RSA VPN version and Blackberry

Hey everyone,

RIM is discontinuing the VPN version of the RSA client app as of 3.02 due to lack of popularity/use.

I just wanted to point out to those who didn't know just how useful the VPN version of the RSA app is on the blackberry. Maybe if enough people realize how useful it is, then RSA will change their mind.

If you are running either the 4.1.x BES or the new 5.0 BES, there is an option to put the RSA soft token into the user's BES profile.

Most of the current blackberries have a builtin RSA-VPN utility hidden away in the Security Menu. The token that you put in the user's BES profile will automatically be inserted into the RSA-VPN utility on the blackberry when the user is activated on the BES.

I'm sure many people install the RSA app which puts a RSA icon on the Home Screen, mainly because it's much harder to instruct your users on how to find the builtin RSA-VPN utility. What you might not have known is that if you install the VPN version of the RSA app, then you get the exact same feature as the builtin RSA-VPN utility in that the RSA soft token is automatically imported into the RSA app when the user's blackberry is activated on the BES. In fact, it's impossible for the user to accidently delete the RSA token, since it will always auto push down to the RSA app if it's not there.

Depending on how locked down your user's blackberries are...this is a nice feature to have. In my company, we periodically do a remote clean sweep of user's blackberries to remove any unwanted 3rd party apps (this removes all 3rd party apps including RSA). Think of the logistical nightmare it would be to have to call every user up who gets there blackberry remotely cleaned through the steps of how to re-import their RSA token into their blackberries afterwards. Typically, all I need to do is make sure that the RSA VPN client is repushed to the user's blackberry and the token is automatically imported after the client is installed. The user most likely wouldn't even notice that anything has happened other than their unauthorized apps are now gone.

Anyways...check it out and see if it works for you. If it does let RSA know that it might be a good idea to keep it in production. 3.0.2 is the last version that has the VPN client in the installation folder.