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BlackBerry required for work e-mail - my options?

D

dranakin

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 6, 2005
457
55
So, I'd like to get the facts here before contacting AT&T, in case they try roping me with fees or a new contract.

I purchased an iPhone 3G at launch, so I've got a little over a year to go. My new job only allows BlackBerry devices for security reasons, so I'm trying to figure out my options here. I would not like to pay two data plans (keep iPhone + new BB) and still carry around two phones.

Does the iPhone data plan work with the BB if I swap SIM cards? Even then, that seems like a pain...I may be forced to give up my iPhone. Would I be required to pay cancellation fees for my contract and sign a new two-year for a BB? Thanks for any help.
 
data plans are different. if u want to keep the iphone and HAVE to have the BB, just keep the iphone as a touch and either buy a new BB at retail or see if an att store will do an early upgrade in which u would have to resign for 2 years to get a discount.

if u want to have both active u would have to pay 2 different data plans unfortunately.
 
in terms of cancelation fees, shouldnt your company pay for that? If THEY REQUIRE the BB THEY should pay for any fees. ( besides the monthly contract of course, unless you can get it as a company phone.)

either way thats tough. wouldnt want to give up the iphone. but go with the bold if you gotta.
 
The data plan should work, but I can only vouch for it working on the Blackjack I.

But as far as the plan, assuming you have no eligible upgrade, and you want you want to keep your number/account/not pay ETF, then you would have to buy the Blackberry for an unsubsidized price, so I suggest eBay and get a used one.

Also, I recommend the Bold. Also, please don't pay for anything.. Make your company pay for it.
 
In all seriousness, what security risks are there with an iPhone vs. a BlackBerry? I'm just using an iPhone for personal e-mail through my ISP and gmail and I don't see any risk with it unless it were to get stolen. I have a passcode on my phone to help if that happens. Does RIM put something extra on there? I'm just wanting to know if this is some BS like "Windows is more secure" or if it's an actual thing.
 
^ I was going to ask the same thing. Seems pretty non-nonsensical to me, but what can you do.
 
Michael CM1 said:
In all seriousness, what security risks are there with an iPhone vs. a BlackBerry? I'm just using an iPhone for personal e-mail through my ISP and gmail and I don't see any risk with it unless it were to get stolen. I have a passcode on my phone to help if that happens. Does RIM put something extra on there? I'm just wanting to know if this is some BS like "Windows is more secure" or if it's an actual thing.
Click to expand...

You are transmitting your emails in plain text over the internet. Anyone can snoop that data.

BB data is encrypted.

to the OP: your company should provide you with a BB and pay the bill. It should be up to you whether or not your keep your iphone. don't mix personal and business.
 
Seems to me that if you are required to be checking your email via a mobile device and you cannot use any other phone beside a BB, then they should pay for it. If you just want the luxury of checking your email on a mobile device and for this, you cannot use any other phone beside a BB, then you should pay for. Anyway, in the very least, I'm sure you can use one of the cellphones as a tax write-off.

I just wish Apple would become more serious about catering to the business world as BB has. It may be a generalization, but when someone pulls out a BB, it is thought of more as a "business" phone. When someone pulls out an iPhone, it is more of a novelty or a device to call people and play games. Maybe this is due to the general lack of games for the BB.
 
kas23 said:
Seems to me that if you are required to be checking your email via a mobile device and you cannot use any other phone beside a BB, then they should pay for it. If you just want the luxury of checking your email on a mobile device and for this, you cannot use any other phone beside a BB, then you should pay for. Anyway, in the very least, I'm sure you can use one of the cellphones as a tax write-off.

I just wish Apple would become more serious about catering to the business world as BB has. It may be a generalization, but when someone pulls out a BB, it is thought of more as a "business" phone. When someone pulls out an iPhone, it is more of a novelty or a device to call people and play games. Maybe this is due to the general lack of games for the BB.
Click to expand...
I quite agree with both points.

If your new Company insists on BB for security reasons they should provide you with one - any decent Company would do this.

As far as the images of the iphone and BB are concerned, the latter have always concentrated on the business market and their associated features have leant in that direction.

On the other hand, the iPhone has been pitched primarily at the "entertainment" segment of the market. The inclusion of the iPod, app store games etc has extended it's market to include the younger generation which, in some quarters, has helped to create the (unfair) impression that it is primarily a "big boy's toy" rather than a "communication tool and business organiser".
 
Get the Bold or the new Curve.

If you change over to BIS/BES, you can still pop the sim card into the iPhone to use SMS, Voice and Internet, and coming this summer, MMS as well.

Its only iPhone-specific things that won't work, such as Visual VM.

You'll need to be on a BlackBerry plan. Its no good just buying a sim free or unlocked BlackBerry and using it on an iPhone plan.

The BlackBerry "goodness" won't work. You won't get the BlackBerry e-mail, the encryption, or the PUSH services, for your e-mail and social networking/IM needs (not that you'll need these by the sounds of it).

The Bold is an amazing phone, which I prefer over the iPhone.

Just don't get that heap of **** 'Storm'.

