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The BlackBerry’s Fall from Grace: An Historical Look at Research in Motion

July 15, 2011 By

In 2005, PC World called the BlackBerry 850 (pictured, courtesy Blackberryline.com) the 14th greatest gadget of the past 50 years. Today, the BlackBerry creator, Research In Motion, is struggling to keep up with competitors like iPhone and Android.

The BlackBerry 850

How does a company fall from grace so quickly?

Jonathan S. Geller of Boy Genius Report (www.bgr.com) has an idea. In a recent article titled “Inside RIM: An exclusive look at the rise and fall of the company that made smartphones smart,” Geller takes a look at RIM’s history, including its personas and politics.

It’s an interesting inside look at how the iconic company evolved — and didn’t evolve when it missed product features and device trends like adding MP3 players and cameras to its phones.

Read the full article here.

Filed Under: BlackBerry, FAIL, What We're Reading Tagged With: , , , ,

Another Look at Consumerization of IT

June 10, 2011 By

Consumerization — it’s a big word and an even bigger phenomenon. The fact that executives can’t do without their iPads and smartphones — even our nation’s chief executive carries Apple’s tablet — has changed the work climate; increasingly, IT shops are allowing all employees to bring their devices to work.

But concerns remain, mostly about security, and also about software compatibility. Here’s a look at some of the recent news regarding consumerization of IT:

A look at some of the recent news regarding consumerization of IT.

Top Security Nightmares: Privately Owned iPhones, iPads and Other Mobile Devices (by Tim Greene, Network World)

IPhones, iPads and other employee-owned mobile gear are the most risky devices that can be connected to corporate networks, according to a new survey by ISACA, an international user group devoted to providing benchmarks and guidance for technology best practices. According to the survey, 58% of respondents saying mobile gear represent the greatest risk to the enterprise. That beats out any work-supplied devices including smartphones, laptops, notebooks, tablets and flash drives, which combined were the top fear of just 33%. Despite this fear, 49% of respondents say their companies have up-to-date mobile security policies that are well communicated to the staff. Another 32% say they have such policies but they need to be updated and the staff made aware of them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Mobile Devices, This Week in Tech News, What We're Reading Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What We’re Reading: All the Trappings of a Post-PC World

March 11, 2011 By

At last Wednesday’s Apple event announcing the iPad 2, Steve Jobs kept referring to something he calls the “Post-PC world.” This new era of computing, according to online tech publication Engadget, “won’t be a debate about displays, memory, wireless options — it will be a debate about the quality of the experience.”

This is part of the Post-PC experience we’d all like to block out: Setting up new devices or troubleshooting misbehaving ones.

This edition of What We’re Reading focuses on just that: The experience. Read on…

“It’s Apple’s ‘Post-PC’ World — We’re All Just Living In It” (Engadget, 3/3/2011)

As mentioned in the intro, Jobs introduced [Read more...]

Filed Under: Mobile Devices, tablets, What We're Reading Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What We’re Reading: “I Want My iPad”

February 21, 2011 By

Are your staffers itching to use their iPhones and iPads in the workplace? Before you flat-out say “no,” consider that personal devices will not be disappearing from the workplace anytime soon. (Recently, a Gartner VP promised that the iPad would be a “market-disrupting device” and warned that the cost of inaction to IT departments would be high.)

Is the iPad a revolution in productivity or just a thorn in IT's side?

In a recent blog post for Forbes.com, CITO Research’s Dan Woods explains how to say “’yes’ without creating a mess.” Woods taps PC Helps’ very own CEO, Brian Madocks, for advice.

In his post, Woods takes a look at what the consumerization of IT means in practice, and offers up a “playbook” for IT:

  1. Don’t just say no to “bring your own technology” or employee-preferred devices:
    Writes Woods: “Show some leadership and help figure out how to get it right so that the company is protected and the users are happy.”
  2. Listen to the end users:
    Ask your employees how they want to use the devices and formulate a set of guidelines that meet both IT’s and the workers’ needs.
  3. Research and test your approach:
    Don’t just roll out BYOT to the entire company; start small, with a pilot that includes a mix of user types. Use the knowledge gained for a broader roll out.
  4. Document and communicate a clear set of policies and guidelines for end users:
    We all need rules. Come up with a set both IT and end-users can live with and abide by.
  5. Plan for a more complex support burden:
    Questions such as synching corporate mail and calendars will come up, and often. Be sure you have a support plan and trained staff ready to handle every type of query.
  6. Don’t rely on device manufacturers for support of your end users:
    AppleCare will not help you synch your mail, and they really don’t care if you are on a deadline.
  7. Prepare your help desk for the task:
    According to Woods: “Mixed device environments require specialization and expertise, as well as ongoing training and skill-building. Your existing help desk staff may need to be retrained, expanded, or supplemented.”

Read the full article here.

Filed Under: iPad, Mobile Devices, tablets, What We're Reading Tagged With: , , , , ,
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