RIM Working On New Enterprise Feature To Merge Work & Play On BlackBerry Platform

By Mauricio

I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. According to a recent blog post by Douglas over at Inside BlackBerry, RIM is working on a new feature that will allow Jack (as in everyone) to merge work and play while at the same time not risking the security of an enterprise.

Enterprises understandably need to be very protective of their corporate data and communications, and the BlackBerry platform has always allowed that information to be mobilized securely and efficiently through a robust set of IT policies. These policies allow enterprises to control virtually every aspect of the smartphone, down to whether or not personal email addresses or 3rd party applications can be added. This helps to prevent security no-no’s like data leakage, where confidential information sent to the smartphone via a work email is then shared via a personal email address or through some other application.

However, this means that in the interests of corporate security, some BlackBerry smartphone users can’t add their personal email accounts, access Facebook® or download 3rd party applications. RIM recognizes that enterprise employees are also consumers and we want to stay ahead of the curve by allowing those employees to do their jobs, but also take advantage of all the rich consumer-focused features that are a part of the BlackBerry smartphone.

Basically, RIM is working on a way to keep enterprise data secure (the work) while allowing a BlackBerry user to use other applications like Facebook and Twitter (the play). Enterprises will be able to allow its employees to use their personal BlackBerry at no cost by using products like BES Express and not have to worry about confidential information getting shared inappropriately.

Sounds great and I know many enterprise employees will appreciate this new feature. For more info you can check out the interview between Douglas and Santiago Carbonell (Handheld Software Product Manager at RIM) over at the Inside BlackBerry Blogs.