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We have exciting news for Microsoft Online Services customers. We are in the process of updating pricing for Hosted BlackBerry Service for Exchange Online to make this service available free of charge. Starting today, BlackBerry mobile e-mail for new Exchange Online customers is now free through our Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). For existing customers, we expect to be able to provide more information later this month on how you can take advantage of this change.
In addition, this free hosted BlackBerry service from RIM, called BlackBerry Business Cloud Services, will be available for free to Office 365 customers after the RIM service launches later this year.
Blackberry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) will introduce a new BlackBerry cloud-based service later this year. The service will be hosted, licensed and supported by RIM who have committed to offer their new BlackBerry cloud based service for Exchange Online starting at $0 per user per month.
This is a good deal for customers. We want people to have the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser, and this agreement shows our commitment in action. Here are just a few benefits this new service model will bring to customers:
The Hosted BlackBerry for Exchange Online service is free; we're cutting the price for new and renewing BPOS customers to $0 starting now. So, with the cost of your regular wireless bill, connecting your phone to BPOS or Office 365 will be free - whether you have a Windows Phone, BlackBerry, iPhone, Nokia E Series or any other phone with Exchange ActiveSync.
RIM's BlackBerry cloud based service will provide more of the latest BES capabilities to Microsoft Online Services customers. For example, administrators will be able to create and manage more device policies, change device passwords and settings, and search across large numbers of BlackBerry users at one time. And, BlackBerry users will have access to self-service functions to manage and secure their own BlackBerry devices online.
In addition, we are confident that this approach will give Microsoft Online Services customers the best BlackBerry service possible directly from the company responsible for BlackBerry technology.
As we launch these services, customers can be assured we'll continue to deliver a holistic experience - from service to support to the admin console. To get BlackBerry cloud based service in the future with Office 365, customers will be able to simply indicate their service need in the Microsoft portal, and a seamless single sign on to our partner's portal will provide access to manage their devices.
BlackBerry service will be available with Office 365 for enterprises with our multi-tenant service. Because of the unique requirements of customers using dedicated infrastructure, we will continue to provide hosted BlackBerry service for them in the future.
We look forward to working with RIM and to delivering a great, free service with more functionality to Office 365 customers.
-Allen, Office 365 Product Manager
Comments: (82) Collapse
RIM will offer an option that consumer "upload" or "configure" your custom Apps, like BES On-premises?
That's great news for companies considering Office 365 that are also heavily invested in the Blackberry mobile platform. Going from $10 a month per user to now being free. Can't beat that!
Unless anyone can tell me otherwise the small businesses have been all but forgotten.
What noone tells you unless you read a document from Microsoft and scan the whole thing - is that you need a BES data plan from your mobile carrier to sign up and use the hosted Blackberry Service.
Orange for example in the UK require you to have at least 10 handsets for a BES data plan and the costs are prohibitive.
Hosted exchange is brilliant for smalll companies. However yet again what looks great in packaging from Microsoft and Blackberry is completely let down by the ever gready mobile companies.
Why can you NOT connect to this service using BIS!!! After all Google / Android can use ActiveSyn for FREE!!!
Now, I thought this is an interesting move by BB that I like to share with everyone. http://community
Une annonce très importante pour les clients ayant des BlackBerry et souhaitant bénéficier du service
I didn't even know this was an option. Kudos guys!
@charlie: the response below is correct, you can use BIS with both Office 365 and BPOS. We also support our own Exchange ActiveSync service on Windows Phone, iPhone, Nokia and Android devices, which offer great protocols for managing mobilde devices right from the admin console
@ResponsetoCharlie: thanks for the help answering that question
@rezn: Thanks!
I think this is huge. Of course, you still need the appropriate Data plan from your mobile carrier for either BIS or BES or any other internet access (HTTPS) to the cloud offering. This last month, I spoke to several hundred customers across Canada on Office 365 and had heard that a fee for BES would deter customers from adopting Office 365. This should open the gates now.