Also, I'm not sure where you're based, but here's what I'd do. Sell the iPhone, get an iPod touch (for games, music and anything else you use the iPhone for, minus communication). Get a BlackBerry Bold on contract. Here in the UK, 95% of contract phones are free when you sign up for the minimum period of 1 year. This gets you in line with your company, you still get an iPod touch/iPhone like device, and an amazing BlackBerry for communication.
 
One question and a word of caution. Does your work have web access to email? It's not a perfect solution, but that's what I did until my employer supported iPhones, as well. Also, be careful about swapping SIMs with BBs and iPhones. I remember reports a while back that putting a BB SIM into an iPhone can cause problems when you put the SIM back into the BB -- something about the settings getting screwed up.
 
sdsvtdriver said:
You are transmitting your emails in plain text over the internet. Anyone can snoop that data.

BB data is encrypted.

to the OP: your company should provide you with a BB and pay the bill. It should be up to you whether or not your keep your iphone. don't mix personal and business.
Click to expand...

At our office we connect our iphones using SSL, so all the email is encrypted. Not sure why they can't turn that on. All they need is an SSL certificate, which they should anyway if they allow webmail.
 
Michael CM1 said:
In all seriousness, what security risks are there with an iPhone vs. a BlackBerry? I'm just using an iPhone for personal e-mail through my ISP and gmail and I don't see any risk with it unless it were to get stolen. I have a passcode on my phone to help if that happens. Does RIM put something extra on there? I'm just wanting to know if this is some BS like "Windows is more secure" or if it's an actual thing.
Click to expand...

With a BB, an admin can "wipe" the device remotely if it ever gets lost, stolen, they fire you..... To erase all of the employers data. You can't do that with an iPhone. Remember about 3 months ago when President Obama took office and they made a big deal about him having to give up his BB? Even a BB doesn't meet NSA standards for secure email.
 
SOOOO, FBI, CIA, NCIS.........who do you exactly work for. OOHHHHH damn, sorry Mr. Obama, oooops, I mean Mr. President. LMAO, LOL, LMAO!!!!!:D For security reasons, JA, JA, JA!!!!!!!!:p
 
Michael CM1 said:
In all seriousness, what security risks are there with an iPhone vs. a BlackBerry? I'm just using an iPhone for personal e-mail through my ISP and gmail and I don't see any risk with it unless it were to get stolen. I have a passcode on my phone to help if that happens. Does RIM put something extra on there? I'm just wanting to know if this is some BS like "Windows is more secure" or if it's an actual thing.
Click to expand...

As was mentioned elsewhere, RIM runs everything through insanely secure servers, and basically stakes their reputation on their security. An iPhone has some security, but not to that level.

bigmouth said:
One question and a word of caution. Does your work have web access to email? It's not a perfect solution, but that's what I did until my employer supported iPhones, as well. Also, be careful about swapping SIMs with BBs and iPhones. I remember reports a while back that putting a BB SIM into an iPhone can cause problems when you put the SIM back into the BB -- something about the settings getting screwed up.
Click to expand...

An employer who wants blackberries used for security reasons probably wouldn't be happy about that being circumvented. The OP should check with IT before he/she gets in trouble for trying that.

fishepa said:
At our office we connect our iphones using SSL, so all the email is encrypted. Not sure why they can't turn that on. All they need is an SSL certificate, which they should anyway if they allow webmail.
Click to expand...

SSL is not the same as the level of security a blackberry gives. It is significantly more customizable on the IT level than an iPhone. You can even turn off text messaging and block websites through a blackberry, something you can't do on an iPhone.
 
I always thought it was amazing that companies were ok with sensitive data passing through RIM's servers, encrypted or not.

That said, in terms of centralized device management, BES has activesync devices (not just iPhone) beat.

If they require you to have a blackberry for work, they should be paying for it. If you said "Hey, I've got an iPhone and it would be cool to get my work e-mail on it" and they said "No, you can only get your work e-mail on a blackberry" then you should pay for it.
 
1) Employer *should* pay, but that doesn't mean they will.

2) "Security" usually means "we're too lazy to figure it out" not "it can't be done".
 
Le Big Mac said:
2) "Security" usually means "we're too lazy to figure it out" not "it can't be done".
Click to expand...
Stupid, ill informed, bigoted comment.

ckurt25 said:
With a BB, an admin can "wipe" the device remotely if it ever gets lost, stolen, they fire you..... To erase all of the employers data. You can't do that with an iPhone. Remember about 3 months ago when President Obama took office and they made a big deal about him having to give up his BB? Even a BB doesn't meet NSA standards for secure email.
Click to expand...
You can remotely wipe an iPhone.

The 2 biggest differences between a BB and an iPhone are;

  1. Can not encrypt an iPhone.
  2. There's is no equivalent of the BB Enterprise Server for managing the iPhone. Managing iPhones takes a combination of the iPhone Config Utility, Exchange, iTunes and ActiveSync.

Plus, the BB was designed to be a corporate communications device that consumers use. The iPhone was designed to be a consumer device that Apple is trying to adapt to the corporate world.
 
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