[Rub3n5]

I am on a BIS plan and I have all of my work e-mail going to my current BlackBerry. Love the look of BlackBerry Balance and how you can separate Work from Personal. However, how does this work?

1. Would my company need to implement a BES server in order to have BB Balance? or
2. Is it as simple as defining what e-mail / Apps are for work and what are personal on the device itself?

I really hope we don't need BES for this, because if not... this is an INCREDIBLE feature that I won't be able to use...

[Rub3n5]

I should also add... Does it require BlackBerry Mobile Fusion?

[aloomis76]

Somebody PLEASE answer this because I am wondering stuff along the same lines

[samab]

Nobody knows except the people under NDA.

It may not arrive in v.1 --- but from a business model point of view, it is going to be like this:

(1) companies buy low end blackberry 10 phones to give them to their employees
(2) employees don't like the low end BB10 phone so they buy their own high end blackberry 10 phone to use
(3) RIM has to somehow make it work.

[magutwit]

I don't know. People who follow RIM closer state that no way it could be possible.
Here are the last two threads on the subject :
http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...alance-761009/
http://forums.crackberry.com/blackbe...eature-760539/

[magutwit]

What am I saying all this time? If it's not available, it would be crazy. When people find out the option, they get so interested that there are daily questions and a new thread everyday.
Rim must work it out for everybody whatever it takes, there's a real demand for it (and they need every single client they can take).

[Innovatology]

The whole idea of BB Balance is that one partition is managed by your IT department. They'll approve/install apps for you, set up your corporate email, manage security & connections, wipe your corporate data if you lose your phone or leave the company etc. It's specifically designed to prevent you from "tampering" with that side of things.

If you don't have an IT department, you could do it yourself via a (possibly) hosted BB10 BES solution. But it's probably above average consumer skills...

[Innovatology]

What am I saying all this time? If it's not available, it would be crazy. When people find out the option, they get so interested that there are daily questions and a new thread everyday.
Rim must work it out for everybody whatever it takes, there's a real demand for it (and they need every single client they can take).

What's the use of a managed, secure partition if consumers can tamper with it themselves?

[magutwit]

What's the use of a managed, secure partition if consumers can tamper with it themselves?

People understand that feature as a sort of double profile where you can lock down a part of your phone and as we see people want this feature (it is exposed in BB10 reviews and people keep asking).
Now if it's beyonf users' skills, if it is not what people think it is, than Rim should just concieve this kind of feature for everybody.
If Rim was a market leader, they could do what they want , but they are in a position where they need to do whatever they can do and whatever it takes to bring every single client they can have.

[samab]

People understand that feature as a sort of double profile where you can lock down a part of your phone and as we see people want this feature (it is exposed in BB10 reviews and people keep asking).
Now if it's beyonf users' skills, if it is not what people think it is, than Rim should just concieve this kind of feature for everybody.
If Rim was a market leader, they could do what they want , but they are in a position where they need to do whatever they can do and whatever it takes to bring every single client they can have.

Hide porn and hide illicit affairs.

[kill_9]

Hide porn and hide illicit affairs.

Daddy, why does your BlackBerry keep asking me if I want to become Mistress?

[magutwit]

Hide porn and hide illicit affairs.

Man, if only RIM could make an official ad : "Here's a phone to hide your porn and illicit affairs"...we'd see a new market leader ))))

[Rub3n5]

This is really concerning to me and when I reason it out I say the only way it's possible is through an IT department managing it (meaning they will require a BES or BES Express server). If that's the case, and considering that something like 30% of RIM's customers are corporate, that means 70% of the subscriber base won't be able to make use of this amazing feature.

I've been loyal to BlackBerry for all these years and believe in BB10. But sadly, it appears RIM has lost so much ground that even guys like me can't make use of what are now great features because companies like mine have turned away from BlackBerries. This sucks.

[cjcampbell]

This is really concerning to me and when I reason it out I say the only way it's possible is through an IT department managing it (meaning they will require a BES or BES Express server). If that's the case, and considering that something like 30% of RIM's customers are corporate, that means 70% of the subscriber base won't be able to make use of this amazing feature.

I've been loyal to BlackBerry for all these years and believe in BB10. But sadly, it appears RIM has lost so much ground that even guys like me can't make use of what are now great features because companies like mine have turned away from BlackBerries. This sucks.

I have to ask.... what about this feature, aside from the benefits to IT guys and business security, appeals to you?

[Innovatology]

People understand that feature as a sort of double profile where you can lock down a part of your phone

That use case, though perfectly valid, is not what BlackBerry Balance is for. They are hoping for another "login" on their phone.

[S180]

Balance requires BES 10. You cannot make it work with an old 5.x/4.x BES.

[kae77]

The valid case argument goes something like this...

I use my phone for both personal and for work.

For personal, I use a gmail account. I would like to have my e-mail, contacts and calendar sync with my gmail account, and be fully accessible on my phone. I'd like my apps, games, music and movies to be available on my phone.

For work, I work with youth. I have a separate account that I use for all work information. I'd like my e-mail, contacts and calendar to all go under my work account. If it can sync with an exchange server, even better. If the calendar can interact with my personal one so I can book the two separately, but see the overlap on the phone, even better.

