1. mark_buckley's Avatar
    I am starting this post at the same time as I am searching the forums for the answer. Just wanted to get this started. We got our first Priv and I tried to activate it on our BES. I guess I was crazy to think that a blackberry would have the software pre-installed for activation. Anyway, I downloaded the app from the Google store and went through the activation. The activation completed and I can see the phone assigned to the user on BES server. However, no contacts, emails or calendar events have synched up. It is activated but not doing anything. We have several other users who already had Android devices activated. I tried to add a exchange account for the Hub, but just keep getting errors. My plan is to factory wipe the device, install all updates and try again. Anyone else having this much fun with this new 'blackberry'?
    12-09-15 11:01 AM
  2. MrEvets's Avatar
    Running BES 12.3 here, you have to install the BES 12 Client yes, again only like .5% of people will activate an Android device on BES so it is simpler to just have the user installs what they need because bloatware sucks!!! With that said, you should activate it and 3 apps will be downloaded as part of the process. Once you have downloaded all the apps you open the email in the Work side of the device, once you put in your account information everything should start to sync down. We have about 5 Privs here and a few other android devices on BES and no issues so far.
    12-09-15 02:50 PM
  3. cottonakin's Avatar
    Once you have downloaded all the apps you open the email in the Work side of the device, once you put in your account information everything should start to sync down. We have about 5 Privs here and a few other android devices on BES and no issues so far.
    I am the first Priv user in our company (and also the BES Administrator) and I would just echo MrEvets comments by saying that if you use a "Silver" license to activate the Priv, I can't see any "Work side" of the device, AND I really don't see any benefit to using the BES for Android using a Silver license. You have to have a Gold license to get the Work Side stuff... I would like to hear from anybody else about the advantage to using BES & Android & Silver licenses. Not being negative, just don't understand how a Silver license gets you a Work side on a BlackBerry but you have to upgrade to Gold for the same on Android.
    12-09-15 02:59 PM
  4. MrEvets's Avatar
    I did testing with Silver licenses which just give you basic MDM controls like wiping the device, you can also turn things like camera off, forcing encrypting. Really though our Exchange 2013 server seems like ti could do the same thing if using ActiveSync policy. Basic MDM controls really give you very hight level stuff. if you want nitty gritty you need to go with Gold Licenses, we are experimenting with Google for work with our Exchange 2013 server so that there is a better use experience. Need to find time to test it though!
    12-09-15 03:17 PM
  5. 3junior's Avatar
    I did testing with Silver licenses which just give you basic MDM controls like wiping the device, you can also turn things like camera off, forcing encrypting. Really though our Exchange 2013 server seems like ti could do the same thing if using ActiveSync policy. Basic MDM controls really give you very hight level stuff. if you want nitty gritty you need to go with Gold Licenses, we are experimenting with Google for work with our Exchange 2013 server so that there is a better use experience. Need to find time to test it though!
    Does the email appear in hub?
    12-09-15 03:26 PM
  6. MrEvets's Avatar
    No unless you install the hub on the work side of the device. Android for work does not require apps to have special wrappers, they can only be approved from BES. The only way to have the HUB work the way it used to work is by installing it on the work side of the device and install all your personal email and Facebook and all that stuff on the work side of the device. Which all of it is in the cloud but the user has to know that once you wipe the work side all that data is gone. But it allows for better notifications then just the BES 12 client notifying you of everything like calendar and email and tasks what we will be doing is using two different email clients one on the work one on the personal side. You would no longer have to open an app to get to everything and there would be no switching of the device from and to work or personal. i get sick of the persistent notification on the top to switch to the work side of my device and if i disable that notification then i dont get email or calendar alerts.. very frustrating
    12-09-15 03:42 PM
  7. cottonakin's Avatar
    Does the email appear in hub?
    Yes, using the Silver licenses. I think MrEvets in his answer above is giving you his answer based on his using the Gold licenses.
    12-09-15 04:19 PM
  8. cottonakin's Avatar
    I did testing with Silver licenses which just give you basic MDM controls like wiping the device, you can also turn things like camera off, forcing encrypting. Really though our Exchange 2013 server seems like ti could do the same thing if using ActiveSync policy. Basic MDM controls really give you very hight level stuff. if you want nitty gritty you need to go with Gold Licenses,
    That seems to mirror what I have discovered also. It seems that using the Silver licenses gives you no more than a normal ActiveSync Policy, which actually, in our small company, is about all that we need.
    12-09-15 04:22 PM
  9. DaedalusIcarusHelios's Avatar
    I run the BES at my company, and it's been only for myself the last several years. I think what I want to do is do a setup with Google for Work and buy a Gold license. Does Google for Work involve extra configuration on Exchange, or does BES 12.3 have everything it needs to do to utilize that? We have Exchange 2013, and will be moving to Office 365 for our mail eventually. I haven't spent much time looking into the details yet since I am waiting for a Priv on Verizon.
    12-09-15 04:28 PM
  10. chrisgatguis's Avatar
    Have a look in. The bes 12 forums too there are a few topics on there (we are in the same boat trying out the priv)

