RBS field trials for iOS devices: is the fall of BlackBerry neigh?

The reason BlackBerry has still managed to stand apart from the crowd was because it claimed to provide business users with a range of services that put a lot of emphasis on security and flexibility. This has always been BlackBerry’s strength and the reason other smartphone platforms have found it difficult to penetrate corporate boardrooms. Now, however, that relationship has suffered a double blow. Last week, faith in BlackBerry’s reliability took a hit when its servers crashed and prevented millions of users from using emails or sending message for almost four days. Now, reports have emerged that a variety of large financial corporations are testing iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, including the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Morgan Stanley and Citigroup.

 

The reason BlackBerry was so popular with corporate clients was the fact  that it provided very secure communication: all the communication is stored at RIM’s own servers and key services like emails are encrypted. Other services included the ability to remotely wipe data from a BlackBerry in the case of theft. Now iOS devices have also introduced a variety of security features that include encrypted email and data transfers. These changes have been enough to convince chiefs at these major banks to test the compatibility of iOS devices when handling highly-sensitive information. If a change does happen this could mean a new market for iOS devices and more importantly, a major loss for BlackBerry.

 Now don’t get ready to dump your BlackBerry just yet. These firms are still testing iOS devices and they are currently being run as read-only, meaning that they are not being used to save information. iOs devices are already the most popular on the market today so it is no surprise that firms are finally beginning to pay attention to its potential use in the work environment. Unlike the BlackBerry, the amazing functions of devices like the iPad and the iPhone, combined with the large plethora of apps available at the iTunes store, allow Apple to easily outclass BlackBerry.