BlackBerry Protect: Keeping Your Data Safe
Losing a phone can be quite the problem. There are two major loses that are attributed to such a personal device: the financial cost of such an impressive piece of hardware, and of course, the digital content that is stored on the phone. Data containing information on friends, relative, addresses, itineraries, personal notes, shopping lists to business oriented content such as database access applications, private supplier and client data are often stored in BlackBerry handsets.
This is why it is not surprising that RIM has started a new program that would help out BB users who have either misplaced their handsets or have fallen victim to mobile phone theft.
The new BlackBerry Protect system is an online service that gives BlackBerry users a chance to access their mobile phones from a computer. For those who feel that they might have simply misplaced the device. The service allows for users to activate the GPS on the phone and have it ring or alarm loudly in order to be found. This is particularly helpful when you cannot tell whether the device was left at the office or at the house of a friend (at least it saves you a long trip).
In cases where theft is a possibility, more extreme actions could be taken. One of the most impressive things that can be done is to lock out the handset. The device will not be easily accessed by whoever has taken possession of it, and if needed, owners are also able to wipe out the data of the handset completely.
Naturally, such a system would also be dangerous for owners should other people be able to obtain their login information to the BlackBerry Protect service and as such, RIM is taking important steps to ensure that the system has enough fail safes. Currently, BB Protect is running in a closed beta test, and we can expect to hear more about this new service soon.