[blackberry] Blackberry on Exchange

[DeeGee]

We allow our staff to access our exchange server remotely using smartphones in oder to read their e-mail. We have found that iPhones and Androids are generally able to connect without difficulty using their native applications (although Androids don't seem to be able to connect using K9). It forces the user to set a passcode to do this if they haven't already.

 

However, a colleague has come to us with a Blackberry, and we cannot, for the life of us, get it to connect.

 

Has anyone managed to connect a BB to exchange in this fashion using native apps, or is ther something that we need to download in order to get it to work. I'd have thought that Blackberries were the perfect candidate for this sort of thing.

[RabbieBurns]

We run BES

 

BlackBerry - BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange

[DeeGee]

Thanks. I think that would be ideal if we had Blackberries across te site, but SMT use iPhones so that's the only thing that we'll be able to pay to support. Nothing free, I suppose?

[jamesfed]

Blackberrys require a server side component installed (already pointed out in the above post) - without it you won't be able to get any blackberry to talk direct to your exchange server.

 

The other option would be to get the staff member to forward any school emails on to their blackberry email account although this wouldn't give you calendar details/contacts ect.

[RabbieBurns]

There is a free version of BES I believe

 

BlackBerry - BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express - BESX - BlackBerry US

[AngryTechnician]

Bizarrely it used to work fine for us without BES, but packed up around Christmas. Now we can get it to work on some Blackberry phones, but those who get it to work end up receiving all their email on their phone 3 times.

 

These days I just tell people to go away and come back when they have a real smartphone.

[RabbieBurns]

Bizarrely it used to work fine for us without BES, but packed up around Christmas. Now we can get it to work on some Blackberry phones, but those who get it to work end up receiving all their email on their phone 3 times.

 

These days I just tell people to go away and come back when they have a real smartphone.

 

I used my recent upgrade to 2010 which broke BES to tell all two of our users who have a blackberry and I was having to run a whole entire other server for that they were no longer supported and to get a new phone

[chapmantr]

It's been a while since I've done this but I remember something about having to manually input our exchange webmail URL (ensure your have https:// at the start) and the email account set as 'owa'

[sukh]

You need a BES server or if you're trying to sync a BB with Exch using active sync then you will need the EAS app for a BB. Alternative is to use the browser and use OWA on the BB.

[MatthewL]

For a Blackberry look for an app called Touchdown, you get a trial and then its about £20 I think off the top of my head. See if that works before you install a BES, might make your life easier.