BlackBerry Enterprise Mobility Suite Reviews

Primarily for mobile device management.

It has allowed us to manage many different mobile device platforms, like Windows 10, Android, Apple, and BlackBerry 10, all through a single pane of glass. It has been quite effective at doing this. 

There has been improvements in how we know what software is available on devices, so there is better reporting. It has given us good visibility for maintaining compliance as far as operating system versions go.

It is a very comprehensive solution.

There are a lot of features. Some of the features that I find most valuable are how we can manage devices by device model, device type, and operating system. We can create device groups, user groups, and control. We can push special policies based on user end device groups, so this is a very important feature for me, because it allows me to separate different vendor devices and be able to report on them and control how we manage them.

In terms of flexibility, it is another level of functionality which you can provide for addressing a variety of business requirements, from managing mobile devices to pulling applications. It does support hardware and operating system configurations from every angle: How the business wants to use it, how it is installed by technical teams, and how it is supported. It is flexible. There is a cloud offering, as well, which we have not tried.

I would like more support for Google Chromebook operating system, so I could manage it. Also, I would like more management support for Apple computers.

More than five years.

There were some issues during the upgrades in the past, but that was far in the past. Recently, I can't say that I have had any stability issues.

Scalability seems to be working well. We have not had any of our UEM servers peak. We have around 1200 user managed devices, and we have never had any issues with that scaling option. It seems to scale well with that amount.

The technical support is great. We have an advanced support agreement, and we go to the Level 2 support. They are knowledgeable and know the product well. They are able to deal with our issues quickly and effectively.

We were on a competing product called BoxTone, but that was acquired by BlackBerry. 

That is as far back as we go in terms of competing products.

The initial setup was very straightforward. However, I have been through the setup many times. If I was a new user or new IT staff setting up a server, it would still be very straightforward and intuitive, since there is not a lot of clicking. 

You just click next, next, and you install the software. You can figure out what it needs, so it is very straightforward.

That is where it is a bit challenging for us, because there is a lot of value-add in the product with a lot of different features. With the new licensing model, there seems to be a significant increase in cost, which makes it difficult to push forward and talk with the business to say, “Here are all these other features that we can leverage. By the way, here is the increase in the cost." 

That is where there are some difficulties, trying to get budget for some of the new features. Then again, the business also comes back wanting to use those new features. I am specifically referring to the good integration points. For now, the business is happy with just mobile device management. We did get a cost for those newer licenses, and the price is up there.

It seems like the licensing costs are somewhat justifiable just because of all the extra features that you are getting. If there was a licensing option with MDM only explaining its cost and spell that out in their licensing model, which is user-based, that would probably help customers more. This way they understand what the costs are and why some costs are more and some are less.

We have been a BlackBerry shop for a very long time. We did look at another option a while back, which was BoxTone, but we went back to Blackberry because of the simple pane of glass capability. 

However, we are looking at Microsoft Intune, which is a competing product. We have not moved to it, but we are investigating it.

You should do a proper architecture assessment and know how the product will scale and fit in your environment. Will you need more than one server, or just the one server, for all your usage? 

Definitely do some planning from a disaster recovery perspective about where you want to have your UEM servers running in the event of a disaster. 

Do some thorough planning on licensing. Pick the pieces that you need carefully, because there is a significant licensing cost.

Our primary use case is mobile security and team members being able to access email and other functionality, in a secure manner.

We were previously on Good Control, then we upgraded to UEM.

We have client audits, as well as financial, government, and security audits, that we have to comply with. Mobility is always on these audits. Typically, when we provide whichever client or auditor with what mobile solution that we utilized to secure our mobile data, we usually do not have any issues passing audits from a mobile perspective because of the security around the containerized security versus using something else that would use a native email app from an iPhone or an Android.

In addition, we do have a lot of functionality additional enhancements enabled in our test environment that we will be rolling out in the next quarter.

Security is the most valuable feature, because we are a financial institution. We have a large number of clients and we have to make sure all communications are secure and PCI compliant.

