We got a sneak peek at upcoming BlackBerry Enterprise Server features the other week, detailing Balance, a new initiative from RIM to support folks who buy their own device and want to be able to use it for both work and play. The main thing has been to keep personal and professional data distinct and separate on the device so BES admins could manage the work stuff while leaving the personal data untouched. These two new screenshots show us how that would be implemented. For one, you’ll get a warning if you’re sending an e-mail or calendar invites to anyone outside of your official business contact list, and blocking any forwarding through a personal BIS account. BES admins will retain the right to do a full remote data wipe , but in the case of a partial wipe of only business data, the BlackBerry owner will get a helpful popup telling them it’s on the way.
Other features we had heard about earlier include the blocking of copying and pasting data labeled as business, and similarly block third-party apps to access corporate data. You also can’t do local backups, so any sensitive data stays on the device and isn’t replicated anywhere. On the off-chance you’ve been taking some sensitive pictures, Balance will also encrypt data on the microSD memory card as well.
BES 5.0.3 will be launching soon with these new features, and will hopefully provide some defense against the ongoing threat of Android and iPhone moving in on RIM’s established enterprise turf.
[via CIO]