RIM releases new system as unveiling of BlackBerry 10 devices nears

Research In Motion has released a new system to allow its biggest customers to use its new line of BlackBerry 10 smartphones on their own networks, paving the way for the January 30 launch of the make-or-break devices.

RIM said on Wednesday that the new device management system - BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (BES 10)- is now available to government agencies and corporate clients. The system lets clients support both corporate-and employee-owned devices and provides a single platform to manage BlackBerry, Android and Apple's iOS-based devices.

The Blackberry smartphones, powered by an all-new operating system, are pivotal to the future of RIM, which has ceded market share to Apple's iPhone and devices powered by Google's market-leading Android operating system.

RIM is now betting that its re-engineered new line of touch-screen and keyboard devices will help it win back consumers and market share.

The fate of the new smartphones could well be determined by the reception from RIM's major clients, many of whom have, so far, only stuck by RIM because of the strong security features that BlackBerry devices offer.

The new mobile device management system builds on RIM's core strength of security, but it offers a range of innovations that allow it to cater to the latest needs of IT departments, said Peter Devenyi, the senior head of enterprise software of RIM.

"We definitely anticipate that (enterprise) customers will be making the switch to BB10 rapidly," said Mr Devenyi, describing the feedback from government agencies and the business community as remarkably positive.

Both BES 10 and the new Blackberry 10 devices have already secured Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 certification, a coveted US government security clearance that will allow government agencies to deploy the new devices as soon as they are launched.

* Reuters