The entry level support needs improvement, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that we do not have premium support. Therefore, we have to go through Level 1 support for any issues. Typically, by the time I have to call in a ticket in, I have already done all the Level 1 or 2 support on my end. This can be a little frustrating when you are trying to figure out an issue. The company is finally going to be signing up for premium support when we do our renewal (fingers crossed). That is my personal frustration. I have been working with the product since it was Good for Enterprise, then Good Control, and now UEM. I know our environment, so I get a little frustrated when I have to put a support ticket in.

There is always room for improvement. It would be nice if there was an easier way for team members to get onboarded in regards to what they have to do on the device. There are some programs like Apple DEP and Samsung Knox. Unfortunately, with these programs, to get existing users onto them, you have to factory wipe your device. If it did not have the DEP capabilities, it would be nicer if it did not have so many steps to go through. That is our biggest complaint from team members. It has too many steps.

We are trying to get it to that point where our user experience is better. We want to be able to provide them with more functions and features (because of our environment), and it is coming, hopefully by next year. What we are striving for is to provide our team members with a better mobile experience.

One to three years.

There have been a few times that there have been issues from the BlackBerry perspective that have caused a lot of headaches in our environment. Thankfully, it has been few and far between. For example, we had one time where there was an issue that caused devices to fall out of compliance because of something with Knox.

For the most part, it has been stable. It is unfortunate because you are dealing with mobile devices and you have to rely on the team member to work from their mobile device. There are times where we have issues because team members are not properly updating their phones and their Blackberry apps, regularly. There is no way to replicate all the variables out there: All the different types of device models, different types of operating system levels, and versions of apps on their phones. 

If they have a version from three versions ago, I have no way of replicating that on a device to see what could be causing their issue. The only thing we can do is deactivate them, upgrade their iOS, and reprovision them. This way they have the latest, greatest everything and hope that the issue does not reoccur. With the App Store, there is just no way to get older versions of apps.

No scalability issues with the current version. We have had some issues with the previous version that we were on, but it seems to be a lot better now with the newer version.

As with any company, you will have some support staff that have been there a little bit longer and have more knowledge, then others you can tell have to keep putting you on hold to check with somebody else. I wish they would just put me through to the other person versus trying to be a go-between.

We were originally a BlackBerry shop in regards to Blackberry devices, then we started with iOS devices. We went with Good for Enterprise, so we were Good for Enterprise when were on IBM Domino. Then, when we decided to migrate from Domino to Exchange, we went with Good Control. Now, we are on UEM. We finally got rid of all our legacy BlackBerry devices, so we are strictly iOS right now, and all of our mobile iOS devices are on UEM.

Because we were upgrading from Good Control to UEM, it was very complex to do that method. I have a separate UEM environment on the international side where we did not have to do the migration from Good Control to UEM, setting up the policies and everything, and getting everything working over there was much easier. However, upgrading from Good Control to UEM, it is very complex. 

I have not done the final step which is the big database sink. This scares the living heck out of me. 

I have been told it is a little pricey.

Back when we were looking at iOS devices, we did a demo with AirWatch and tried to test the IBM MaaS360 solution. The MaaS360 was not sufficient enough for our information security department. A couple other ones that we looked into did not have the security perimeters. AirWatch was more comparable, but because of the investment that we already had with Good for Enterprise, and it was familiar to the team members, our management decided to stay with Good, which then morphed into BlackBerry, versus attempting to go with a different product.

If you are trying to go from Good Control to UEM, I would highly recommend going the rip and replace method. Where you set up a brand new environment and go make your users have to deactivate off of one and activate on the other. 

We tried to go with a method of being the least invasive for our team members, and in hindsight, I wish we would not have done it. It seems like there is more room for issues.

Our biggest concern is security, and Blackberry definitely meets our requirements in regards to security, which is why we still have it.

The primary use is to get mobile access for things like email, that is the most important thing; when you're traveling or not at the campus. We use it for access to email, to the internet and to office stuff when not in the office.

People were used to accessing their email, etc., as we had BlackBerry Enterprise Service before. That's the biggest benefit, that you have your access to email, agenda, to your contacts when you're traveling around.

