, Live Communications Server 2005 and IBM Lotus Sametime. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 also incorporates support for the new BlackBerry Mobile Data System(TM) v4.1 (MDS) application development and deployment environment, which includes BlackBerry MDS Studio(TM) (a new visual development tool for creating BlackBerry wireless applications from Web Services).

"RIM continues to enhance the BlackBerry platform and extend its industry leadership. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 gives IT departments increased control over their wireless deployments as they extend the benefits of mobility to a broader range of users," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "This release will also provide developers with a new and powerful visual tool to create mobile applications based on the open standard of Web Services."

The BlackBerry wireless platform delivers unparalleled security and utility and continues to be the platform of choice for corporate and government organizations. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 adds powerful new functionality for administrators, users and developers, including:

- BlackBerry Manager - provides a single common interface for managing multiple BlackBerry Enterprise Servers - Group-based administration - enables properties and tasks such as IT policies, email filters, MDS access controls, application pushes, synchronization settings, auto signatures and software configurations to be easily applied to groups of users - Support for multiple administrator roles - allows IT departments to control access rights to certain functions based on tiered administration roles from "help desk" to "full administrator" - Enterprise Instant Messaging - supports presence, group chat, "buddy list" synchronization, message auditing and enterprise access controls with Microsoft and IBM messaging servers - PIN to PIN and SMS message audit logs - provides an optional setting that enables compliance with corporate or government regulations - Support for BlackBerry MDS application development and deployment environment - RSA integration with MDS for authentication - the ability to easily create BlackBerry client applications that integrate with Web Services using the new BlackBerry MDS Studio visual development tool - BlackBerry Java(TM) Development Environment v4.1

"As the industry continues to move from wireless messaging to a stronger focus on wireless computing, enterprises will look for stable, robust platforms that allow them development choice, a wide array of IT policies for management and administration, as well as standards-based architectures that allow for easy integration with best of breed products," said Kevin Burden, Program Manager, Mobile Markets at IDC.

"As a leader in support of the real estate and financial industries, Fidelity National Financial must continually update our mobile staff with important business information," said Larry Augustine, Fidelity National Financial's Corporate IT Systems Manager. "BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 provides us with the technical power and capabilities we need to automatically relay critical information throughout the corporation to improve customer service, productivity and communications."

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 and BlackBerry Enterprise Server - Small Business Edition v4.1 both support IBM Lotus Domino versions 5.0 through 7.0, as well as Microsoft Exchange version 5.5 through the most recent Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2.