    Posted via CB10
    12-09-15 05:09 PM
  11. MrEvets's Avatar
    Yes sorry if using a silver license which gives you just basic MDM controls you can put your Corp email in what ever email client you wish including the hub. If you are using a gold license that you will be creating a secure work space (SWS) Corp email should be in there. SWS does not prevent a user from adding Corp email to personal side of the device, this is where proper quarantining of mobile devices comes in and using BES gatekeeping or device quarantining with Exchange 2013. This way you can make sure only emails on mobile are on devices and place of your choosing.
    12-09-15 05:18 PM
  12. MrEvets's Avatar
    I run the BES at my company, and it's been only for myself the last several years. I think what I want to do is do a setup with Google for Work and buy a Gold license. Does Google for Work involve extra configuration on Exchange, or does BES 12.3 have everything it needs to do to utilize that? We have Exchange 2013, and will be moving to Office 365 for our mail eventually. I haven't spent much time looking into the details yet since I am waiting for a Priv on Verizon.
    You need a different license then gold for Google for Work, you need to decide if you need secure connect back to your environment (kind of like persistent VPN) for all work apps. I believe they call it a flex license, I'll have to look it up. It requires configuration on BES from what I have read not on Exchange. You do requite BES 12.2 and higher though.
    12-09-15 05:21 PM
  13. DaedalusIcarusHelios's Avatar
    You need a different license then gold for Google for Work, you need to decide if you need secure connect back to your environment (kind of like persistent VPN) for all work apps. I believe they call it a flex license, I'll have to look it up. It requires configuration on BES from what I have read not on Exchange. You do requite BES 12.2 and higher though.
    Thanks - I do want the secure connection back to work, as I find it invaluable to be able to click links on work emails that go to a company intranet site. I would like a unified hub for work and personal like on BB10 - is that available when using Google for Work, or is that just not something available in any of the configurations? My silver license expires in January, so either way I'll need to be buying a new license soon. I have BES 12.3 right now.
    12-09-15 07:13 PM
  14. MrEvets's Avatar
    With basic MDM controls yes you can have work and personal email in hub but your can't separate work and personal so when the user leaves the org you have to wipe the entire device to ensure no data is left on the phone. If you are using Android for work you would have to provision email on an app that was installed on the work side of the device so there is no way to have personal email and work email in the hub together. BlackBerry might some day allow a view into the hub but who knows if that hope will ever come true. I was explained there is one way to do it but users might not like it. You would have to make the device a work only device so install hub, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp all those things on the Android for Work side of the device, this way you can have all data in the hub on the work side of the device. But then once the user has to leave the work side gets wiped off the device and they loose all photos personal stuff saved from all those apps.

    If you are going to do that you might as well just provision the device or treat the device as work only. Kind of the same thing different side of the device.
    12-09-15 07:23 PM
  15. MrEvets's Avatar
    To add the benefit is that you can have 2 Gmail apps for instance installed. One for personal one for work. It can interact with the OS the same way so notifications will show up better. As well work apps will have that connection back to your network for things like you said, intranet links in emails that are only accessible from inside your network. You could also install your own custom apps for your business so they can talk to database servers without needing to open your firewall.
    12-09-15 07:26 PM
  16. DaedalusIcarusHelios's Avatar
    I wish I didn't have to go the separate app route. I've been spoiled with BB10. The Android for Work apps all show together, just with a briefcase overlay, right? For Secure Work Space, is the work side just inside an app that functions like a folder with the work apps in it? It's not like BB10 where you switch spaces, right? Thanks again.
    12-09-15 07:45 PM
  17. MrEvets's Avatar
    I also feel spooled by BB10 , you are correct for instance you would have 2 Gmail icons and one will have a briefcase to denote it's installed on the work side. You can install any app from the Google Play Store on the work side of the device. SWS can install android apps but it requires that the app developer wraps their app with special code so it can run in the SWS so it is dependant on the developer to add SWS wrapper to their app.

    You are also right in the second point SWS is an app with other apps installed inside it. I have always joked that BlackBerry created really a mini OS inside an app, has calendar, email, contacts, tasks. You do have two separate launchers, you double tap the home key you switch to the work launcher so your work apps are on the work launcher and personal apps are on the personal launcher of your choice. This is kind of like the work personal way BB10 does things, you are forced to use the BES launcher you don't have a choice. Then there is a persistent notification to switch to work or personal so again trying to mimic what BB10 had, swipe down, switch to work. But if you like having a clean notification tray it is annoying as heck. So I disabled all notifications from the app to make it go away but now I don't get notifications from the work side you have to go check.

    Because all notifications come from just the one app the BES12 client it's a pain in the *** to be honest and you get one notification noise for everything on the work side. There is an option in BES 12.2 and up to share work contacts with personal contacts. This allows a read only copy to be seen on your personal side to make calls eaysier and called ID see work contacts. I am hoping they can do the same with email some day!
    12-09-15 08:21 PM
  18. cottonakin's Avatar
    We have Exchange 2013, and will be moving to Office 365 for our mail eventually. I haven't spent much time looking into the details yet since I am waiting for a Priv on Verizon.
    I'm trying to find out from my sales rep what is involved with BES 12 and Office365. We have the added wrinkle of having our current licenses expiring at the end of this month but we're not moving over to Office365 until March/April. So, I need something for a few months and then switching everything over.
    12-10-15 10:29 AM

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