BlackBerry launches new cloud-based EMM solution

Mobile management

BlackBerry has today launched BES12 Cloud. A fully cloud-based enterprise mobility management solution, BES12 Cloud offers employers the chance to capitalise on growing BYOD trends by allowing secure administration of a huge range of business smartphones and tablets.

Announced at last month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the launch sees BlackBerry's successful SaaS lineup continuing to grow. BES12 Cloud joins Secusuite and the BlackBerry 10 OS itself as one of the company's flagship software services.

As part of a partnership announced at MWC, BlackBerry has also integrated Samsung's range of secure Knox devices into EMM solutions such as BES12 Cloud. The system will also incorporate Android for Work, iOS and Windows smartphones and tablets.

Controlled entirely via browser interface, BES12 Cloud is designed to have all of the advantages of on-premise EMM solutions whilst also using the public cloud for enhanced mobility and scalability. Hosted entirely on off-site servers, it also means that CIOs don't need to invest in costly server stacks.

The tiered pricing structure is based on annual per-device subscriptions, and ranges from $23 to $90. Lower price tiers will have less support available, with more security and management options for premium customers.

BlackBerry is the latest in a long line of companies that are utilising the power of the cloud to improve their B2B offerings. J. Gold Associates predicts that by 2016, three-quarters of Enterprise Mobility Management will be based in the cloud, with similar numbers quoted by analysts in regards to application workloads and data storage.

Adam Shepherd

Adam Shepherd has been a technology journalist since 2015, covering everything from cloud storage and security, to smartphones and servers. Over the course of his career, he’s seen the spread of 5G, the growing ubiquity of wireless devices, and the start of the connected revolution. He’s also been to more trade shows and technology conferences than he cares to count.

Adam is an avid follower of the latest hardware innovations, and he is never happier than when tinkering with complex network configurations, or exploring a new Linux distro. He was also previously a co-host on the ITPro Podcast, where he was often found ranting about his love of strange gadgets, his disdain for Windows Mobile, and everything in between.

You can find Adam tweeting about enterprise technology (or more often bad jokes) @AdamShepherUK.