About the IU BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and BES accounts

Note: The BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) service will be retired by January 1, 2015; see About the BES retirement. As of January 1, 2013, no new BES accounts are being created. UITS recommends you replace your BlackBerry with a device that is ActiveSync compatible. To learn more about ActiveSync, see What is Exchange ActiveSync?

On this page:

• How email redirection works
• Advantages of using the IU BES
• How to get an account
• How to cancel your account

How email redirection works

A BlackBerry device requires a special data plan (from your cellular provider) and a redirector to forward email from your mailbox to the wireless network provider and then to your device. Two options for redirectors are available:

• The BlackBerry Desktop Redirector runs on your personal computer, monitoring your mailbox and redirecting a copy of each new message it finds.
  
  
• A redirector can also be a server that does the same for many people's mailboxes at once. At Indiana University, UITS provides a large enterprise solution, the BES Redirector, for those with an Exchange account.

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Advantages of using the IU BES

For the following reasons, UITS recommends that you use the IU BES Redirector rather than the Desktop Redirector:

• If you use the Desktop Redirector, your computer must be running the Desktop Redirector and be logged into the mail server at all times. Simply turning the computer on is not sufficient, as the Desktop Redirector cannot be installed as a service; it must run as a desktop application. Using the IU BES Redirector (again, only if you have an Exchange account) frees you from this constraint.
  
  
• The IU BES service allows for centralized management of BlackBerry accounts, which can help UITS quickly troubleshoot and fix problems.
  
  
• The IU BES Redirector provides features unavailable through the Desktop Redirector:
  
  
  • Global Address List (GAL) lookups: Using the Desktop Redirector, you can do lookups only in the address book kept on the device itself. For GAL lookup instructions, see With a BlackBerry at IU, how do I search for an address in the Exchange GAL?
  • Wireless data synchronization: If you use the Desktop Redirector, you must cradle your BlackBerry to synchronize your data (e.g., calendar, contacts, tasks), but the IU BES allows wireless synchronization; see With a BlackBerry, how do I reconcile my email, calendar, and other data?
  • Attachment rendering: Not possible with the Desktop Redirector
  • Wireless password reset: The Desktop Redirector does not provide for remote password reset; see If my BlackBerry is ever lost or stolen, how do I remotely lock or erase it?

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How to get an account

Your department's telecommunications coordinator must authorize the request for a departmentally purchased account on the BES Redirector service at IU. Your coordinator will need your username and the departmental account number for billing in order to make the request.

If you do not know who your telecommunications coordinator is, at IU Bloomington, call 812-856-2287; at IUPUI, call 317-274-3004. You can also email Telecom Consulting.

To request the account, coordinators should send the individual's name, email address, and account number to commreq@iu.edu .

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How to cancel your account

To cancel your IU BES account, send email to commreq@iu.edu requesting disconnection from the IU BES.

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