One of our readers, Mr Mo, pointed out a fascinating new study that was just released by Strategy Analytics and commissioned by RIM. Strategy Analytics analyzed the total cost of ownership after one year comparing a 100 user BlackBerry Enterprise Server deployment with a 100 user “walled garden” approach where non-BlackBerrys were managed with a 3rd party MDM. They based the security requirements on what is called IL2 in the UK and is the minimum security required for all government departments including schools and local governments.
They found that walled garden architecture where non-BlackBerrys are managed by an MDM and given limited VPN access to cost 39% more than a BlackBerry Enterprise Server deployment. They also found that the MDM walled garden approach would cost more than the BlackBerry solution in subsequent years. Here is what they said:
"This study highlights that the cost of setting up and managing devices using a ‘Walled Garden’ architecture is more expensive than using BlackBerry Enterprise Server with BlackBerry smartphones," said Andrew Brown, Director of Enterprise Research at Strategy Analytics. "When looking to define a cost-efficient, long-term enterprise mobility strategy, we would caution all organizations across both the public and private sectors to look at the total cost of supporting multiple devices with multiple operating systems over several years."
I would highly recommend checking out the announcement here along with the full PDF from Strategy Analytics here. Here are the summary bullet points:
- BlackBerry offered a lower overall TCO across all user counts.
- On a 100 user deployment it costs 39% more to deploy non-BlackBerry devices
using a ‘Walled Garden (WG)’ approach than BlackBerry devices in a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) deployment. - BlackBerry running costs after Year 1 are 14% lower than using a WG approach.
- The TCO on a BlackBerry in a 100 user company operating to IL2 in Year 1,
factoring in all associated costs, is £294 ($454, €367) cheaper than an alternative
smartphone - BlackBerry devices are typically lower cost than other Android, iOS or Windows
Phone Smartphones. - BlackBerry data plans are on average lower than alternative smartphone plans.
- Fewer network elements are required for initial setup of BlackBerry network
architecture, resulting in lower CAPEX. Additional gateways, routers, firewalls and
a Reverse Proxy Server and additional network layers (Access and Presentation
Layer) are required for the Walled Garden setup. - Walled Garden Installation and setup costs are higher.
- BlackBerry Support costs can be higher than alternative providers in the Walled
Garden approach, depending on the level of support acquired. - BlackBerry Enterprise Service Plans are higher cost.
- MDM CALs (Client Access Licenses) are typically higher cost than BlackBerry
Enterprise Server (BES) CALs