It was also an improvement when we got the Tasks and the Notes as well as Connect for Skype For Business. Those are the apps that brought improvement

The most important is BlackBerry Work, for sure because that is where you have email, and access to the emails is the most important thing for the users.

Access to the internet is also important, as well as calendar. The personal information management - email, calendar, contacts - are important, as well, perhaps as the Outlook features Tasks or Notes. Those are the most used.

What we don't have at the moment is RDP from the device to some kind of PC. That would perhaps become important. I don't know if that's coming from the BlackBerry Apps environment, or if that would be from a third-party.

Another feature would be access to a delegate's mailbox and I think that is to come in one of the next releases. There have been a lot of requests for that type of feature where, for example, a secretary can access the mailbox of the boss. 

It might also be good to have some SAP apps. That's not in the BlackBerry, but it's in the container. Because we all have our business apps in the BlackBerry container, I count them as also being business apps.

More than five years.

It's really very rare for us to have had got problems with stability of the environment. For, a minimum of one year it has been running without any problems. There was an issue, where we configured something, and we had a problem with stability. But other than changes to the configuration, we have not had any problems with the stability.

We haven't really had any scalability issues. The only thing is that the UEM service is a little slow. We have a product production environment, and a test environment and both of them are a little slow. When you are using the UEM Web interface, it takes time to load. I don't know if that is because of the number of users, but generally, scalability is not a problem. If we had a very large number of users to add, I think we would find a solution, so that should be no problem.

We are quite satisfied with the technical support. It's running quite well. It's quite easy, no problem to open up a ticket. Our technical account manager is also very good because he checks for a solution, or perhaps he can push a ticket a little. But overall, we have had a good experience with their support.

We were using the old BlackBerry solution, BlackBerry Enterprise server. Then we switched to the Good solution. And then Good Technology was bought by BlackBerry and we were using BlackBerry again.

The setup was a bit complex because of our requirements. We had to build very strict security. We wanted to do the whole thing with Kerberos, so that you don't have to fill in your Active Directory password on the device, and that was a bit complex. 

The normal setup is not too complex, but if you want to have an extra-secure process with Kerberos authentication then it's a bit complex. When you want to do it like we did, you need help. I don't think it's really possible to reach that level by yourself.

When I talk to our account manager, or with our sales guy, they both say we have one of the most secure environments, and one of the most perfectly built-up environments they've ever seen. So we reached a very good level there.

We looked at several solutions, comparing BlackBerry Enterprise Mobility Suite vs AirWatch, and Absynth, which came up a few years ago. We had a closer look at Abysnth but it wasn't able to deliver the way we wanted it so they were out. We had a close look at Good Technology and then it was acquired quite fast.

I would definitely advise having somebody supporting you when setting it up because you can create a very secure setup. As we are in the defense industry, we wanted a secure setup and used consulting and support to create a good setup. If you create such a setup, a secure setup, you will have a really fine solution.

I rate it an eight out of 10, which is quite good. It is not perfect, but it's on the way to perfect. If there are a few more features and there is a little more advancement, I think it's a very good solution. We have a good solution, satisfied customers within our company. The stability is very good. It is running quite well.

Our primary use case is the PIM, it's a personal information manager: mailbox, browsing, etc.

The most important aspect was for us is to have better security. It gives us the ability to have a container and the most secure possible application. It gives us the most secure situation.

The mailbox. The mailbox is the most important and is the feature we use most.

Currently, I don't have any suggestions because it does the job perfectly. It's really great to have a container application. For us, that is the most important part.

One to three years.

It's very stable. There were some very minor and specific issues, but no larger issues.

No issues with scalability at all. 

They provide quick replies, they're very kind and perfectly professional. I have no problem with tech support.

We have VMware AirWatch but not for this use case, so we can't compare. We needed it to have a container application. We have a very sensitive user population, in terms of security. Our clients need the most secure usage. That's why we switched to BlackBerry, the security is outstanding.

The previous product was Good Technology for Enterprise. The main concern was to continue with BlackBerry, the new products, and not change.