My work is too small for a BES/Fusion, etc. server. Not going to happen. But I'd love to be able to turn off my work e-mails when I don't need them (days off, holidays) without having to delete it from the BIS server. Likewise, it'd be great to be able to keep those two parts of my life separate, but have them intermingle. Aka, find balance.

I have a feeling I'm not alone in that desire. I'd use the phone one way or another. Right now, my work calendar syncs to my Gmail calendar, and it's all one. My e-mails all go into a unified inbox, and my contacts are all mixed in my gmail account. It works, but it's also a mess. I'd love to have RIM give me the option to clean that up and separate them out.

Many, many people find themselves with a tangle of relationships between work and personal. Especially when it comes to technology. The allure of Balance is the ability to turn it off and put it away, and keep the two separated. From a technology standpoint, that's a silver bullet for me. Killer app. I can see and interact with my workspace when I need and want to, and put it away when I don't have to.

It doesn't have to be 256-AES encrypted for me to use it. It just needs to allow me to separate out the two. I don't need to manage which apps, or even lock down cutting and pasting. I would just like my personal and my work to be separated.

If not, no sweat, I'll carry on. But if I can... that's a feature I'd be showing off left, right and centre. I think plenty of people would find it not only useful, but worth picking up a phone for. They're sitting on gold right there, helping people draw boundaries in their lives.

That's why you keep seeing threads about it, and why people who don't run their phones on a BES server want access.

[magutwit]

That use case, though perfectly valid, is not what BlackBerry Balance is for. They are hoping for another "login" on their phone.

Anyway, I'm tired of writing on the subject : if it REALLY is the official Rim's position and attitude, let it be so.

It won't give them any additional success (especially if it will require a new BES 10, especially if BES is to be more expense because BIS must disappear) and it won't give them additional clients.

P.S. Read the kae77 and Rub3n5 posts, there are lots of posts like this and even more people who are in this situation and who don't even know the CB's existence. Rim had a real chance of providing some new exclusive feature lots of people ask for that could make a difference (like in this article) and which is more, this feature couldn't get copied easily, because it is built into the OS. If they decide not to take this chance, it's their problem (+ one more doubt on my purchase of the Z10).

If Research In Motion wants to attain and maintain a large fan base, it needs to create at least one exclusive and revolutionary feature to add to that list. It must produce something that no other smartphone maker has thought of, and it must be a feature that is not easy to copy.

Five Things BlackBerry 10 Needs to Beat Apple's iPhone

[darkehawke]

Anyway, I'm tired of writing on the subject : if it REALLY is the official Rim's position and attitude, let it be so.

It won't give them any additional success (especially if it will require a new BES 10, especially if BES is to be more expense because BIS must disappear) and it won't give them additional clients.

P.S. Read the kae77 and Rub3n5 posts, there are lots of posts like this and even more people who are in this situation and who don't even know the CB's existence. Rim had a real chance of providing some new exclusive feature lots of people ask for that could make a difference (like in this article) and which is more, this feature couldn't get copied easily, because it is built into the OS. If they decide not to take this chance, it's their problem (+ one more doubt on my purchase of the Z10).


Five Things BlackBerry 10 Needs to Beat Apple's iPhone

for now i believe balance needs bes10 to be of any use.
i know its not what we want to hear.
i think rim thought there was no demand for consumer use of balance.
i also believe that if there is demand, it can be configured in the future to be used by bis users. but it will be part of a major release not from the start.
just my opinion on this subject.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Tapatalk

[magutwit]

Darkenhawke, agreed.
I'd just say that it was very awkward to let all the bloggers and independent reviews speak about this option (and stress this option like if this was one of the coolest points).
Bad bad communication : I doubt that big bosses follow that closely the geek blogs and reviews, while the small technophile ones and other technophile users may be decieved and resentful (as they already take it for granted if they don't know the CB)

[djenkins6]

Blackberry already have hosted solutions available for small and medium business BlackBerry - Hosted BlackBerry Services with Cloud Mobility Software - US

In line with the last earning call on new areas of revenue, part of that could be more hosted solutions for small business in order to provide the balance features.

[mnc76]

Its a real shame it doesn't have this feature for consumers

I have not mentioned this to anyone who hasn't been stoked by it. Of course, I stopped mentioning it as most of my friends won't be able to use it and--as someone else mentioned--I don't want them to get all resentful at RIM.

RIM needs to be more upfront about how this is not a consumer-usable feature (e.g.: two accounts versus full out BB Balance).

[SlcCorrado]

..........

[jimpilot]

Its a real shame it doesn't have this feature for consumers

I have not mentioned this to anyone who hasn't been stoked by it. Of course, I stopped mentioning it as most of my friends won't be able to use it and--as someone else mentioned--I don't want them to get all resentful at RIM.

RIM needs to be more upfront about how this is not a consumer-usable feature (e.g.: two accounts versus full out BB Balance).

I see s BB10 BES business opportunity for someone. Provide hosted BES for consumers who want Blackberry Balance.

[BlackBerry Guy]

I'm not sure Balance was ever meant to be a consumer facing feature. It sounds more like a solution to IT managers dealing with BYOD workplaces. For the phone owner, it allows them to keep their own personal stuff out of IT hands, and for IT guys, it allows them control over "their" portion of the device without affecting the personal stuff.

I agree with you though that it would be nice to have a little more granular control over when you can shut off work emails and calendars if you're on BIS. Hopefully they can bake those controls into BIS itself. I don't see why RIM can't do that...