Dell: a BlackBerry-Free Enterprise?

Dell, a relative newcomer to the exploding smartphone market, will replace employees’ Research In Motion BlackBerry handsets with new Dell
smartphones. Dell plans to transition its 25,000 employees from BlackBerry devices to its
new line of smartphones based on the Windows 7 platform. The company also will begin marketing a service to help other
businesses do the same, a Dell spokesperson confirmed to CIO Insight sister publication eWEEK.com.

Dell makes the
Android OS-based Aero smartphone, as well as the 5-inch, Android-running Streak — which
it considers a tablet. During the coming holiday season will launch the
Microsoft Windows 7-based Venue Pro.

According to the Wall Street
Journal, employees who currently carry a BlackBerry handset can exchange it for a Venue
Pro with voice and data plans; other employees will also receive Dell
phones, but without data plans, and will instead rely on WiFi to check e-mail. According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell expects to cut 25 percent from its mobile communications expenses by eliminating the RIM devices and accompanying BlackBerry Enterprise Servers. Dell has a strong server business of its own.

From an enterprise services perspective, having Microsoft on its side bodes
well for Dell, says analyst Roger Kay, with Endpoint Technologies. "I’m sure Dell’s CIO
will be standing up in conferences talking about how well it works for them," he notes.

However, Kay adds, RIM’s secure back-end is its particular strength — as was
recently highlighted in the news when governments in the Middle East expressed
frustration over their inability to intercept e-mail messages. When it comes to security, "RIM has the high
ground there." says Kay.

For more, see the eWeek article Dell Replacing BlackBerry Smartphones with Dell Handsets.