BLACKBERRY - SECURE NETWORK ACCESS ?

 The connection between a BlackBerry handset and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is secure and gives you Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to your internal! network through the MDS Connection Service for most important applications. If you want to access files from a network, you will need a VPN client or a remote-access client.

Some Wi-Fi BlackBerry models, including the Curve Bold, Storm and 8900, come with an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) VPN client, but it's only for use over Wi-Fi connections. WICKSoft's Mobile Documents (previously known as Pocket VPN) is one of the few stand-alone VPN clients for the BlackBerry and can also access SharePoint and Exchange public folders.

Several remote-access clients for the BlackBerry use Windows Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for accessing specific PCs and servers through Terminal Services or Remote Desktop. There are Virtual Network Computing (VNC) clients as well, but RDP is a more efficient way of accessing Windows machines and doesn't need extra software on the PC or server. However, desktop PCs have to be left on for access and working on a smaller BlackBerry screen with applications designed for a full-sized PC can be challenging. Try TSMobiles (for server access) or RDM+ (for desktop access), available from www.rdmplus.com.

Rove's Mobile SSH tool allows terminals to emulate each other, so you can log into almost any server to administer it. If you are working with Windows servers, Rove's Mobile Admin lets you shut down and restart servers, view event logs, see printers and print jobs, unlock user accounts, view and edit shared files and folders, and manage drives, folders and files through a graphical interface that is designed to fit the Blackberry screen rather than a PC monitor. It also includes RDP and VNC clients for emergency access.

Another alternative is to set up a remote-access proxy - such as PCXS's Condor File Explorer, Xenium eFile Server or Cortado Corporate Server - then run it on a server in your network and use Active Directory, with existing usernames and passwords, to control access, and the Mobile Data System in BES to encrypt the connection. The administrator can choose which folders and files are remotely accessible.