[tom2112]

Hello BES Admin Experts!

I am an exchange administrator (2007 SP2) for an organization with about 6,500 users spread over two counties and 100+ locations. We have about 100 Blackberry users that currently access their mailboxes via IMAP configuration on their Blackberries. They are using various cell phone providers. These users could benefit from a BES Express implementation as it would provide push email and contact/calendar syncing.

I have no previous experience with BES, so I have some questions that I hope you can help me with:

• What are the downsides of implementing BES Express?
• How needy is BES Express? Is it a support-hungry time-pit or a install-and-forget type of thing?
• Will my users need to change their cell plans with their carriers? BIS to BES plans?
• Our Exchange implementation does not include public folders. Does BES Express require them or is that just a option?
• Will implementing BES Express cause problems with the user's other existing email accounts, such as a home account or Yahoo?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

[knottyrope]

Originally Posted by tom2112

Hello BES Admin Experts!

I am an exchange administrator (2007 SP2) for an organization with about 6,500 users spread over two counties and 100+ locations. We have about 100 Blackberry users that currently access their mailboxes via IMAP configuration on their Blackberries. They are using various cell phone providers. These users could benefit from a BES Express implementation as it would provide push email and contact/calendar syncing.

I have no previous experience with BES, so I have some questions that I hope you can help me with:

• What are the downsides of implementing BES Express?

You need a dedicated server for 100 users.

• How needy is BES Express? Is it a support-hungry time-pit or a install-and-forget type of thing?

All server need a little maintenance/monitoring. Its too new to tell yet.

• Will my users need to change their cell plans with their carriers? BIS to BES plans?

Read the Docs, any Blackberry dataplan works.
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express for Microsoft Exchange - Manuals and Guides

• Our Exchange implementation does not include public folders. Does BES Express require them or is that just a option?

In the docs.

• Will implementing BES Express cause problems with the user's other existing email accounts, such as a home account or Yahoo?

It should not affect BIS accounts.

Thanks in advance,
Tom

Read

[tom2112]

Thanks Knotty. I did look over the documentation, but I didn't find the answers to my questions, which is why I asked here.

For the question about public folders, all I could find was how to configure them, not whether they were required or not. Do you have any insight on that?

[knottyrope]

page 19

If you did not install any public folders in Microsoft® Exchange, you must configure the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server to run without public folders by changing a registry key.

[tom2112]

Thank you very much Knotty!

[knottyrope]

Welcome, dont RUSH the install.

[jsc]

I installed the BES express today and attempted to connect to my blackberry. It told me that I needed to contact my wireless provider and upgrade to an enterprise account. I thought you did not need to have the more expensive account to utilize it. Can someone please fill me in?

Thanks

[penguin3107]

Originally Posted by jsc

I installed the BES express today and attempted to connect to my blackberry. It told me that I needed to contact my wireless provider and upgrade to an enterprise account. I thought you did not need to have the more expensive account to utilize it. Can someone please fill me in?

Thanks

You need the Enterprise data plan if you are trying to do a WIRELESS Enterprise Activation.
Without the Enterprise data plan, you can only do a WIRED activation.

[jsc]

Originally Posted by penguin3107

You need the Enterprise data plan if you are trying to do a WIRELESS Enterprise Activation.
Without the Enterprise data plan, you can only do a WIRED activation.

Thanks for the info, I will do a wired install tomorrow and see what happens!

Jeff

[jsc]

Originally Posted by jsc

Thanks for the info, I will do a wired install tomorrow and see what happens!

Jeff

I am unable to associate a device. I find the user and I find the device, but can not get them hooked together. Also when I check blackberry server, I click on Mapi and it says "the Mapi subsystem cannot be correctly initialized and used. Please make sure Mapi is installed and configured properely." Obviously I am not an IT person and I am pretty lost right now. I did have this device working on BES, but was tired of paying the extra bucks out of my pocket for work. Any ideas for this novice?

thanks

[Frank Castle]

Keep in mind BES does have some IO to be aware of, something like 3 -1 compared to Outlook hitting your boxes. For 100 users it shouldn't be much on a well configured box but I'd still install to dedicated hardware / VM if possible. Do some baseline before so you can see what the impact is.

- Wireless reconcile / hard delete support / free & busy lookup / attachments could have an impact.

Outside of that you have the standard "keep the system" running type stuff. May have some cycles for troubleshooting / Add & Remove (if you govern who is able to be on BES)

Once activated any exsisting accounts should remain. Note all messages will filter to the main Messages folder.

[chris1979]

Originally Posted by penguin3107

You need the Enterprise data plan if you are trying to do a WIRELESS Enterprise Activation.
Without the Enterprise data plan, you can only do a WIRED activation.

thank you for the info, i had a meeting with my provider this morning (vodafone GR) and they told me that you can only do a WIRED activation with BESx, omitting (on purpose?) that this is the case only with BIS plans. thank you blackberryforums for existing!!