Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) Vs Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES)

Blackberry is a wide range of mobile devices owned by a Canadian company, ‘Research In Motion’ (RIM). Blackberry’s main targets are people whose internet usage is high. These are generally businessmen, corporate executives, professionals, lawyers, etc.


BIS stand for Blackberry Internet Service and it is offered free when you purchase a data plan of any blackberry phone. BIS facilitates a blackberry customer with internet browsing, e-mail checking, online chatting, etc. A BIS account is created for you where you can integrate up to 10 e-mail accounts. You can visit the following websites to create an account for yourself if you have purchased a new blackberry phone:

AT&T: https://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=mycingular

Nextel: https://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=nextel

Sprint: https://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=sprint

T-Mobile: https://my.t-mobile.com/Login/Default.aspx

Verizon: https://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=vzw

Optus (Australia): https://bis.na.blackberry.com/html?brand=vzw

Telstra (Australia): https://bis.ap.blackberry.com/html/?brand=telstra

Three (Australia): https://bis.ap.blackberry.com/html/?brand=three

All you need to do is create an account and attach it to your webmail site and mailbox. This process does not take more than 15 minutes. It is basically a free version of blackberry software and has no centralized management. Each device needs to be managed individually.

People generally get confused between BIS and BIS. Let me explain what BES is, to make things clear.

BES or Blackberry Enterprise Server is a software package that operates as a centralized link between wireless mobile devices, enterprise applications and wireless networks. This is mainly designed to meet the needs of enterprise. With this software you can have access to all your e-mails, contacts, calendar, memo, schedules, tasks, etc. It is costlier than BIS but management will be much easier. Companies are advised to purchase this software if there are at least 10 blackberries in the office. This device helps to include wipe and lock command in case your phone gets stolen. Let me brief you up with some of the key feature of BES:

• Forwards e-mail from your corporate ID

• Compatible with Microsoft® exchange, IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Novell® GroupWise®

• You can view your MS office attachment

• Browse your websites as per corporate policy.

• Provides access to personal information management tools such as calendar and address book.

• It contains Integrated Security Triple Data Encryption Standard (DES) or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) to protect confidentiality of data.

• You can instantly synchronize data and organize and update your calendar.

• Wireless automatic backup to BlackBerry 8830 device setting and preferences over the wireless network.

Even though you have hosted BIS on your own BES server, RIM receive all communications as it is a centralized delivery. This has led to security issues as RIM is a Canadian company and US government feels that important and sensitive messages are going out of the country. However, RIM issues security patches for Blackberry phones for higher security. It asked corporate customers to install an interim patch for the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and an interim patch for the BlackBerry Professional Software. RIM also advised BlackBerry users to open PDF attachments only from "trusted sources”.

- Brian Kingsley, Director of Technical Services, ACS Services, Boston

http://www.acs.com/