Today, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express Software was released for IBM Lotus Domino. This means that if your business is using Lotus email, you can now use this free server software to synchronize email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks between BlackBerry® smartphones and IBM Lotus Domino without compromising security.

With BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express connected to IBM Lotus Domino, BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to:

• Wirelessly synchronize email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks
• Manage email folders and search email on the mail server remotely
• Book meetings and appointments, accept meeting requests, check availability and forward calendar attachments
• Set an out-of-office reply
• Access files stored on the company network
• Use mobile applications to access business systems behind the firewall

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

You’re working on a new feature coming to the BlackBerry platform. What’s the story behind this feature and what does it do?

Over the past 10 years, smartphones have been a huge boon to enterprises because they enable employees to take their work with them wherever they go. In the past few years, however, smartphones have started allowing us to take our personal life anywhere, through things like social networking applications and rich multimedia features.

This has led to a trend we’re seeing in the enterprise space right now, and that’s personal-liable devices, or BYODs (“Bring Your Own Device”). People are buying smartphones for that rich personal experience, but then looking to bring that smartphone into the office to take their work with them as well. What we’re working on is building a platform of coexistence between these two lives on one device.

That sounds cool, but what do you mean by coexistence?

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.

So, for example, the average employee will be able to respond to that urgent email from their boss, but then a minute later be able to check up on their kids over BlackBerry® Messenger or Facebook, because their employer is comfortable with the security measures protecting their sensitive data.

Exactly.

So it’s a win for the company and the user, because they both get what they want.

Yep. =D Enterprises can then allow employees with their own BlackBerry smartphones to bring them into the office at no cost using products like BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express. The employee gets access to all their corporate services (work email, work calendar… etc.) and is still able to enjoy using their BlackBerry smartphone in their personal life because the security concerns are addressed.

Without giving away the secret sauce, how is this going to work? Will the BlackBerry smartphone user notice anything different?

Really what we’re working on is keeping the enterprise data where it belongs. That means sensitive information like emails or important business contacts can stay highly secure and controlled. This is all happening in the background of the platform, so the BlackBerry smartphone user won’t really notice anything different. However, if they try to do something their company would deem unacceptable with that data, the platform is designed to help prevent it from happening and notify the user.

Thanks for this! I’m looking forward to grilling you for more information as it becomes available to put on Inside BlackBerry.

No problem!

More and more employers are making it possible for employees to connect their personal smartphones to their corporate email, because it’s good for business and is also considered a benefit to employees that want to manage their work and life on BlackBerry. Research In Motion (RIM) is running a series of learning sessions in cities across North America designed to help IT managers embrace the reality of personal-liable smartphones in the enterprise space.

Analyst Maribel Lopez will walk attendees through the risks and rewards of bringing employee’s personal smartphones into the business world and share tactics for management success. Attendees will be able to share best practices with fellow leaders and ask questions of RIM and other industry experts. There will also be a demonstration of the recently released BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express software for all who attend!

Please see the list below to find the event registration page that’s right for you.

Toronto, ON – March 25th, 2010
Chicago, IL – March 30th, 2010
Dallas, TX – March 31st, 2010
San Jose, CA – April 1st, 2010

These learning sessions are free, but participation is limited, so please register now. All attendees will receive the Smart Policies for Personal-Liable Smartphone white paper and be entered into a draw for a free BlackBerry Starter Pack.

We hope you can join us!

BONUS: Read the most recent BlackBerry Connection Newsletter for more information on connecting personal employee smartphones.

Q: So what does BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express mean for me (aka: the BlackBerry smartphone user)?

A: It means you can have what you want: access to your work email, calendar, contacts and more from your personal BlackBerry smartphone – and your IT department also gets what they want: a BlackBerry wireless sync solution that is highly secure and manageable.

Plus, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software is available at a great price (no charge!). And since you’re already paying for your internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider, there are no additional software licensing costs for your organization to provide you with access to your work email from your BlackBerry smartphone.

Q: Am I going to have to pay an extra fee per month to use this?

A: BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is free to all businesses – there is no software licensing cost and no client access license fees. For you, the end user, the only cost is the internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider. (This means if you can browse the Internet from your BlackBerry smartphone today you are already on a service plan that can be used with BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express).

Q: Which applications are supported by BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

A: It’s actually easier to tell you what applications BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express doesn’t support =D. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express does not support certain premium solutions supported by the full version of BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. These are things like Enterprise Instant Messaging Clients, Enterprise Social Networking Solutions, Chalk® Pushcast Software, and BlackBerry® Mobile Voice System. Outside of that, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express users will be able to enjoy the thousands of applications available on BlackBerry App World™ and will also be able to tap into behind the firewall applications when assisted by their IT departments (e.g. CRM applications).

Q: What do I need to have/do to use BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

A: It’s fairly simple to get started with BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express – here is what you and your company needs:

End-user Requirements:

• A BlackBerry smartphone
• Subscription to an internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider

Company Requirements:

• Microsoft® Exchange 2010, 2007, 2003 OR Windows® Small Business Server 2008, 2003
• Download and install the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software (at no charge!) on your existing Microsoft Exchange or Windows Small Business Server
• Those looking for more info can read the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express full system requirements (.PDF)

Your IT admin will then simply need to add you and your BlackBerry smartphone into the system and you will be ready and set to go.

Q: What are the end-user features that are available with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express?

A: Below is a list of a few key BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express features. Please note some of these features require BlackBerry® Device Software version 5.0.

Advanced business email features

• Highly secure push-based HTML corporate email – connected to your work email account
• Synced inboxes (i.e., email deleted from work Outlook account are also deleted from your BlackBerry smartphone – no need to manage 2 inboxes)
• Ability to flag emails for follow-up from your BlackBerry smartphone
• Search your desktop inbox for messages from your BlackBerry smartphone
• Set up out of office replies from your BlackBerry smartphone
• Access and update important notes and tasks
• Edit Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel® and Microsoft® PowerPoint® files on your BlackBerry smartphone using Documents To Go®

A calendar that’s always up-to-date

• Access to an up-to-date calendar that is synched wirelessly (No need to tether to your desktop!)
• See coworkers’ free/busy status (this should make setting up meetings easy)
• View, download and forward calendar attachments

Advanced contact features

• Wireless address lookup (changes to your corporate address book are reflected almost immediately on your BlackBerry smartphone)
• Synchronization between your desktop address book and your BlackBerry smartphone address book (that means when you add a contact to one, it is automatically updated in the other)

Behind the firewall access

• Access to your corporate intranet
• Remote file access – access your corporate documents and network drives from your BlackBerry smartphone

To learn more, visit: www.blackberry.com/besexpress

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is also free: the software requires no additional user license fees, and works with any Internet-enabled or enterprise data plan.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express benefits both the BlackBerry smartphone end user and IT administrators. Click the links below to learn more about the end user, IT management and security features of BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express end user features
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express IT management and support features
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express security features

Don’t forget to also register for BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express availability updates. In the coming weeks, the Inside BlackBerry blog team will be talking more about BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server in general (a topic that might be quite new to many of our readers), so stay tuned!