RIM launches BES 10 with Android and iOS support

Research In Motion's (RIM) new BlackBerry 10 (BB10) mobile device management service is now available to download.

The firm's new BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 can be used to manage the firm's range of tablets and smartphones, including its highly anticipated BB10 device, as well as Android and iOS devices.

BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10provides business and IT leaders with the confidence that corporate data is protected.

The product is aimed at enterprise users and will allow firms to manage the devices and applications employees use, and provide users with secure access to corporate data.

It features a web-based admin console, which IT staff can use to manage their company's plethora of devices, and supports the use of BlackBerry's BYOD-friendly Balance technology.

The latter is being touted by RIM as one of the standout features of the forthcoming BB10 device, which will launch on 30 January, and allows business users to keep their personal and corporate data separate on a single device.

Peter Devenyi, senior vice president of enterprise software at RIM, said: "BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10provides business and IT leaders with the confidence that corporate data is protected and the manageability that CIOs and IT departments have long enjoyed with BlackBerry."

The offering is available to download now or as a limited 60 day free trial, while existing BlackBerry users can upgrade for free through the firm's BlackBerry 10 Ready Programme.

Nick McQuire, research director for mobile enterprise strategies for EMEA at IDC, said the service offers some important operational improvements for BlackBerry's existing user base.

"We believe RIM is poised to capitalise on its strong history in delivering reliable, scalable and secure mobile enterprise management solutions to help organisations address an increasingly diverse mobile environment," he added.

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.