[shadysprings]

I am new to BES and have some questions regarding private data and Outlook sync to Microsoft Exchange Server at Work.

1> Do .pst folders in LOCAL get copied on to server?
2> Do all calendar events get copied to server? both business and personal?
3> Do "Contacts in Local" and "Tasks in Local" get copied to server?

Basically, I'm trying to see if I can use my Blackberry for both personal and business but not have personal items get sync'd on to company server.

[NoMoreWindows]

Did you try posting this in the Administrator forums? They would have more experience. I wouldn't put anything personal on a business device.

[shadysprings]

Did you try posting this in the Administrator forums? They would have more experience. I wouldn't put anything personal on a business device.

I've gotten some answers figured out.
I'm trying out some various Password recording software like Minisafe. This is much better than password Keeper because it runs both on BB and computer so you can enter info in from either side and then sync together.

This will solve my issue of having personal and confidential info like passwords, credit card info, ssn, etc on my BB. The whole point of having a PDA IMO is to consolidate everything into one. So personal or business, I want just one item to carry around.

[yacoby54]

I would check with your IT staff to see what is allowed and what is not. Policies vary from company to company so if it is a strictly business device they may not want you to have any personal data on it. Pretty much everything can be tracked via the BES, not just emails.
Just keep that in mind.

[jeffh]

I use one device for everything, personal and business. All my personal information, kids' SSNs, passwords, all of it. All password protected on the BlackBerry, of course.

I don't worry about my BES admins being able to see my doctor appointments or after work events on my calendar. If it's private, I mark it private. There is almost nothing they can't see, but they are far too busy with other duties to be watching users' weekend schedules.

Of course, you should never put anything on your device that's incriminating or illegal or could get you fired. Because it will be logged, and logs can be viewed, and your Corp IT Security people don't need a subpoena. Here's a relevant note from the FAQ:

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

[shadysprings]

I use one device for everything, personal and business. All my personal information, kids' SSNs, passwords, all of it. All password protected on the BlackBerry, of course.

I don't worry about my BES admins being able to see my doctor appointments or after work events on my calendar. If it's private, I mark it private. There is almost nothing they can't see, but they are far too busy with other duties to be watching users' weekend schedules.

Of course, you should never put anything on your device that's incriminating or illegal or could get you fired. Because it will be logged, and logs can be viewed, and your Corp IT Security people don't need a subpoena. Here's a relevant note from the FAQ:

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

Thanks Jeff,
Sounds like I'm trying to get to where you are at already. I'm okay with IT having all my contacts, appts (Private or not), tasks. The only type of info that I don't want IT or anyone else having is stuff like ssn's, credit cards, etc.
I'm trying out MiniSafe now. How do you keep all this data on your BB secured with passwords?

Also, if I create local folders (pst) for calendars, tasks, contacts, I believe they don't get sync'd to MS Exchange server. But can I use the cable to sync them using Blackberry DM?

Thanks

[jeffh]

Thanks Jeff,
Sounds like I'm trying to get to where you are at already. I'm okay with IT having all my contacts, appts (Private or not), tasks. The only type of info that I don't want IT or anyone else having is stuff like ssn's, credit cards, etc.
I'm trying out MiniSafe now. How do you keep all this data on your BB secured with passwords?

Also, if I create local folders (pst) for calendars, tasks, contacts, I believe they don't get sync'd to MS Exchange server. But can I use the cable to sync them using Blackberry DM?

Thanks

I just use the BlackBerry device password and content protection. Both are required by my IT policy. I don't keep credit card numbers, nor bank account pins on the BB. I do have my kids' ssns. I may need to change that.

I don't sync any local folders, but DM has that as an option. I don't know what folders you can sync.

[Swift1976]

very interesting discussion.. I just started working for a company that addresses all these issues through a 3rd party solution.. check out The Datalocking Company at Datalocking dot com. To summarize what we do, we take the ability of the IT professionals in your company to snoop emails on the email server/BES/desktops/laptops.. We set up 4096 bit encryption on all of those vulnerable areas to prevent a compromised BB, laptop, server, and desktop from revealing any information. In the case of the BlackBerry, we offer our exclusive "Kill My BlackBerry" service in case the device is lost or stolen. Within minutes, you can wipe the entire BB and have it restored to a new device assuming your company's retention policy stored the emails. We've deployed this technology to attorneys, celebrities, medical professionals, finance companies, banks, etc... If you want to keep this information PRIVATE, there's no way for that to happen as long as your entire IT department has access to it. A significant percentage of breaches come from insiders, disgruntled former employees, and business partners. PM me for more info.

[shadysprings]

very interesting discussion.. I just started working for a company that addresses all these issues through a 3rd party solution.. check out The Datalocking Company at Datalocking dot com. To summarize what we do, we take the ability of the IT professionals in your company to snoop emails on the email server/BES/desktops/laptops.. We set up 4096 bit encryption on all of those vulnerable areas to prevent a compromised BB, laptop, server, and desktop from revealing any information. In the case of the BlackBerry, we offer our exclusive "Kill My BlackBerry" service in case the device is lost or stolen. Within minutes, you can wipe the entire BB and have it restored to a new device assuming your company's retention policy stored the emails. We've deployed this technology to attorneys, celebrities, medical professionals, finance companies, banks, etc... If you want to keep this information PRIVATE, there's no way for that to happen as long as your entire IT department has access to it. A significant percentage of breaches come from insiders, disgruntled former employees, and business partners. PM me for more info.

Just spent some time on the Datalocking website. It's probably the most confusing Blackberry product I've ever seen. It looks good, I just can't figure out what it does.

As far as my need to encrypt simple things like credit card numbers, SSN, passwords, etc, MiniSafe is great. I just did the trial for a week and paid the $30 last night to buy it. I like it because you enter all the data in from the computer, then sync it all into the BB.

[Swift1976]

haha yeah i know what you mean.. it's not as simple as a BB application as it's truly trying to secure the email from origination to wherever it goes. Works for companies running their own BES or for individuals who are using a carrier's BIS and want to switch to BES with 4096 big PGP encryption without spending thousands of dollars for running their own servers. Companies give up hosting their own email server/BES and allow Datalocking to do it to prevent any insider snooping by IT and in some cases, to offshore the server to give the company/individual even greater legal protection. It's more about the secure private communication than encrypting a BlackBerry. I just went through 30 hours of training and I'm still absorbing their system. It's a complete solution and no one else takes it to this level. RIM is backing the company with a few million in funding so far and an infomercial is hitting the airwaves in the next few weeks. For your particular situation, you're probably better off running an application unless your company is considering switching to more private secure email. Good luck!