Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are losing out on the full business benefits of BlackBerry Smartphone technology because they don’t have the technical wherewithal to deploy and maintain the devices properly.
So says Graeme Victor, CEO of telecommunications solutions company Du Pont Telecom, who maintains that while Blackberry has become the defacto handset in the corporate market because of the increases in efficiencies it offers, many BlackBerry users in both the corporate and SME sectors utilise the sophisticated devices as little more than a standard cellphone with some email capabilities.
“The power of BlackBerry lies in the principle that it is more than just a device. It should be part of an integrated solution, with the BlackBerry device an extension of the user’s personal computer,” he explains.
An integrated BlackBerry solution allows users to connect to business applications used in the office; and it ensures synchronisation of their email, calendar events, contacts, tasks and memos between their PCs and the BlackBerry device.
“However, ensuring that information on the user’s BlackBerry smartphone is automatically updated with the information on their computer requires the implementation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server. That’s often where the problem lies for SMEs from both a budget and access to IT skills perspective,” he adds.
The solution, Victor believes, is for SMEs – and larger corporates who don’t want to invest in or have the hassle of maintaining back-end BlackBerry technology – to outsource their BlackBerry Enterprise Server to an accredited BlackBerry integration specialist like Du Pont Telecom.
Most businesses outsource their email servers to external service providers. Outsourcing your BlackBerry Enterprise Server is really an extension of that trend, enabling you to focus on running your business than on managing technology.
“A hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server offers you the security and functionality of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Solution without you having to buy, install or manage server software. There are no upfront software costs, deployment overhead or ongoing IT support costs – and, once the solution has been implemented and integrated with your existing hosted email and business applications, you only pay for what you use,” he explains.
In addition, Du Pont offers full on-site training to BlackBerry users, helping to ensure that they are able to extract all possible benefits from the solution.