The open beta of the software supports the Bold 9000, 9700, and 9650; the Storm 9500 series and Storm 2; as well as the Curve 8900 and 8500 series, the Tour, and other BlackBerry phones running operating system 4.6 or higher.

The app – BlackBerry Protect – allows you to remotely trigger a very loud ring tone from the mobile or, if it's wandered beyond your home or office, track the handset using its onboard GPS facilities.

If your BlackBerry is stolen, the same web portal that you can log into can either trip a special warning message on the handset's screen, or simply wipe your remote data as required.

Other features include a restore facility to resurrect your data on a new handset , if your carrier has for example, upgraded your mobile, or your insurance company has paid for a new smartphone.

The BlackBerry Protect app – which is on free open beta at the moment – also features a complete remote web interface in addition to the on-phone dashboard.

This interface allows users to monitor the status of their remote management requests, and change your backup/restore plus account settings as required.

Infosecurity notes that the free service allows up to five BlackBerry devices to be linked to a single account and, if the user has a BlackBerry Enterprise Server installed, the security settings of BES are said to override those of BlackBerry Protect.