10 Things RIM Teaches About Succeeding in the Enterprise
1. Stay Focused RIM understands its core competency sticks with it. RIM spends most of its time targeting customers in the corporate world. Although it wants nothing more than to beat Apple at its own game in the consumer market, it realizes that it knows the corporate market best. And it doesn’t want to risk it by venturing too far into consumer territory. It’s a smart move. And it makes RIM a key player in the corporate world because of it.
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2. The iPhone Isn’t Everything The iPhone 4 could be the best smartphone ever released, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best device for corporate customers. RIM has shown that the enterprise wants more than just a flashy device with a touch screen and an outstanding App Store. The BlackBerry is about productivity and getting users what they want, when they want. It’s also about offering the kind of integration with Windows that enterprise customers covet.
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3. Microsoft Is Far Behind Microsoft is far behind RIM in the corporate world. Although Microsoft still has about 19 percent market share, according to Nielsen, Windows Mobile can’t compare on any level with RIM’s BlackBerry. When the software giant finally releases Windows Phone 7 later this year, the damage will already be done. The future of the enterprise space is in RIM’s hands, and it has made Microsoft look obsolete because of it.
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4. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Is Crucial BlackBerry Enterprise Server is crucial to the success of its platform. Corporate customers have chosen RIM because of its Enterprise Server solution. It not only keeps everything synced across an organization, it makes for an ideal solution for those customers that want a reliable, company-wide platform. Apple and Google have done little to even try to match BlackBerry Enterprise Server so far. And until they do, RIM will have little to worry about in the corporate space.
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5. Appealing to the Enterprise Is Enough RIM’s current revenue and profit figures show that being an enterprise-focused mobile company is enough. Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all trying their luck in the consumer space because it gets the bulk of the attention. But RIM has proven that the enterprise market can be a wildly profitable.
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6. The Consumer Space Is Totally Different RIM has also proven the consumer market is very different from the corporate market. When RIM released the BlackBerry Storm, complete with a touch screen to match the iPhone, the device was met with criticism and complaints from users who were upset that it couldn’t match the iPhone. And although the Storm might have delivered a better e-mail program than the iPhone, it didn’t matter. Consumers wanted something else.
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7. Productivity Is Key Productivity is key to the success or failure of a device in the corporate market. That’s why the iPhone doesn’t stack up well against the BlackBerry there. Apple’s smartphone might be flashier than the BlackBerry and it delivers a better App Store, but users are far more productive on a BlackBerry. RIM, aside from the Storm and Storm 2, has stayed true to physical keyboards and removable batteries. It might not be the popular choice, but it’s the right one for enterprise customers.
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8. Integration Matters RIM’s integration with Windows is another success factor for the enteprise. Although the iPhone is perfectly capable of syncing with iTunes on a Windows computer, it’s a much easier and more rewarding experience when connecting the smartphone to a Mac. RIM’s BlackBerry is quite the opposite. It’s RIM’s integration with Windows that has meant the difference between RIM’s success and failure.
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9. Reputation Plays A RoleReputation is extremely important in the corporate world. RIM has shown it can deliver a top enterprise product. RIM has shown that if a company is to be successful in the corporate world, it needs to have a track record that proves reliability and success.
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10. Google Can Be Put Into PerspectiveThere’s little debating that Google is a major player in the mobile market and a stiff competitor for RIM. But in the corporate world, it leaves much to be desired. Google’s Android Market is filled with hardly useful business applications. And due to the company’s inability to offer enterprise-friendly software, there are few companies that are even considering Google for their operations. Simply put, the corporate world needs to decide between RIM, Apple, and Microsoft. Google just isn’t included in that equation.