Cloud, cloud, cloud – it’s all about the cloud! In fact, we have just launched a cloud solution to help Small and Medium sized businesses better manage their BlackBerry® devices – the free BlackBerry Management Center. But what does all of this cloud talk really mean to businesses like yours? My guess is that you use cloud solutions every day – maybe you have been for years – but just haven’t necessarily been referring to them as ‘cloud’. Does your business use webmail? Cloud. What about an integrated voice mail system accessed from your mobile device? Cloud. Online payment services, again – cloud. Internet banking, you got it – cloud. The list goes on.

We thought it might be good to start some dialogue around the concept of ‘cloud’ and what it means to you in your work life. We are open to ideas (send them in or use the comments!) but ‘cloud storage’ seemed like a good place to start.*

Businesses, regardless of size or focus, need to have a secure, reliable and easily accessible storage solution for all of their important data. Oftentimes this information needs to be stored centrally so that groups of people, both internal and external to your company, can access them. This is probably even more relevant in today’s “total mobility and wireless work from anywhere at any time-ability.” (I’m thinking that I will coin that phrase!)
There are loads of solutions out there today to meet these needs, from complex backup systems to lightweight, software-as-a-service (SaaS) offers. Given this post focuses on the ‘Cloud and Small Business,’ I thought I would run through a great new ‘sign up and go’ service with a particularly good offer for BlackBerry users.

Box.net is a storage, collaboration, and workflow tool geared towards small business needs. Box.net is designed to allow businesses to share files and get necessary approvals from clients. They can access and check the status of the data from virtually anywhere their day takes them, as well as assign tasks and add comments as needed. Administrative controls are easy to assign and can be done on the fly.

For a limited time, Box.net is offering 50GB of storage free (a value of $20/month!) to BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet owners. Download the Box.net application for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet between September 7, 2011 and December 31, 2011 and sign in or register to receive 50 GB free storage Make sure that you don’t miss out! To check out all of the details and take advantage of this promotion, head over to www.box.net/playbook. Once you’re up and running with a box.net account and app on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, I think you can consider yourself an official user of ‘the cloud’.

Do you currently use a cloud storage solution at your company? Beyond straight storage, what do you do with them?

* By posting a comment below you acknowledge that you have read and accept these terms and conditions and that any ideas you post will be the property of RIM in accordance with these terms and conditions.

We are all very busy here preparing for the BlackBerry World™ 2011 conference, coming up soon on May 3-5! Small and Medium-sized Business mobility is always a popular topic of discussion at the conference, and this year we have added more SMB sessions, tracks and content than ever before. There are multiple sessions being held for our Global Retail Channel partners and our IT Value Added Resellers, as well as for the Small & Medium-sized business owners and IT decision makers who will be with us in Orlando.

If you’re an IT decision maker within a small business attending BlackBerry World, I’d like to point you to this session in particular: BlackBerry Solutions for Your Business (WA28) – taking place Wednesday May 4 at 11:15 a.m.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

We’re entering the final stretch of our North American SmartBuilder Tour for small businesses and entrepreneurs. You can join us for a morning of interactive presentations, discussions and networking. Also, you’ll be able to enjoy a complimentary breakfast and listen to guest speakers share insights on BlackBerry® mobile solutions that will help make your business more efficient, responsive and productive.

Did we mention that registration is FREE? There will also be giveaways and attendees at each event can enter for a chance to win a new BlackBerry smartphone.* We’re excited to be bringing these three inspiring speakers to you: Ramon Ray, Brent Leary, and Patrick Schwerdtfeger.

Check out the Start and Grow your Business with the BlackBerry Seminar Series website and register your spot at the following cities:

Miami – April 5, 2011
Los Angeles – April 5, 2011
Atlanta – April 7, 2011
Washington – April 8, 2011
Orlando – April 12, 2011
Boston – April 13, 2011
Chicago – April 14, 2011
Denver – April 14, 2011
Houston – April 14, 2011
Las Vegas – April 15, 2011
Cincinnati – April 20, 2011

Hope to see you there!

*No purchase necessary to enter or win. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entrants at each event. Contest sponsored by Research In Motion Corporation. See Official Rules available at each event for complete contest details and restrictions.

One of our passions here at Research In Motion® (RIM®) is helping small and medium-sized businesses start and grow everyday – and we’re serious about it!

One of the tools we’re really excited about is SmartBuilder for BlackBerry®. SmartBuilder will ask you 8 questions about your business and your goals, and will provide you with a recommendation on a possible mobile solution, including devices, accessories and apps! Let us know if you’d like us to connect with you for more details, or follow up with your usual wireless provider. SmartBuilder for BlackBerry helps reduce the research cycles around mobility, so you can focus on doing business. We’re also out looking for your feedback on the BlackBerry platform and hearing about your business – and how mobility is working for you. Let us know in the comments below.

Also, in order to provide additional help to those in the business sector, we’re out on a ten-week “SmartBuilder” tour across the US, talking to entrepreneurs, business owners and their teams about the BlackBerry solution and the tools that are available to them. We might be in your city soon, so check out our SmartBuilder tour dates and come see our awesome tour vehicle!

Hopefully, we’ll see you at an event soon! You can follow along on Twitter® at @BlackBerry4Biz to get updates on the tour.