As Research In Motion (RIM) continues to fight off a patent infringement lawsuit, enterprises using BlackBerry handhelds must document possible exit scenarios in the remote event that the service shuts down.
Putting It in Perspective
Info-Tech believes the risk of RIM exiting the market and leaving BlackBerry customers disconnected is remote. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has ruled against all eight of NTP's patent claims against RIM. NTP is also a very small enterprise with no discernible revenue streams. It has already made it very clear that its ultimate goal is to force RIM to pay it ongoing royalties from future sales. A shutdown would work against NTP's long-term revenue growth plan.
Regardless, IT is accountable for identifying and preparing for all reasonable risks to technology availability. Remote as it is, IT must incorporate the possibility into its Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP) process.
Recommendations
- Update mobile application inventory. Look beyond BlackBerry's messaging capabilities. Ensure customized and off-the-shelf mobile applications are integrated into the software inventory database. Identify interface points between mobile and enterprise applications.
- Challenge RIM and/or wireless vendor. Review current Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and discuss outage-related options with current wireless carriers. Challenge them to suggest alternatives to ensure mobile messaging and applications remain available.
- Document DRP requirements for mobile infrastructure. Although this should already be in place, review and update it on at least an annual basis along with the rest of the DRP. Identify the initial steps the enterprise would take in the event of an announced BlackBerry service shutdown or interruption. These include implementing end-user communication, piloting alternative platforms, and building project teams for mobile application migration.
- Identify alternative vendors. Although RIM dominates the push-based wireless market, Good Technology, Microsoft, and Palm Inc. all offer alternative services that could be leveraged in the absence of BlackBerry availability.
Bottom Line
Although Info-Tech believes the chance of a sudden BlackBerry shutdown is remote, IT must still plan for the worst-case scenario. Failure to do so could compromise business continuity within enterprises that rely heavily on the service and have deployed mobile-enabled applications
