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Everytime RIM has a network issue,  there is a big uproar. Why, simple… it has millions of business men and women disconnected from their email and that ain’t good boy and girls. Well, Palm asks why. Why do companies put all their email over a network they don’t control the access to? It looks like a good marketing thought for Palm and Microsoft Exchange Server, but the points are quite valid…

Why risk a network outage?

As many of you are aware, the Research In Motion (RIM) Network Operations Center (NOC) had a nationwide network outage yesterday – for the second time since April 2007. That means Blackberry email came crashing to a halt for many BlackBerry customers. The impact of that network outage on productivity, business and communications was tremendous – millions of emails were delayed. All of this made me wonder whether the majority of people out there even know what a NOC is, let alone realize that their email is going through one. All email (business and personal) sent through RIM”s servers are routed through a NOC. When the NOC fails, your email stops working.

If a NOC does crash, users, IT departments and carriers who are using Blackberry devices have to sit and wait for the NOC to be fixed. They don’t control the situation (or the fix). Let’s not forget to mention the added costs of subscribing to the service.

Better to switch than fight?

We believe that the best solution is to eliminate third-party email servers, hassles, and costs, while maintaining simplicity and control. For instance, Microsoft Exchange Server provides a reliable foundation for a smart wireless deployment that leverages an organization’s existing infrastructure – no middleware or third-party servers. Simply add a Palm smartphone and you have a voice and email solution that will keep you in touch and productive, without the NOC hassles – or the NOC outages.

Mark C. – Senior Manager, Enterprise Solutions

I am not trying to sell companies Exchange Server, but I will say that I am quite pleased with my current email situation using Exchange Server. I realize that many companies have lots of dollars already invested in hardware to use their RIM devices, so “switching” the way they do business is not always a cost effective method.

Source : Palm Blog

Chris Leckness (3530 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.