BES Express: all kind data connection down when BES is isolated from the Internet

[mamobes]

Hello Everyone
My name is Massimo and I am writing from Italy.
I have a question regarding BES/BESExpress architecture.

I installed my first BES a few months ago in my office and configured it for Exchange 2007. Everything is fine at the moment. I didn’t change any of the default configuration on BES. I just configured users and activated emails via standard procedure (passcode on the phone).
My users, use the BlackBerry also to download Gmail, to surf the internet with BB browser, to update status on FB or Linkedin, for GPS tracking etc... The use the BB for many applications that send and receive data.

Today, for the first time in 6 months, our office has problems on internet providers, so my BES Express server is not able to communicate to the internet since 6 hours.
We noticed that, suddenly, just after few minutes of Internet down at office, ALL of our telephones can't use any kind of "data connection" anymore.

They can't read GMAIL or other POP3 emails, they can't surf on the internet with BB browser, they can't see FB or LinkedIn information, they can't even start GPS application softwares that are "online" and need internet connection.

Is that an expected behavior?
Is “data” connection for each application forwarded via BES Express server?
Is it possible to avoid this behaviour and have the BBs surf on the internet indipendenty and autonomously even without Internet connection at my office? (of course Exchange Email need to use it... I just want to separate the traffic different from the Exchange Server)

Thanks in advance

[NetworkGuy]

Yes, since your devices send all their Internet communications through the BES, and the BES is off the Internet right now, all your devices are basically just dumb phones right now. To fix this problem, you would have to have a backup BES(X) server somewhere where there is an Internet connection and fail-over to it.

[mamobes]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

Yes, since your devices send all their Internet communications through the BES, and the BES is off the Internet right now, all your devices are basically just dumb phones right now. To fix this problem, you would have to have a backup BES(X) server somewhere where there is an Internet connection and fail-over to it.

First of all, thank you for such a quick reply.
I have another site with a separate internet connection, so, this could be also reasonable for me to create. But... I don't understand: how do I instruct my phones to forward via new BES? I mean: as fas as I know, one mobile phone can only be registered to one BES at time... should I re-associate all phones to the NEW BES (new registration)?

[mamobes]

Today I have some evidence that probably things are slighly different.
Yesterday there has been also a big problem in EMEA Relay for RIM.

This morning, our internet connection is still down, but EMEA Relay is up again.
What I see on our mobile phones is that Exchange email is down (of course! there is no internet in my office), Internet via BB Browser down as well, but other internet based apps are working (linkedin, facebook, gmail, pop3 email).

So, NOT every kind of data connection is routed via BES Express server...