Blackberry smartphones have long been considered RIM’s forte and the foundation of their success. However, one of the reasons why Blackberry hasn’t yet raised the white flag – despite things seemingly going horrifyingly kaput – is their BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) infrastructure. Now with RIM introducing the Blackberry Mobile Fusion – extending BES to manage iOS and Andrioid devices – this new product might become the marketing soul for BlackBerry in the near and long-term future – and this despite being originally marketed as a “value-add” for the BlackBerry fan base.
RIM’s downward spiral
RIM’s recent nosedive has meant that skepticism on all this related to the company has been pretty much on a roll for a good part of two years now. As RIM clings onto this downward spiral, it is easy to identify the major reason behind this freefall – underestimating the upsurge of iOS and Android. And it is there for all to see how RIM’s market share is going down like a distraught frown as a result. Here’s a stat to get some perspective: BlackBerry PlayBook has sold over a million units since launch a year back; the latest Apple iPad has tripled those numbers in its first weekend alone. And the frown just keeps on getting bigger and bigger…
The Heins era
With the co-CEO bidding adieu – or being bid adieu, whichever way you might want to look at it – new CEO Thorsten Heins has taken over the reins to deal with what in all honesty is a Herculean task. And mind you not your Average Joe Hercules, it would need brain exercise of the very top drawer for RIM to get out of this fix – especially since the latest quarterly earning has been quite abysmal to say the very least.
Using multiple platforms
Now before the rivals or indeed the skeptics begin their search for what they might think of as the final nail in the proverbial coffin of RIM, BlackBerry Mobile Fusion might just prove itself to be the magnet that distracts the nails away from the coffin, and turn the abovementioned frown upside down. RIM is the pioneer of MDM (mobile device management), and with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion RIM is finally willing to accept the truth that customers would invariably use multiple platforms, and as Tony Bradley of PCWorld quotes “leveraging its position as the existing embedded MDM solution to regain some relevance.”
Stemming the tide
Those that doubt that by smoothing transition with its rivals BlackBerry Mobile Fusion is playing right into the hands of Android and IOS devices, are missing the simple point that by expanding BES to support Android and iOS RIM would manage to stem the tide in the opposite direction and think about shifting it towards BlackBerry in the future as well. It’s a no-brainer really, and quite a few notches off being qualified as rocket science.
Much needed lifeline
As for perspective, there is hardly any doubt that BlackBerry Mobile Fusion would put RIM back on the map as a leading player for multiplatform mobile device management simultaneously. BlackBerry as an OS and its devices might have to bear the brunt of this move, but RIM will get a much needed lifeline. RIM might be shifting towards becoming a lot more than merely a mobile device company, and BlackBerry Mobile Fusion might prove to be an important milestone in this quest.
==== About the Author ====
Jane Andrew is the author of blackberry monitoring app and cell phone tracking technology. She provides tips, tricks and news about mobile phone monitoring apps. You can also follow her on Twitter @pcspysoftware to get the latest tips about cell phone technology.
