BlackBerry Workspaces is a robust, cloud-based file sync and share service designed to enable secure access, collaboration, and management of critical documents across various devices and platforms. Here’s a comprehensive overview of what the product does and its key features:
Purpose and Functionality
BlackBerry Workspaces is tailored for organizations needing to securely share, access, and collaborate on documents. It provides a unified platform for managing and protecting sensitive files, ensuring that data remains secure both within and outside the organization.
Key Features
Security
- Document-Level Security: BlackBerry Workspaces employs AES-certified 256-bit encryption to ensure that each file is protected individually. This includes Digital Rights Management (DRM) enforcement on Android and iOS devices.
- Audit Logs and Tracking: The platform maintains detailed logs of all file activities, allowing administrators to track file modifications, access, and user interactions. This includes a file activity log that records changes by file, user, location, date, IP, and device.
Collaboration Tools
- Collaborative Workspaces: Users can create and manage workspaces where they can share files, collaborate, and assign specific permissions to different users or groups. Features include check-in/check-out documents to avoid conflicts and the ability to annotate Office, PDF, and image files with comments, drawings, and highlights.
- Real-Time Syncing: Files are synced across all authorized devices, ensuring that all collaborators have the latest versions. This includes offline access to files, folders, and workspaces.
File Management
- Batch File Upload and Storage: Users can upload multiple files up to 10 GB each, with each workspace capable of storing up to 100,000 files. There is no limit on the number of workspaces that can be created.
- Integration with Other Repositories: BlackBerry Workspaces integrates seamlessly with various file repositories such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Windows File Shares, Dropbox, iManage, and Alfresco, allowing for synchronization and sharing without data migration.
User and Administrative Controls
- Advanced Admin Console: Administrators have a dedicated dashboard to create, edit, delete, and connect workspaces. They can also manage user permissions, assign administrators, and invite users to workspaces.
- User Roles and Permissions: Detailed control over file access is possible through the assignment of specific permissions to users or groups. Administrators can define access conditions such as the ability to copy or print files and adjust these settings at any time.
Productivity and Collaboration
- View-Only Mode: Users can share files in view-only mode, allowing recipients to annotate and comment on documents without altering the original content.
- Instant Messaging and Notifications: Authorized collaborators can share files via direct messages and receive instant alerts on file changes, ensuring everyone is updated in real-time.
Editions
BlackBerry Workspaces is available in three editions:
- Send: Provides personal secure collaborative workspaces integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Office Online, 20GB of file storage, and view-only sharing.
- Collaborate: Includes features like ransomware recovery tools, usage reporting, an advanced admin console, group workspaces, unlimited file storage, and support for active directory and single sign-on.
- Secure Plus: Offers advanced productivity tools, CMS and file system integration, advanced user administration, and API/SDK access, making it ideal for industries requiring the highest security and a full set of business tools.
In summary, BlackBerry Workspaces is a powerful tool for secure file sharing, collaboration, and management, offering robust security features, extensive collaboration tools, and comprehensive administrative controls, making it an ideal solution for organizations needing to protect and manage sensitive documents.