Yes, for example Mobile Alerts can be configured to run on a desktop browser and automatically refresh the screen periodically (by default 1 minute).

This is similar to a BlackBerry user manually refreshing the Mobile Alerts dashboard screen, but it's done automatically on schedule.

A Recipient is a person that will receive monitoring notifications from Mobile Alerts. For example, in-house I.T. staff.

A Contact is a person that may be associated to a device or service. For example, an external service provider who may be a useful contact to have when a system goes down.

In fact, all Recipients are also Contacts (but not viceversa), in other words, a Recipient is a Contact that also receives notifications.

When using BlackBerry smartphones, Mobile Alerts uses "push" technology to send notifications, therefore it does not rely on your mail servers being operational. Furthermore, BlackBerry users can also requests one or all tests to be performed in real time, right from their smartphone, anytime, anywhere.

Mobile Alerts monitors devices (servers, routers, switches, appliances, firewalls) or services (websites, databases, email, applications, gateways). Monitoring may also extend beyond your own network, to external or outsourced services.