IBM punts fixed-cost BlackBerry support plan
One-stop monthly service contract
Regcast training : Hyper-V 3.0, VM high availability and disaster recovery
IBM is snuggling tight with Research in Motion (RIM) to simplify how it sells management and support plans for BlackBerry phones in enterprises.
Big Blue has punted BlackBerry business support services for years, but in the past, customers had to navigate a bit of a contractual labyrinth to get things up and running. Under the old program, a firm was required to license BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Exchange directly from RIM or a RIM distributor, individual client access licensees had to be struck each time a new user was added, and there was a separate technical support contract for software maintenance and fixes.
The new deal sufficiently covers all the required elements to use a BlackBerry in an enterprise environment into a fixed monthly price tag, minus the data plan and BlackBerry phones themselves (which the customer will still have to work out with their preferred wireless carrier).
IBM reckons the contract simplification results up to a more preferable and predictable cost structure for enterprises. An IBM spokeswoman told us the price depends on the total services capabilities selected by the customers, but on average, it will range between $15 and $18 per user per month. The company claims the new fixed-cost plan will typically reduce costs from the old model by 15 and 30 per cent by minimizing upfront investments and streamlining operations.
The revised BlackBerry enterprise service plan is currently available in North America, and select countries in the EMEA and AP regions. ®
Regcast training : Hyper-V 3.0, VM high availability and disaster recovery
COMMENTS
That's rich!
perhaps they can supply this service free of charge now to their employees, currently any employee with a blackberry has no data mail / data service unless they pay for it themselves!!!

IT infrastructure monitoring strategies
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
Steps to Take Before Choosing a Business Continuity Partner
Requirements Checklist for Choosing a Cloud Backup and Recovery Service Provider
Data control in the cloud