The management and implementation were done by me, I'm the solution architect. There was no problem with this. It was very simple.

Don't hesitate to contact the vendor for help, if needed. Also, be sure that your use case is met by the product; for example, the security. Perhaps you don't need to have security because your environment is not very sensitive. Check issues like that.

I give it a 10 out of 10. All our user adoption is done, and the experience has been very good, no problems.

The BlackBerry Suite is used for mail, collaboration, instant messaging, and secure browsing.

It has improved the ability of our mobility users, such as business partners, to collaborate with their clients a lot more freely and without having to carry multiple devices.

It also improved the way all the applications work together. The activation feature was a big improvement from the UEM. It was a big improvement to activate applications with one authentication. That was a big plus for the user experience.

The most important would be instant messaging and the security that we get from the containerization.

When I say security, I mean policies that we can put down, not allowing our data to be leaked. Since we're a BYO shop - bring your own device - we like to make sure that the company's data is secure and not being leaked.

It takes a lot of time to export the logs, zip them, and upload them. With Good Technology, there was actually a feature from the GUI, right from the console, I was able to send the logs. I was able send my server logs to Good and that was very convenient. What I'm noticing now, and it feels like I took a step back, is that I have to zip logs again and upload them. And that takes a lot of time.

I know for the BlackBerry Connect, our users want to see more features, such as audio and video. I know the current version doesn't have that. I think that's one of the major features in the collaboration when it comes to the messaging part, the Connect.

It is very stable. I haven't had any major outages. The only issue we have, and I don't think we have too much control over it, is when devices, OS's such as iOS, do an update that breaks the application. That's usually beyond our control.

The scalability is great for our organization. I haven't had any issue with performance.

Technical support is above average. The only thing I would like them to improve is, when I open up a case, I don't want to have to see the script requiring me to tell them what version I'm on, what patch, serial number, etc. I feel that as soon as I open a case, that information should already be uploaded. I shouldn't have to give my version I'm running every time I open a case.

In terms of taking care of us, it depends on what the escalation point is. If it's an emergency, usually I usually get a call right away. We have Premium Support so we do get good support. In terms of the amount of time, sometimes they tend to investigate or we have to inform them to escalate to an engineer for certain things. But, overall, it's above average.

Previously we were a Good Technology shop and Good was purchased by BlackBerry. Before this product, we evaluated VMware AirWatch and I think the better move was just going from Good to Blackberry because, at the time, it was still the better solution.

The setup wasn't complex. It was a lot better than the older versions, and that is because they integrated the Good Technology. The Good Technology, I have to say, was really good.

It's a good, secure product. It still needs a little more development to grow. I would say test it and see if it fits.

Overall, I give it a strong seven out of 10. The reason is that work is needed when it comes to other platforms, such as Windows and Mac. But as for mobile devices, I think they're spot on.

The container approach gets you separation between private and corporate data. This does mean that you eliminate the risk of wiping private data during a remote wipe as well as remove the risk of data leakage between when the device is lost and when it is wiped.

Clumsy user interface Expensive No cloud delivery platform Iffy support for O365

Provides access to our Lotus Notes system in a controlled and managed manner. Is device agnostic with a similar interface for the gamet of devices in the market.

The application is consistent across devices, but the interface is not as robust as you would expect for an enterprise solution. The application should have more user functionality and interface better with the independent operating systems it runs on.

We are able to secure and control all company-owned devices which is essential for us as a financial company.

We are able to separate personal information and in the event of a breach, we are able to turn off access and/or delete this information.

The security provided by the solution is excellent.

The initial installation could be simplified.

I have been using this solution for two and a half years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable. We currently have six users who are all ITT.

Technical support is good.

The first installation is very complicated but future installments are much easier.

We used an in-house UI team of two people who were also able to perform necessary testing.

We are paying $200 annually. You also need to have a hardware server or a license for the server so there could be some additional fees added on to that.

We looked into MaaS360.

Be sure to perform necessary research prior to purchase and be ready to perform tests.

On-premises