'Looking to move beyond' 10-year BB model

Research in Motion (RIM) suffered another high-profile defection today as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE) announced that it would "delete the Blackberry from the mix" of devices agents use in favor of Apple's iPhone in a cost-savings move. The transition -- which will replace both 3,800 Blackberry devices as well as dedicated RIM servers -- should be complete in a year, Politico reports.

The announcement marks the second government agency that has announced plans to retire the Blackberry as the dominant smartphone provider, joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA). NOAA said it would begin replacing RIM servers and some 3,000 Blackberries beginning in June, but the ATFE plans to begin its own transition starting next month. The agency is also starting a pilot program that will see 200 iPads distributed to some of the 1,400 non-field employees. Agents in the field (about 2,400 of them) will receive iPhones in the near future.

Blackberrys have been the dominant smartphone for government agencies for nearly a decade thanks to a strong emphasis on enterprise-level features and secure e-mail, but recent improvements in iOS and the iPhone's general versatility, along with RIM's thus-far botched efforts to crack the consumer tablet market and general mismanagement have left agencies free to examine other options.

NOAA cited the higher cost of overall Blackberry service as a reason for its move to iOS, which will now become the de facto smartphone for the agency. ATFE spokesman Rick Holgate gave partial credit for his agency's move to the so-called "Bring Your Own Device" movement that has led the way in bringing corporate acceptance of Apple devices to often-resistant IT departments. Initially a cost-cutting move, employes (along with Apple) were initially surprised that employees wanted the easy-to-use, consumer friendly iOS devices and demanded enterprise support their choice.

Holgate added that while many of the features touted on the iPhone (such as video streaming, GPS, the camera and software) are also available for Blackberrys, "in terms of ease of use and adaptability of the devices, the iPhones are the more functional and compelling use case." [via Politico]

By Electronista Staff