BlackBerry Management Software Rolls OutBlackBerry Management Software Rolls Out

BoxTone will release the latest version of its enterprise software for the BlackBerry platform at the Gartner Wireless & Mobile Summit on Tuesday.

BoxTone v4.0 is software that helps businesses manage, monitor, and support their deployment of BlackBerry smartphones by analyzing a company's BlackBerry Enterprise Server's performance. With the economy staggering, BoxTone executive told information the latest version could help cut costs in multiple ways.

"Enterprise and agency IT organizations cannot afford to throw more and more resources at mobility management and support challenges," BoxTone CEO Alan Snyder said. "BoxTone v4.0 bridges the mobility support gap, with new levels of automation to help control mobility costs, proactively prevent mobility issues, and speed faster resolutions when issues do occur."

The software uses previous data and a prediction engine to run diagnostics and offer "Smart Alerts." These messages can offer suggestions to IT departments on how to maximize the hardware by balancing loads for higher performance. BoxTone v4.0 also has one-click fix options for repairing common issues, which could mitigate the need for escalating support to higher-paid members of the IT team.

For example, the company said one of the most common problems with a BES is that it can wind up talking to too many mail servers as a company's fleet expands. By running a report and utilizing the one-click fix options, the software can automatically route users to ideal servers.

BoxTone v4.0 also will have improved expense management capabilities, so IT departments can determine which employees are using these devices. If workers aren't using and don't need their BlackBerry devices, enterprises will save money by taking them away, BoxTone said.

The software will be generally available Tuesday, and starts at about $50 per user, but that price varies depending on the size of the deployment. The company also offers a free 30-day trial for new users with a money-back guarantee.

Deploying smartphones can produce a measurable boost on your employees' productivity, but businesses must be sure they're locking down that sensitive data. information wrote an in-depth report on how to secure mobile devices, and it can be downloaded here (registration required).