BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express Version 5.0.2 Now Available

By Mauricio

RIM today officially released version 5.0.2 of BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express. About a month ago RIM released this same version for the original BES software. The 5.0.2 update for BES Express is based of off the same version update for BES and includes the following enhancements:

Single Sign-on (SSO)
BlackBerry Administration Service Enhancements
Logging Enhancements
IT Policies
Additional Platform Certification
Expanded Web Browser Support for BlackBerry Administration Service & BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager
User Self Service
Improved BlackBerry Enterprise Server to Microsoft Exchange Performance
Additional Language Support
Set-up and Installation Made Easier
Enhanced BlackBerry Smartphone Experience

For more info or to get BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express go to blackberry.com/besexpress.

Changelog for BES Express v5.0.2:

Single Sign-on (SSO)
- Seamless access with integrated authentication for the BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager, BlackBerry Administration Service and enterprise resources (BlackBerry MDS-CS SSO), simplifying usability for end users and administrators.
- Enables organizations to configure the BlackBerry Administration Service and BlackBerry® Mobile Data System (BlackBerry MDS) Connection Service to authenticate users to the organization’s network, automatically, using their Windows® accounts.
BlackBerry Administration Service Enhancements
- Includes new pre-defined administration groups, better controls for searching and displaying results, and the option to configure BlackBerry Administration Service instances to communicate with each other using additional protocols.
Logging Enhancements
- When the BlackBerry Configuration Panel is used to change Microsoft® Active Directory® account information, the BlackBerry Configuration Panel can write the following information to its log file:
  - Name of the Windows account that was used to log in to the computer
  - Date and time
IT Policies
- IT policies have been increased from 35+ to over 75, providing even greater control over the BlackBerry smartphones.
- IT policy reconciliation allows administrators to apply policies to groups. End users will then have a policy that is blended due to membership in multiple groups.
Additional Platform Certification
- Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and Microsoft Hyper-V 2008.
- Support for additional web browsers that access the BlackBerry Administration Service and BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager.
Expanded Web Browser Support for BlackBerry Administration Service & BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager
- Internet Explorer 8 *
- Mozilla Firefox 3.6 **
- Google Chrome 4.0 **
- Safari 4 (For Mac) **
- * Compatibility mode not required
- ** Device management not supported
User Self Service
- Administrators have the ability to give end users the freedom of managing their BlackBerry smartphones with new user self service features.
- Users can now use BlackBerry Web Desktop Manager to secure their
  BlackBerry smartphone, including the ability to lock, delete all data or disable the smartphone if it is lost or stolen.
Improved BlackBerry Enterprise Server to Microsoft Exchange Performance
- Reduced BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express load on Microsoft Exchange servers to enhance performance.
Additional Language Support
- Localization for English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese.
Set-up and Installation Made Easier
- Enhancements to the setup application including the option to remotely stop BlackBerry Administration Service services on other computers during the upgrade process, verification that the SRP ID specified is available for use and that sufficient disk space is available for installation. The option to include or not include the BlackBerry MDS Connection Service or BlackBerry Attachment Service when installing the software is also available.
Enhanced BlackBerry Smartphone Experience
- Device Activation Enhancement
  - Message pre-population limits have been increased to 30 days worth of mail or 3000 messages.
  - BlackBerry Enterprise Server will now monitor the ‘junk’ email folder for Enterprise Activation messages.
  - Full body of email messages sent from the desktop will be delivered to the device.
  - Calendar entry body size has been increased.