Some highlights from the press release:

• Get more for your money, be more productive and be ready for the future with AT&T. AT&T* today announced support for BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0, the next-generation of Research In Motion’s (RIM) market-leading push-based wireless platform for secure mobile access to email, calendar, contacts, corporate instant messaging, browser, and enterprise applications.
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 enhances access to administrative tools that simplify management and centralize control of BlackBerry® smartphones.
• AT&T offers a broad portfolio of smartphones, all of which are enabled for international voice and data usage, including the BlackBerry® Bold™, BlackBerry® Curve™ series including the recently announced BlackBerry Curve 8900, BlackBerry® Pearl™ series, and BlackBerry® 8820 smartphones.
• AT&T enterprise customers can contact their account representative today for more information regarding upgrading or purchasing BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.
• For more information on AT&T’s enterprise mobility offerings, please visit http://www.business.att.com/enterprise/Portfolio/eb_mobility/.

Read the full press release after the jump.

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Some highlights from the press release:

• Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0 – the next generation of RIM’s secure, push-based server software for business mobility. Version 5.0 supports advanced IT administration features and smartphone controls that help improve the productivity of mobile workers and more effectively meet the demands of large-scale, mission critical enterprise deployments.
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 enables a secure, centrally managed link between BlackBerry® smartphones and enterprise systems, applications, corporate phone environments (with BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System) and wireless networks.
• BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 Enhancements and Key Features
• Support for New Smartphone Features
• RIM is also announcing today new technical support, professional services, and training and certification programs to help BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 customers achieve the best possible performance and return on investment from their BlackBerry smartphone deployments
• Also announced today, BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 has obtained Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL 4+) certification (see separate release). The Common Criteria is an international standard for validating that IT products meet specific security requirements. Certifications are recognized by 26 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Read the full press release after the jump.

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Info about the BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 is now available through RIM’s BlackBerry Connection Newsletter.

New to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0

BlackBerry Enterprise Transporter Tool
With the BlackBerry® Enterprise Transporter tool you can run parallel BlackBerry Enterprise Server environments, allowing you to do real-world testing in the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 environment with part of your team before making a full migration. There’s no need to wipe devices before transferring to BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0, and backing out to the pre-existing environment is easy.

Threshold Assistance Tool
The Threshold Assistance Tool resides within the BlackBerry® Monitoring Service; it uses the information gathered by your monitoring database to suggest acceptable operating thresholds for your particular server and network environment. As your company grows, you can run the tool again to set new baselines.

High Availability
Utilizing High Availability is easier than you think—three clicks and you’re done. Learn more about this feature in an upcoming edition of BlackBerry Connection.

Role-Based Admins
BlackBerry Enterprise Server v5.0 allows for granular control of admin permissions. You can now scope a given role to a set of users the admin can take action on. For example, you can create an executive-support IT group, which would allow for only particular employees to perform administrative tasks against the execs’ accounts.

Maintenance Windows
You can now opt to suspend alerts during specific periods, for example, during server maintenance. Using this function just might end those early-morning wake-up calls that occur during scheduled server downtime.

Sign up here for notification of BES 5.0’s availability. Check out the newsletter for more info.

By Judy Mottl:

Research in Motion (RIM) is moving to retain its already dominant hold on the enterprise mobility market, readying a new version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server that promises to reduce IT costs and labor.

RIM (NASDAQ: RIMM) plans the new BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 (BES) to ship during second quarter with a host of new management capabilities. Those include over-the-air device activation, downtime scheduling and simpler role administration, according to a presentation detailing the launch. RIM spokespeople were not available to comment further on the release by press time.

RIM’s news comes at a time when the BlackBerry maker is feeling the effects of slowing IT spending. The company said yesterday that it’s business customers are holding off on upgrades — a fact that it expects to negatively impact its next quarterly results.

But as corporate layoffs and budget slashing — especially within RIM’s large customer base of financial companies — is impacting tech spending, enterprises are looking for more cost-efficient tools and technologies.

Read more @ InternetNews.com