My BB 7100I died yesterday - JVM Error 102. We do all "OTA" - No one has Desktop Manager on thier computers, so I am unable to use the wonderful solutions on BB Forum to fix it myself. I called our IT Network Support Department - They "passed it along" to our Telecommunications department, which handles hardware problems with the BB. Because of an upcoming trip, I called our Telecomm department and took it to the office (10 minute drive) so I would have a phone for my trip. They were able to give me a new phone and get the phone activated - BUT, they have to call our BES admin. He has to take my old phone off the BES. Then, in order to get back on BES, I have to get a password (from yet another department), BEFORE I can do EA. So, here I sit, with a BB(which I can surf the Internet, unencumbered by IT Policies) with no email,no contacts, no notes. My question, at the end of my long rant is.....do other companies have a similar, convoluted management system for BB units.

Short answer - Yes. I do end user Blackberry support. We're the ones that get the things to work. However, we have NO access to the BES server, so if a user isn't on the WEEKLY BES User spreadsheet which IS available to us, we have to contact the MESSAGING department to see if the user has a BES account.

The Call Center (laughingly called the HelpLESS Desk) THINK they know what they're doing, but inevitably end up forwarding calls to us after they do brilliant things like load DM 3.6!! THEY, however, DO have access to the BES server, and CAN see if a user has a BES account - yet continue to forward calls to us to user that do NOT have an account - and don't qualify for one without written approval.

Messaging handles the BES - provision accounts, set EA Passwords, etc. They're great, but yet another step in the process. With the exception of approved new accounts, they typically get contacted by us when we need something.

FINALLY, there's a completely DIFFERENT department that handles device acquisition. Requests for BB's that the company buys go through them, although in general users are expected to acquire their own devices after being approved for a BES account.

I should add that we're a large company - about 35,000 people in the US, 70,000 globally - with about 6,500 BB users in the US, about 1/2 of which are in the region I cover. Security is a major issue, so the division between BES Admins and others is understandable, however there are (obviously) ways to give support personnel access to INFORMATION ONLY from the BES. Why they don't give the people in the trenches those rights, but DO give it to people that don't have a clue what to do with it is beyond me!


J

The larger the company the harder it is to get what you need to get accomplished. I have even seen smaller companies with only 50 or so users take weeks to get everyones permission to get things done.

I thought the company I consult at had the worst "helpless" desk out there - maybe not! The one here makes users reset the bbs for whatever reason they call - unless that is what is needed.....