Zenprise targets BlackBerry management

E-mail management vendor Zenprise Tuesday released troubleshooting software that automates management of BlackBerry devices connected to Microsoft Exchange.

The BlackBerry software is a module that runs on Zenprise Enterprise Management Server 3.0. The module proactively troubleshoots and prescribes fixes to e-mail and application troubles linked to BlackBerry Enterprise Server and its associated network from the Exchange Server through to the device itself.

The focus is to provide IT departments with management tools that can help avert disasters and assist in supporting such policies as service-level agreements.

The Zenprise BlackBerry module looks for trouble spots from the Exchange Server through the BlackBerry Network maintained by device manufacturer Research In Motion, and into the carrier network providing service to the device.

“There are a lot of steps involved, and we are looking at the whole process end-to-end,” says Ahmed Datoo, vice president of marketing for Zenprise. “Management is not just from the Exchange side, but Active Directory and DNS.”

Zenprise works by collecting information from throughout Exchange’s messaging environment, including global catalogs, domain controllers, DNS servers and Active Directory, to pinpoint the underlying cause of problems or to ferret out potential problems. After those problems are deciphered, Zenprise specifies a resolution customized for a user’s environment.

The heart of the Zenprise software is based on three algorithms. The correlation algorithm takes symptoms and groups them together as being related. The causation algorithm includes a set of automated tests that are run to determine the root cause of a problem, and the correction algorithm provides detailed step-by-step resolution instructions.

The BlackBerry module features automated troubleshooting that proactively inspects the BlackBerry environment for problems; visual maps of usage trends and service performance; predictive analysis that looks for impending service troubles; a prescription database that generates step-by-step actions to fix problems; and an expert database loaded with management advice from BlackBerry experts.

Zenprise also is adding new Exchange management features to the 3.0 version of its toolset, including proactive detection of e-mail performance such as how long mail takes to get to all global Exchanger Servers, and proactive detection of e-mail delivery failures.

Zenprise 3.0 for BlackBerry is priced at $5 per BlackBerry user per year. The new Exchange module is priced at $5 per Exchange user per year.