Mobility and Imagination

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The days of being bound to a desk are over for many in the government workplace. Government workers are kicking aside their desktops for a more dynamic, mobile work experience empowered by the BlackBerry^® device.

Think of any process you've had to schedule. How many minutes of that process simply represented travel time to reach the necessary destination? Workers nationwide are showing they have better ideas for how to use that time.

Employees at all levels of government demand more efficient ways to stay on top of their ever-expanding workloads. The BlackBerry 8700c Wireless Handheld^?, operating on Cingular's EDGE Network, accesses information and tools while on the move, empowers applications that give workers tools they never dreamed they could access away from a desk or without an awkward laptop.

RIM is working with state governments to develop security standards that empower agencies with the appropriate security parameters to pass sensitive information through BlackBerry devices. Law enforcement agencies can now make their jurisdictions safer by mobilizing detailed information that enables quicker action against those who might harm citizens. And field workers are performing their vital job functions without ever having to return to the office.

The power of mobility is gaining steam in government. Every problem IT leaders solve with the BlackBerry solution ignites new bursts of creativity over what they can do next.

IT Dreaming in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is using the BlackBerry solution to deliver an expanding roster of information and services, said Dennis Guzy, webmaster for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

"Everything from a user logging a trouble ticket to deploying software to updating a knowledge base article can be done from our BlackBerry," Guzy said, adding that the mobile functionality from Cingular allows IT technicians to remotely serve more than 20 offices without sacrificing customer satisfaction.

The BlackBerry device supports several applications that previously would have required desktops.

One application allows the IT staff to perform several functions normally carried out on a server, such as adding active directory users, creating mailboxes, changing theories in a database, changing a store procedure and many other functions.

"You name it. If it's done on a server, we can also do it right from the BlackBerry," Guzy said. "If I'm at a conference or meeting and an issue occurs, I can quickly resolve it without leaving to go to a PC."

Guzy and his team slashed response time for fixing technical problems, eliciting cheers from users. Response to trouble tickets previously took between an hour and a full day, depending on the problem and priority placement. Now Guzy and his staff can address IT issues from almost anywhere.

"From clicking the selection from within the BlackBerry, I can deploy a piece of software, run a repair, uninstall and reinstall, kick off a maintenance job or change something in the database to correct an error that somebody's getting on an application," he said.

The BlackBerry device lets IT staff quickly process trouble tickets, assigning them priority levels and repair technicians within 15 minutes. The devices also enable technicians to rapidly resolve nearly any nonhardware problem remotely.

"The average response time now is about nine and a half minutes at most. Most calls are taken and responded to within five to seven minutes," said Guzy.

BlackBerry Magic
Guzy said Pennsylvania legislators continually pass new laws heaping added responsibility onto the Attorney General's Office, though technical staff does not increase to support those changes. Some hardware repairs take three to four days to resolve under the current system, which won't do under future strains, according to Guzy.