[EFats]

I would like to share one point of view from inside corporate:

I work (not IT) for a subsidiary of a large global company. I can't say, but you would've heard of us for sure, even used our stuff. Around the top for financial stability, innovation, most admired, size, you name it.

Despite being just a subsidiary, we still have to follow IT policies from global headquarters.

• We are just in process of migrating from WinXP to Win7
• In process migrating to Office 2010 (everyone hates it, and it's not just because of the ribbon) from Office 2000/2003.
• The latest supported version of Lotus Notes is 6.5, despite it being in constant use
• Blackberry is the tool of choice for those that get one, but these are OLD. My own personal Curve 9360 is likely one of the newer models around here, believe it or not. I've seen banged up Bold's missing portions of covers still in action.

I hope you get the idea. Big companies move glacially for many things, especially IT. When it works, you don't touch it (and frankly, company phones are not for watching Netflix or playing Angry Birds, even old BB7 devices are excellent e-mail and voice calling tools). The biggest issue with upgrading is "breaking"/incompatibility/new user help and the other is cost.

I only just heard that the move to BB10 devices will be now happening (how long since their introduction?) and current users will have a choice of Z10 or Q10. Actualy, I just saw someone get their new Q10 today.

If it's true that Blackberry has traditionally had most marketshare in the Enterprise space, well, it's clear BB10 is not an immediate consumer hit, but it's also clear to me that it's NOT clear that BB10 won't build to the same or better success as BB7. The biggest movers have yet to move. Remember when Canadian Tire moved to BB10? Well, we are bigger than that and I'd be willing to bet we're not the only big company taking its time.

(I would also like to refer to a prior post pointing to an article that broke out the largest phone makers. Tops was Apple & Samsung of course, but the next in line were a couple of Chinese companies that barely, or don't even, sell in the USA. So success isn't necessarily defined by the US market. )

[ekv]

Give them a week with Q10 or Z10. I am afraid many of them will complain about the lack of trackpad and many other missing bbos features.

Ask them to understand what they are getting into rather the getting it and complaining it does not work as well as their old slow broken device.

Bbos and bb10 are very different.

[co4nd]

Until just recently I worked for a large organization that use to hand out blackberries. But several years ago the CEO decided that he wanted to get out of the phone business, didn't, like administering blackberry servers or the IT resources required to support the phones. They moved to BYOD, and published instructions to connect to the exchange server. Employees get a $75 a month phone stipend. Company saved a lot of money

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Today most people have their own mobile devices... the world has changed from the early days of companies issuing devices. So MANY companies are moving to the BYOD path for their employees and giving them an allowance to cover cost (thus giving them the right to make you answer a phone at all hours). There is really only a very small niche where security requirements might demand that the devices be totally locked down and under management's control.

As for business moving slowly to change technology.... if it works, why change.

[TGR1]

As soon as you mentioned Lotus Notes my eyeballs fried and brain imploded. Man I hate that thing.

[PP_Bone]

... Blackberry is the tool of choice for those that get one, but these are OLD. My own personal Curve 9360 is likely one of the newer models around here, believe it or not. I've seen banged up Bold's missing portions of covers still in action.

Awesome!

... When it works, you don't touch it ...

Agreed.

... and frankly, company phones are not for watching Netflix or playing Angry Birds, even old BB7 devices are excellent e-mail and voice calling tools ...

Damn straight!