RIM Acquires AscendentRIM Acquires Ascendent

RIM announced the availability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 and its acquisition of Ascendent

March 10, 2006

2 Min Read

WATERLOO, Ontario -- Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the immediate availability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server(tm) v4.1 and BlackBerry Enterprise Server - Small Business Edition v4.1 for Microsoft(r) Exchange and IBM Lotus(r) Domino(tm). The latest versions of BlackBerry Enterprise Server build upon the manageability and power of BlackBerry(r) as a platform for wireless communications and mobile access to corporate data.

Incorporating feedback from thousands of enterprise customers across the globe, BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 includes new functionality that makes it easier than ever to expand populations of BlackBerry users and manage larger scale deployments. The new release further expands wireless communications in the enterprise by providing tight integration with leading platforms for enterprise instant messaging, including Microsoft Windows Messenger, Live Communications Server 2005 and IBM Lotus Sametime.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 also incorporates support for the new BlackBerry Mobile Data System(tm) v4.1 (MDS) application development and deployment environment, which includes BlackBerry MDS Studio(tm) (a new visual development tool for creating BlackBerry wireless applications from Web Services).

"RIM continues to enhance the BlackBerry platform and extend its industry leadership. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.1 gives IT departments increased control over their wireless deployments as they extend the benefits of mobility to a broader range of users," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "This release will also provide developers with a new and powerful visual tool to create mobile applications based on the open standard of Web Services."

In a separate release:

SAN DIEGO and WATERLOO, Ontario -- Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced it has acquired Ascendent Systems, a leading provider of solutions that simplify voice mobility implementations in the enterprise. Ascendent, a member of the BlackBerry(r) ISV Alliance Program, makes the Ascendent(r) Voice Mobility Suite, a standards-based software solution that augments existing PBX (Private Branch Exchange) and IP-PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange) systems and supports heterogeneous telephony environments to "push" voice calls and extend corporate desk phone functionality to mobile users on their wireless handset or any wireline phone. Ascendent will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIM. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"The Ascendent Voice Mobility Suite is a perfect complement to the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution. This deal allows us to further extend and enhance the use of wireless communications in the enterprise by offering a voice mobility solution that helps customers align their mobile voice and data strategies," said Jim Balsillie, Chairman and Co-CEO at RIM.

"We developed a solution that extends the identity, security and manageability of the corporate desk phone to the wireless phone. It allows enterprises to be more responsive to their customers, encourages collaboration and increases sales opportunities by providing a mobile user with many essential PBX functions as if the user was at their desk," said Debbie Miller, CEO, Ascendent Systems.

BlackBerry

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