BES and Hotmail

[gentleman2]

Hi there,

I have a company BB 9700 connected to the corporate BES. Is there any way for me to add my private Hotmail account? Or is that something I would need to request from the IT department?

Many thanks.

[JeffH]

If your IT policy doesn't preclude BIS accounts, you can create one using your carrier's BIS website without needing assistance from your IT department. The specific steps to follow will depend on your carrier.

[gentleman2]

Many thanks for your reply. Would that require taking out a separate BIS account with the carrier in addition to the BES account? I ask as, when I was BIS previously, I had logon codes for accessing the carrier's BIS, whereas now I am BES I do not.

Or can I just ask the provider for a username and password for BIS?

[JeffH]

You should be able to set up a username and password on the carrier's BIS site. Typically a BES account includes multiple BIS email accounts in addition to the BlackBerry device email address and the enterprise email address.

[gentleman2]

Thanks again, I will try that out.

One additional question. Would the IT department have access to the contents of my hotmail emails that come into the BB, or will they just be local to the device? Likewise any messages that come into the mailbox through the Facebook app? I imagine not, but it's good to be sure...

[JeffH]

One purpose of BES is to facilitate the IT department's management of their BlackBerry devices. To that end, IT has a lot of control and insight. For example,

Can a BES administrator read my PIN and/or SMS messages and see my phone call logs?
Yes, if the BES is version 4.1 or newer and the device is o/s code 4.1 or later.

• Starting with BES 4.1, the BES admin can log all PIN and SMS messages to the BES server, including the content of those messages.
• BlackBerry Messenger messages and conversations can also be audited by the BES administrator.
• In addition, the administrator can view all phone calls made/received to the device including date/time, number dialed, and the name of the person you are calling or who called you if that name is listed in your contact list.

Source: BES Users FAQ - BlackBerryFAQ

See also this link, courtesy of member Motorcycle Momma: What does BES see? What can be tracked?

Based on the link Motorcycle Momma posted, it appears your BIS email content would not be visible. Since your browser site history is not visible, Facebook mail is probably not visible either.

The key point to remember is that you are using your employer's device. Anything you do that violates your company's IT security rules could potentially get you in trouble.

[gentleman2]

Very useful. I would stress that I have no intention of doing anything against any rules, I just don't really want someone in IT reading personal emails! They can read all business communications as much as they like, but if hotmail could be read I would not of course add that account.

Everything you mention and that which is mentioned in the links you quote is as I would expect, although I am slightly surprised that BBM messages can be read, as the legend is that they go from device to device.

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer.

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by gentleman2

...I am slightly surprised that BBM messages can be read, as the legend is that they go from device to device...

That's why I like to cite authoritative sources when answering questions like yours. It reduces the chance for misinterpretation and confusion.