L7 Enterprise™ for the BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution™

Akonix L7 Enterprise for the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution provides message archiving for BlackBerry SMS and PIN-to-PIN text messaging.

Recent regulatory notifications in the financial services industry have directed all member firms (broker-dealers, registered representatives, other equities firms) that

“Electronic communications”, “email”, and “electronic correspondence” may be used interchangeably and can include such forms of electronic communications as instant messaging and text messaging.
Regulatory Notice #07-59 Supervision of Electronic Communications
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
(Click here to see more relevant regulations)

Companies must address the supervision and archiving of BlackBerry text messaging by their employees in order to avoid fines and legal sanctions. In addition, with increasing regulation and oversight of corporate compliance across all industries, it is likely that companies outside of financial services will also be expected to define their electronic record-keeping similarly to companies in equities and commodities trading. At a minimum, supervision and monitoring of electronic messaging of all types is simply good corporate practice.

Akonix is the first to offer comprehensive capability for complying with those regulations by integrating logging and archiving of BlackBerry text messages with archiving of email, instant messaging, and other electronic messaging from a single console, and into a single archive platform.

In addition, Akonix L7 Enterprise provides security, policy management, content filtering and archiving for Microsoft® Office Communicator Mobile, IBM® Lotus® Sametime® Mobile and MindAlign™ Mobile instant messaging software on BlackBerry mobile devices (Requires L7 Enterprise for Enterprise IM)

BlackBerry messages become searchable and retrievable electronic records for compliance audits and legal discovery. With Akonix’s integrations with archiving systems from leading providers like EMC, HP, Symantec, and Zantaz, companies may now integrate BlackBerry text and instant messaging with their enterprise email archives to create a single, unified electronic records archive.

Akonix L7 Enterprise for the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution solves a significant compliance problem for companies that face strict regulation of their electronic communications. Electronic communications between certain roles of employees (e.g. equities broker and research analyst) and between the company and external parties must be supervised and archived at organizations in securities, financial services, commodities trading, and energy trading. Yet the ubiquitous BlackBerry, with over 12 million devices used specifically for business, has long posed a challenge, as its SMS and PIN-to-PIN text message capabilities were outside of the IT department’s ability to monitor or retain messages. The inability to monitor or archive BlackBerry text messages forces many companies to risk fines and sanctions for lacking electronic records archives.

Akonix L7 Enterprise for the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution

Akonix is a BlackBerry ISV Alliance Member
Archive SMS text messaging
Archive PIN-to-PIN text messaging
Integrate with leading email or electronic records archiving
Apply and enforce usage and archiving policies
Comply with electronic archiving regulations

REGULATION	REQUIREMENT
FINRA #07-59, Supervision of Electronic Communications, December 2007	Text messaging is a communications mode that is considered ‘electronic communication’ and must be retained. “‘Electronic communications,’ ‘email’ and ‘electronic correspondence’ may be used interchangeably and can include such forms of electronic communications as instant messaging and text messaging.”
National Association of Securities Dealers, Rule 3110	“Originals of all communications received and copies of all communications sent by such member, broker or dealer (including inter-office memoranda and communications) relating to his business as such.”
NASD 3010 and 3110	“Each member shall make and preserve books, accounts, records, memoranda, and correspondence in conformity with all applicable laws, rules, regulations and statements of policy promulgated thereunder and with the Rules of this Association and as prescribed by SEC Rule 17a-3. The record keeping format, medium, and retention period shall comply with Rule 17a-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.”
NASD Rule 3010(d) and NYSE Rule 342 (and amendments)	“Broker-dealers should prohibit communications from home computers and third party platforms unless such communications can be retained and reviewed.” [BlackBerry SMS and PIN text messages can now be retained with L7 Enterprise for BlackBerry]