Odyssey Software Releases Athena for BlackBerry Enterprise Server

WEST HENRIETTA, N.Y., Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Odyssey Software, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise-class mobile device management (MDM) products, today announced the availability of Athena™ for BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, an add-on for BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express 5.0. The product provides comprehensive interactive support tools that can be used to assist users, or identify and resolve issues, on BlackBerry® 4.3 and newer smartphones - directly from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server or BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express console.

Athena for BlackBerry Enterprise Server is uniquely designed to integrate seamlessly into the BlackBerry Enterprise Server console enabling administrators to perform interactive support functions with BlackBerry smartphones.

Athena also supports touch-enabled smartphones including the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Storm 2 and the new BlackBerry® Torch™ running the BlackBerry 6 operating system. In addition, Odyssey Software is currently developing support for the BlackBerry PlayBook. No additional consoles or servers are required; significantly minimizing the acquisition, support, maintenance and total costs of ownership.

Athena's best-in-class features provide substantial administrative benefits:

• Seamless integration into the BlackBerry Enterprise Server console, whether it is on-premise or hosted - provides flexibility in supporting various BlackBerry Enterprise Server implementation scenarios and no dependencies on an Odyssey Software hosted offering
• No Odyssey Software specific servers or consoles are needed - eliminating acquisition, support, maintenance and costs of the solution and mitigating the risk of additional points of failure
• The lightweight Athena agent does not impact BlackBerry smartphone performance – maintaining user experience and satisfaction
• Athena's remote control function allows up to eight concurrent connections with a single smartphone, facilitating the collaboration and training of administrators; reducing overall support costs
• Athena installs quickly and easily – administrators can start supporting BlackBerry smartphone users with minimal investment in time
• All communications to the BlackBerry smartphone can occur over a 128-bit encrypted SSL tunnel, ensuring a secure connection for interactive support functions across any wireless network (GSM, CDMA, Wi-Fi, etc.)

Supporting Quotes:  

• "Recent research by IDC predicts that 269.6 million smartphones will be shipped this year, most of which will be used for both business and pleasure," said Stephen Drake, mobility and telecom program vice president at IDC. "With this increase in usage comes the growing demand to remotely manage these devices from the console of choice to enforce policies, enhance productivity and drive efficient operations for workers."
• "With more than 41 million BlackBerry smartphones in use globally, Research in Motion continues to be a leader in the smartphone industry with established market presence and unrivaled enterprise penetration," said Mark Gentile, CEO of Odyssey Software. "With this release, Athena-enabled features complement and extend the native device management functions of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, providing a comprehensive suite of interactive support tools that help ensure an efficient and productive workforce."

Availability:

• Athena for BlackBerry Enterprise Server is available starting November 16, 2010.

Supporting Resources:

• Athena: http://www.odysseysoftware.com/PRODUCTS/Athena/AthenaBlackBerryEnterpriseServer.aspx

About Odyssey Software

Odyssey Software is a leading provider of enterprise-class mobile and embedded device management software products for today's most popular device platforms. Our mission is to provide industry leading software technology innovations that make it efficient and cost effective for IT organizations to remotely manage, support and control the complexity of enterprise deployments. More information is available at: www.odysseysoftware.com or by calling +1-585-214-2409. 

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion®, SureType®, SurePress™, BBM™ and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. Used under license from Research In Motion Limited.

SOURCE Odyssey Software, Inc.