Blackberry Vs ActiveSync - The WAR is ON !!!!
THE WAR IS ON!!!!
It’s been quite many years since Blackberry Technology has rule the world with its impeccable, secure and fast messaging technology on mobile devices. Now the industry has changed, with the introduction Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 it seems to me that monopoly of blackberry is over. I have seen several projects where Clients are moving from Blackberry to Windows Mobile services. The BIG question WHY? Simple cost and TCO. Below I am going to discuss the same where I will point out the comparison between both of them.
Cost
Blackberry:
To incorporate blackberry in a company where they have Microsoft Exchange Server one has to purchase following items
- Blackberry Enterprise Server Software v4.1
- Additional user multiple user accounts ( Pricing )
- Blackberry phone which is on costlier side.
- Cost of GPRS (EDGE technology) by Service Provider as that is the requirement for blackberry to provide speed for email sync.
- Cost of Hardware.
- Cost of qualified tech to manage blackberry.
Note: BES requires SQL database to store data, by default it provides MSDE however it is good for 50 users only. If you have more users then use SQL Server for its database and that is additional cost.
ActiveSync:
To incorporate Activesync in a company all you need is Microsoft Exchange Server with OWA & OMA published with external URL and https enabled. Apart from this one need to purchase following items.
- No License is required because Exchange mailbox License is good enough
- Purchase certificate to enable https (Cost varies from vendor to vendor) from third party vendor or install your Certificate Authority Server.
- Windows mobile phone starts from cheaper side
- Cost GPRS (one can choose the bandwidth as per data transfer rate with service provider).
- No SQL database is required.
- Enabling ActiveSync does not require any new hardware; it’s a setting in Exchange.
- Exchange Admin is good enough to manage Activesync
.
Security:
Blackberry: Blackberry uses 3DES encryption for data transfer which is highly secure and near to unbreakable encryption however it is only available when we have Blackberry Enterprise Server setup with messaging application.
ActiveSync: Activesync uses SSL V2 port 443 for data transfer which is again highly secure encryption.
Functionality:
Blackberry:
- Blackberry Handled device provides option to read documents, spreadsheet, PPT slides and PDF files.
- If you want edit these files there is third party which we need to install on handheld device however it’s not supported by RIM.
- Browsing internet on Blackberry can be a pain if MDS service crashes on BES Server
Windows Mobile Phone:
- It can read, write and edit documents, spreadsheet, PPT slides and pdf files and we can also get support from Microsoft on pocket office.
Browsing IE is independent of any service on Exchange Server.
Windows Mobile 6 offers techs the function to connect other machines using RDP installed on the OS
For more functionality of Windows Mobile click here
Many people can say that Blackberry can be used with other mailing application like Domino. I would say how many people go to Domino today so many Companies are migrating to Microsoft Exchange Server. My overall comments are that I don’t find any good reason to implement blackberry in my environment when I can get everything from Activesync.
Categories: Exchange
Tags: BlackBerry Active Sync
Hi Abhijeet
its really very usefull information
especially blackberry admins like me !!
when managements asks question
advantage's of active sync over blackberry
only are you left is active sync works on pull technologes compared to blakcberry where it works on push technologies
i think in active sync every 5 min
mails will be synced but where has in blackberry its real time
regards
muniraj
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Activesync also has Direct Push technology and we can change sync time from Default 5 mins to lesser time to sync in realtime.
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One advantage in blackberry, I am not sure if active sync can give this ..:
BlackBerry Browser runs over the same data channel that your e-mail does,
back to your BlackBerry Enterprise Server. This means your web browsing is actually taking place inside your network,
behind your firewall. You can view your internal intranet on the BlackBerry web browser without needing to configure any
VPN settings whatsoever.
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Blackberry browser uses same data channel bcoz it syncs with BES server for every transaction however it doesn't carry Domain userid/pwd and hence one have to connect to intrasite and authenticate. On the contrary we have to use vpn or Proxy settings on Windows Mobile phone (VPN connectivity to internal resource from outside carrier is recommended by security experts)
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The BlackBerry will allow you to delete
messages only on the handheld or on both the handheld and the server-side mailbox. ActiveSync only gives the latter
option.
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Active Sync has all u need for fully sync with your account. The best setup would be with the Exch 2007 SP1 and a fully SSL 128 bit cert! ( or else u get no sync no matter what u do ) hehe
Nothing to look for from a BB. Especially with the excellent phones as OMNIA or N97.
Active sync has FULL PUSH email capability OTA ( wifi or EDGE )and yes in REAL TIME!!! no need for manual as some mentioned...
