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RIM is launching today in open beta BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365. The new service extends Exchange Online email, calendar and organizer data to BlackBerry smartphones and offers self-service management of BlackBerry deployments in the cloud. Check out the full press release below:

Press Release

Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced BlackBerry® Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 – a new RIM-hosted online service for mid-sized businesses and enterprises that extends Microsoft Exchange Online to BlackBerry® smartphones, and allows organisations to self-manage their BlackBerry deployments in the cloud. An open beta for the service is launching today in over 30 countries.

“BlackBerry Business Cloud Services is an easy and cost-effective way for businesses and government agencies to extend Microsoft Office 365 to BlackBerry smartphones and manage the deployment in the cloud,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President at Research In Motion. “We have been working together with Microsoft and select customers through an early access program and we are pleased to now launch an open beta for the service.”

“BlackBerry Business Cloud Services will help accelerate how BlackBerry customers can realise the full benefits of the best productivity experience across the PC, browser and phone with Microsoft Office 365,” said Julia White, Senior Director of Microsoft’s Exchange Product Management Group. “This new service delivers valuable enhancements to Office 365 while preserving the cost and business agility benefits the cloud offers to organisations of all sizes.”

Key features include:

• Access to Microsoft Exchange Online email, calendar and organiser data from a BlackBerry smartphon
• BlackBerry® Balance™ technology, which presents a unified view of work and personal content on a BlackBerry smartphone while keeping the content separate and secure
• A web-based console for IT administrators to provision, manage and secure BlackBerry smartphones from anywhere
•  Online access to employee self-service smartphone security functions, allowing users to reset a device password or remotely lock or wipe a device in the event of loss or theft

Managed service providers, systems integrators, carriers, resellers and other partners can also use the cloud service to manage BlackBerry deployments on behalf of their customers.

A number of Fortune 500 customers and several government agencies in the US participated in an early access program and are among the many organisations that already plan to use the service.

Microsoft Office 365 customers can sign up for the BlackBerry Business Cloud Services beta at www.blackberry.com/beta/businesscloud. The cloud-based service is available for no additional charge to Microsoft Office 365 Midsized Businesses and Enterprises plan subscribers and works with BlackBerry smartphones on business or consumer data plans.

More information is available at www.blackberry.com/cloudservices.

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About Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionised the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

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