Shares of Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) shot up today after the company announced the introduction of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, a unified system for managing BlackBerry, Android and Apple iOS devices. After years of watching competing operating systems cut into its market share, RIM says this enterprise mobility solution will allow corporate IT managers to “confidently oversee the use of both company-owned and employee-owned mobile devices within their organizations.”
Research in Motion was a smartphone pioneer years ago when it introduced the BlackBerry, but now it has less than 3% of the smartphone market, according to the latest Gartner report. Although Apple has changed the game by making the smartphone a must-have for millions of consumers, RIM does maintain a loyal base of corporate customers. These are the customers that RIM hopes to keep with the introduction of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, as enterprises increasingly turn to competitors for smartphones and tablets, or adopt a BYOD (bring your own device) policy with new hires. “RIM’s expansion into management of other device OS gives it a competitive edge in an already existing stronghold for them — the enterprise segment,” said Frost & Sullivan analyst Martha Vazquez.
RIM outlined the features that it will and will not provide to all supported devices through Mobile Fusion. It will provide asset management and configuration management, secure lost or stolen devices through remote lock and wipe, user and group-based administration, and connectivity management. RIM says that users of iOS and Android devices will not have access to its BlackBerry Balance technology, which supports corporate security when an employee uses the same device for both work and personal purposes.
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