The only thing still missing is I guess the dummies feature for not syncing back to the account as mentioned ( one way sync ). Yes I guess there are still dummy users that will delete emails from a common used mailbox
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Another category of people may wish to delete some mail out of just the handheld or on both the handheld and the
mailbox, depending on context. Here too the BlackBerry meets the criteria because you can have it prompt what to do
each time you delete a message. As before, ActiveSync does not give this flexibility.
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ActiveSync, because it is essentially logging in to webmail, requires the owner's username and password to be
stored. Next time your company password policy gets applied in and forces a password change the stored password must be updated
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I dont think thats a disadvantage. its more over an advantage and security feature to change the password
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And this is exactly what enterprises want in terms of security.
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one more disadvantage of BlackBerry is you need a service account that must have full mailbox access to BB users!! this is a very big security risk in my opinion.
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Abhijeet you have hit the correct point here. Considering cost more or less Every one has a mobile device ( or will have) that can be used for active sync. It would be interesting to watch this market. BY the way its a very good posting. Keep rocking.
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Overall the BEs solution offers a greater degree of control and management. The device manageability available to a Blackbeery administrator not mentioned so far includes:
* per user security policy which include device locking, password, wipe on excessive failures
* per user application configuration and management including adjustments to settings
* simple device setup over the air using just their email address and supplied passcode. No server address or any other settings required
* BES provides per device pre-approval to access the company exchange system. ActiveSync users who have an exchange account have access to the over the air sync regardless of their corporate polices and IT admin knowledge.
* over the air updating of Blackberry device firmware and other patches.
None of these features are available to a Windows Mobile device with Exchange ActiveSync. Their is some promising developments with SSCM but it seems like a lot of infrastructure to deploy. BES is a simple in comparison.
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Tim has really got me thinking about Blackberry now. I am sure RIM must have geared up to work on more advantage apart from what Tim has pointed it out.
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what tim has said is correct however with exchange 2007 policies is what new to mobile devices and hence adds power
please read the article below about how to manage policies
http://exchangeserverinfo.com/2008/06/04/configuring-exchange-server-2007-for-windows-mobile-devices-part2.aspx
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Tim is incorrect on this: "ActiveSync users who have an exchange account have access to the over the air sync regardless of their corporate polices and IT admin knowledge."
This functionality is set in Active Directory and can be enabled or disabled by user account. Exchange 2007 will also provide the ability to brick the mobile device if it is lost/stolen.
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To clarify, the EAS is enabled by default once the service is started. Setting the LDAP attribute msExchOmaAdminWirelessEnable can be used to disable it entirely per user. this is the work around I had to put in place at our enterprise to enable those stubborn iPhone users.
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Replying to Tim>
"To clarify, the EAS is enabled by default once the service is started. Setting the LDAP attribute msExchOmaAdminWirelessEnable can be used to disable it entirely per user. this is the work around I had to put in place at our enterprise to enable those stubborn iPhone users."
In our org we have Active Sync enabled for members of a Distribution List. Making things easier with Group Policy in Active Directory.
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I am using blackberry and it is very helpful to me and my business.
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Hey guys. Very nice post and discussion. I am a lawyer here in Brazil, and my partners and I are evaluating which would be the best for our firm: BB or WM.
Even though I'm a lawyer, I have plenty experience with IT and Windows Mobile. However, I have never been a BB user.
With regards to cost, Windows Mobile beats BB hands down, as we would not be required to setup a BES server and purchase the necessary licenses.
But we don't want our decision to be based solely on costs.
Our firm has just finished its network migration to Windows Server 2008 and has implemented Exchange 2007.
The intended number of mobile users is at 50, and I'm having a hard time deciding which way to go.
BB pros: reliability, ease of use, has a more corporate focus.
BB cons: expensive licenses, separate server needed, internet sharing via laptop(?), editing MS Office files(?).
WMobile pros: no additional purchases necessary (maybe SSL certificate); users familiar with Windows names; Internet sharing; more devices to choose from, editing MS Office files natively.
WMobile cons: the OS is not as stable; soon-to-be-released Windows 7; apps keep running on background, slowing the phone; low battery life, especially on 3G networks.
So... can you guys give me you insights?
Thanks!
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Carlos : Even in BB the OS of the phone keeps changing and if you use the manual of WM one can easily configure the phone efficiently. Secondly for battery now a days we have good phones provided by HTC,O2,Dopod, ASUS and motorola which provide good battery backup.
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After all this discussion, we would be very much curious to know what your vote will be. Made some arangments to vote for your device, Active Sync or Blackberry ? Vote here:
http://exchangeserverinfo.net/default.aspx?g=posts&t=111
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I know that Blackberry Enterprise server will compress a email before sending out so as to save data transfer. Does Activc Sync has that function?
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Yes , Activesync uses HTTPS which is compressed
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What’s annoying about EAS is that it doesn’t wirelessly sync Exchange Notes. Why is this so hard....?
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