[Sith_Apprentice]

Orlando, FL- Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2008, – IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX:RIM) today announced IBM’s new hosting capabilities to support the BlackBerry® platform. IBM has also joined the BlackBerry® System Integrator (SI) Alliance Program.

IBM will expand its portfolio of Managed Wireless Services for the BlackBerry platform, leveraging its already successful services offering that currently hosts more than 100,000 enterprise end users globally. The offering builds upon the strength of the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server product line with a far-reaching suite of services that include hosting, consulting, systems integration, and deployment of enterprise applications on the converged platform.

Ownership of wireless services in the enterprise has shifted from Procurement to the CIO. Like corporate data and telephony, the BlackBerry platform is considered by many to be fundamental to their business operations. Large organizations look to outsource these services so they can focus on their core competencies. Meanwhile, demand increases for innovative technology and infrastructure to help support the mobile Web, as wireless devices now outnumber landlines. IBM predicts more than one billion mobile Web users by 2011.

“We find that our enterprise clients increasingly need to extend wireless data capabilities beyond e-mail, and to leverage their enterprise investment on wireless device platforms,” said Gary Cohen, IBM’s General Manager, Global Communications Sector. “IBM’s services will facilitate the deployment and ongoing management of enterprise applications on the BlackBerry platform. We are uniquely well-equipped to enable our enterprise customers to do so on a large scale. As the world’s leading IT services provider we are very pleased to be offering these services and to be working with RIM, an outstanding innovative leader in the wireless data marketplace.”

“In today’s business world, BlackBerry is as essential to our organization as network connectivity, phone and e-mail. At Fluor, we count on BlackBerry to speed our decision making, help solve problems and improve execution,” said Ray Barnard, VP and CIO, Fluor Corporation. “We count on IBM to deliver this essential service and to collaborate with our business partners to innovate on new mobile applications that further our competitive advantage.”

“RIM is excited to support the expansion of IBM’s Managed Wireless Services for the BlackBerry platform,” said Jeff McDowell, Vice President, Global Alliances at Research In Motion. “RIM believes IBM’s hosted services will help extend the reach of the BlackBerry platform globally and will help customers realize the full value of enterprise mobility.”

Managing customers’ wireless applications in an increasingly mobile-centric world is a key focus of the new alliance between IBM and RIM. IBM now offers access to the full line of Web 2.0-powered Lotus collaboration and information on demand software on the market-leading BlackBerry platform.

For more information, visit IBM United States and BlackBerry.

BlackBerry - Press Release