Thank you Microsoft and RIM. The price of BES until now was the same as for the whole BPOS, which was kind of ridiculous.
The only concern I have now is if the quality of service will be the same when the service moves to RIM. I can't remeber to have any problem with hosted BES whatsoever, everything worked perfectly. Hopefully, this will continue even if the service is managed seperately from BPOS/Office 365.
Hi Folks, can someone confirm rumors that this will work via bis, i mean full exchange sync (calendar, tasks, contacts, notes) not only email. Do i really do not need my bes anymore?
With Blackberry we have a lot of questions from our customer. I really love my iPhone! How easy it is to use, but not everyone wants to change.
I read the papers from Microsoft, but my problem is I don´t understand the difference in the services of Blackberry.
@ResponsetoCharlie: Thanks for your explanation I now understand more :-)
But what means now for free? Free email and NO contacts and appointments? (= Blackberry Internet Services)
When a customer wants to have Email, contacts and appointments, what has he/she to do? Using the services over RIM or with Microsoft and what did he/she pay?
The other thing is the administration of the phones that is Blackberry Enterprise Services and this is where customer has contracts with providers?
Thanks for helping.
Grd, Kerstin:
No, BIS only supports emails as you connect through OWA/IMAP to the mailbox. This has always been free, you only have to pay for BIS tariff to your mobile provider (T-mobile, Verizon, etc.)
You need to pay for a BES tariff to your mobile provider if you want to use tasks, calendar and notes. However, you do not need to pay anything extra for BPOS/Office 365 anymore (was $10 until now).
Thanks for the response from MS about the BIS setup... This is how I use the service currently... BUT unlike all my Android users on Google etc. and Windows Phone users; BIS with OWA does NOT provide Contact and Calendar synchronisation.
Therefore I guess Joseph has confirmed my fears that for small businesses, this is a service that will never be affordable. This is not the fault of Microsoft as a user posted... I agree... but is the fault of the people at RIM that did the deal with the mobile companies.
What noone tells you until you really really want the Hosted Blackberry service from Microsoft, is that the mobile carriers are the ones holding all the aces.
My frustration comes from the fact that RIM and Microsoft have got together to provide this hosted BES service for free... BUT ORANGE for example wants a minimum of 10 handsets purchased on a business plan at over £3,000!!!! Infact... you cannot have BES unless you are on a business tarif and with the 10 handset minimum, there is no chance in hell that this service will be used by small companies like me.
This is a real shame, and I have to say I am not sure that this has been fully thought through by Microsoft and RIM. Seems like to me that Microsoft and RIM have made their service free... but noone has thought to make sure the mobile providers follow their lead! After all - what is the point of having a free service that benefits all users and then exlude the small businesses which would greatly benefit from this great service.
An example of the mobile phone carriers arrogance is that I was told that they charge extra for connecting to the Blackberry Enterprise Server Express! This is after all provided free from RIM and the mobile companies charge an additional rate to connect to the free service! UNBELIEVABLE!
In addition why with ActiveSyn, which is licensed to Android etc. do they get a business solution for free... whilst the blackberry users of this world get basic OWA (sync'd every 15 minutes) JUST for email.
The whole point of having a blackberry is the business use and coupled with exchange it is a powerful solution... however not accessible to the minority without the mobile companies making it unaffordable.
Sorry to rant... but I am really disappointed that this excellent service will not be availble to me. Small business in this economic environment need all the help they can get and whilst excellent announcements are made like this one... it seems there is always a catch that means they are indeed too good to be true!
Thanks for reading... Charlie... (sob... sob... sob...)
I'm not sure how this helps Windows Phone if Blackberry subscription is free because customers usually dump BB for other mobile devices. However it may help Office365 business case in general because customers will rather do away with BES initial investments and its maintenance costs/tasks and just move onto Office365 for everything anyway. A real double-edged sword, howver one edge may be sharper and cut deeper than the other.
Interessant nieuws voor Office 365 klanten die gebruik maken van BlackBerry devices. Blackberry maker
Comments: (loading) Collapse