Federal Government Loosens Its Grip on the Blackberry

Michael S. Rosenwald, reporting for The Washington Post:

Kundra, the U.S. top information officer, said, “The line between work and home in terms of technology is beginning to blur.” Asked what he typically hears from workers about government- or corporate-provided technology, Kundra said, “It’s not a question of whether they don’t like it. They despise it.” Kundra’s answer to the issue of people using unauthorized devices is simple: Give them what they want. Like many federal workers, he carries two devices — a BlackBerry (for work stuff) and an iPhone (for personal stuff). And like many people, Kundra says he wants to be a “one-device guy.” He recently began pondering a radical idea with federal agencies: Let workers use whatever mobile device they want, apply strict security settings, and have the government pay a stipend for service. Two basic points 1. If this happens, expect to see graphs of RIM's decline accelerate greatly. 2. IT Managers across the corporate world will fight this tooth and nail for years to come. Think of this in terms of the mentality that led those same people to make employees still use IE 6, Windows XP, etc. They like supporting Blackberry because it makes their lives easier. They've been doing it for years. They're used to it. The way the Blackberry server works from their end gives them a level of control over the devices that they wouldn't otherwise have. They also don't want to have to learn to support iPhones/Androids/etc. Cudos to the government for doing this.