Hi

Hope im at the right place.

We are a small business company and considering changing our cellphones into blackberry (we travel alot in/out of the country)

we are only 3 people who needs to be connected at start, maybe +10 people later (=next year or so)

we are currently running mac servers (communigate pro mail server) and imap on our macbook pro laptops.

QUESTION: is it true blackberry needs small business server, novell etc. to "work" optimal? can't you just set it up for imap like a "normal" cellphone - it's quite expencive for a small company to invest in a small business server (hardware+software) and when your running mac it's like breaking the laws of the universe!

I would love some advice and help on this subject (we are considering the new? 2xblackberry 8800 and 1x pearl - any tips/tricks/problems?

your would save my day if there were other possibilities - let's think outside the box

No, that's not necessarily true.
You don't need a BlackBerry Enterprise Server for the devices to function.
You would need a BES if you wanted full wireless sync of all of your PIM data in addition to email.
Since your mail server supports IMAP, you'd be able to use BIS (comes with your BlackBerry Data Plan from your carrier) and get e-mail delivery to your devices.
BES adds a lot of functionality to a Blackberry, but it's not a requirement.

No, not really. There is no email client that gets loaded on the Blackberry device. All email delivery is handled server-side. You'd be using BIS with your IMAP accounts

My advice is to try one device first. If it suits your needs, then get the other two.
If e-mail delivery is your main concern, then I'd say the Blackberry is a smart choice.
With BIS, you'll get wireless email delivery. You'd need BES if you want wireless address book sync, wireless calendar sync, etc...

woaw, lot of short names... (PIM data ?)

BES = server software for blackberry
BIS = web application for blackberry (like webmail?)

what functions would we be missing out on with the new 8800 and BIS (instead of 8800 with BES supported server?)

in reality how good is this solution ? would it push mail on-the-fly when i recieve and would it be sync'd with my imap mail on my macbook pro?

thanks for the great and fast reply!

PIM = Personal Information Manager. Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Memos

BES = BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Requires Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, or Novell Groupwise. Not an option for you unless you want to adopt one of those email systems.

BIS = BlackBerry Internet Service
Web-based "portal" that allows you to link up to 10 POP or IMAP email accounts to a single BlackBerry device.

Too many to list. Mainly 2-way email reconciliation, wireless PIM sync (see above) and a host of security and administrative tools.

I can't speak for you, but I imagine that if you're looking for a wireless email solution, it will be a really good one. BlackBerry is unbeatable for wireless email.

Yes, it would. All email delivery on the Blackberry is push mail.
It wouldn't exactly sync with your IMAP mailbox.
Mesages sent to your email address would simply be delivered to both your IMAP box and your BlackBerry.
Deletes and read/unread marks would not sync using BIS.

You're welcome!

*impressed*

thank you so much - last question(s) *I hope*

As I understand if I take a vacation for let's say 3 weeks (one can only hope, right) and i recieve +200 emails - I reply and delete (organize) my indbox ... when I get home and turn on the macbook pro I'll have +200 unread messages and no sync. between the devices?

any solution to this?

Any difference in speed from BES / BIS ?

Will my boss get irritated because of missing functions on his new blackberry (we have never used any before) or will he not notice he's running BIS ?

Is it not possible to install the BES on a mac os x server? (just curious)

Would model should I go for? the curve or 8800 series?
we only want the blackberry to check/answer emails, not calendar etc... we would like the GPS function - possible?

edit: and what about security ?

With BIS and an IMAP account... that's correct.
Recently Yahoo and GMail started offering two-way reconciliation through BIS. If switching to a Yahoo or GMail account is an option, then that is one way to workaround your issue.
Beyond that, you'd need BES.

BES mail delivery will be much faster. Almost instantaneous.
BIS can take up to 15 minutes for mail to be delivered to your device.
By design, BIS will poll your IMAP account on a schedule (every 15 min or so). When it finds new mail, it will push it to your device.


If his colleagues have BlackBerry devices and they are using BES... he'll feel the pain of only being on BIS. BES is a lot more functional than BIS for reasons described earlier in the thread.


Not possible.


Since you mentioned GPS... go with the 8800 from Cingular/AT&T.
The Curve does not have built-in GPS and would require you to purchase additional hardware.

ok, im getting the hang of it.

Is there any "easy" way to setup a BES? or do I have to kill my mac os x communigate server and buy a small business ?

is there a difference in speed BIS vs BES when surfing the net, reading the mail/sending mail and what else BB has to offer

I don't really see an "easy" way for you to switch to BES.
If you want to go the BES route, you'll need to entirely scrap your Mac OS X based email server. It won't fall into place in your new setup at all.
You'll need to switch to either Microsoft Exchange Server, Lotus Domino Server, or Novell Groupwise. This would likely be a pretty costly and time-consuming project for you.

I don't think you'll see any web browsing speed differences between BIS and BES. The web browsing speed is largely dependant on your device and carrier.

I can't thank you enough for all the help!

last question then ... will I be able to use GPS navigation without the BES server?

as I see it I can always start out with the BIS, if it proves to be unacceptable I can then research on a new BIS server setup solution, right?

It's no problem... glad to help!

Yes, you can use GPS without BES. No problem there.
There's free GPS solutions (BB Maps and Google Maps are popular) and then there's TeleNav which is awesome, but subscription based. ($10 per month?)

You are correct... you can always start out with BIS and work your way up to BES if your needs change.

Just as an edit... while I feel pretty confident that I've provided some good information and advice for you, I'm still only 1 person. Hopefully other users will chime in to confirm, deny or elaborate on what I've told you.

There is another option, but one I've never used. There are companies who will provide a hosted BES server - essentially your e-mail / calendar, contacts will reside on a BES server that you "rent" for a monthly fee.

I've never used one, so I can't personally vouch for them, but there is a company that advertises on these boards.

So... you could start with BIS - and if you find you need more, you could use a hosted solution until you decide its worth investing in your own equipment.

Just a thought.

Don

penguin3107 Did a wonderful job!

And I second the thought on hosted BES if BIS doesn't meet your needs.

I'm not sure I have much to add to what penguin3107 has already covered.

I would point out that BIS doesn't really support IMAP properly so do some research on it and test it out before fully committing. I briefly tried tinkering with IMAP and BIS but never really did much with it (partially because I found that I didn't care much for IMAP). However, from my limited experience I'd make the educated guess that you would be much happier in the long run with BES (hosted or not) or non-IMAP email accounts integrated with BIS.