We’ve been hearing about rumors and seeing leaked images of the new BES 5.0, and at last it is right at our doors for upgrade.  As rumored before about wireless synchronization, it was completely legitimate plus a few more goodies included.  RIM co-CEO James Balsillie says “This is the most powerful version of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server ever and we believe it will further cement RIM’s leadership position in the enterprise markets.”

Fully Web-based

• All the administrative services are now fully web based, meaning that no desktop client needs to be installed on administrators’ machines.  Given that, BES admins will now be able to remotely access the Web interface to perform BlackBerry-related tasks — without having to physically visit the server.  That alone became a big plus for many IT departments to upgrade to the 5.0 build.

Over-the-air software loading

• Administrators can now upgrade not only application software but also the operating systems of an individual user — or the entire company — completely over the air. This is an extraordinary feature that is the first of its kind.  Traditionally, every device had to be manually updated through the computer which became quite an annoyance over time.  What ended up happening is that many business users ended up having old updates on their BlackBerry and kept it that way to avoid any issues or confusions attempting to update via PC.

• Alan Panezic, vice president of Platform Product Management for RIM, sums it up during a presentation: “The only reason you would ever cable your BlackBerry in this version is to charge it.”

High availability

• BES 5.0 comes with a number of high-availability enhancements to placate even the most demanding administrator. It will be possible to configure active/passive failover design, which opens the way for server-side upgrades with limited downtime, and other DR and BC strategies.
• RIM says that when BES is running in a high-availability configuration, there is no single point of failure in the architecture. In addition, it is now possible to scale the number of supported devices on a single BES setup to a staggering 100,000 smartphones.

IT admins, without wasting anymore time, update your BlackBerry Enterprise Servers to the latest 5.0 build.  It’ll make you and your Berry users’ lives a lot easier.  Enjoy!

-by Mac Jadalhack

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