MobileAlerts persists the configuration data in a file called MobileAlerts.ini under the Resources folder.
If insufficient file access rights are granted to the user identity under which the MobileAlerts application runs, it will fail to persist the data.
 

Follow these steps to fix the problem:

1. Find the identity under which MobileAlerts runs (in IIS Manager, look at application pool level>>Properties>>Identity)
2. At the file system level grant Write rights to the above identity for the Resources and Logs folders

Yes, this is done by defining and mapping Device Groups to Recipient Groups, as follows:

1. Launch MobileAlerts Management Console
2. Go to Device tab
3. Select Groups tab
4. Click New Device Group button
5. Define a new Devices Group (see MobileAlerts Administration Guide >> Administering Mobile Alerts >> Devices >> Groups section for more details).
6. Go to Recipient tab
7. Select Groups tab
8. Click New Recipients Group button.
9. Define a new Recipient Group (see MobileAlerts Administration Guide >> Administering Mobile Alerts >> Recipients >> Groups section for more details).
10. Go To Monitoring tab
11. Select Map Devices to Recipients tab
12. Click New Mapping button
13. Define a new mapping of Devices Group to Recipients Group (see MobileAlerts Administration Guide >> Administering Mobile Alerts >> Monitoring >> Map Devices to Recipients section for more details).

The following level of connectivity is required:

1. The MobileAlerts application needs to be able to reach the BES/MDS Server by name or IP Address over HTTP.
2. The server(s) where BES and MDS are hosted need(s) to be able to access the web server where MobileAlerts is installed by Name over HTTP.

Our recommendation is to host MobileAlerts on an internal server, not an external one.

An ASP.net application deployed on a IIS6/IIS7 server runs under the identity defined at application pool level unless the currently logged in user is impersonated programmatically. MobileAlerts never impersonates the currently logged in user.

Microsoft's recommendation is to set the application pool to point to the built-in Network Service account. This account is a low privilege account that satisfies the rights required by a web application to function. Because the Network Service account is a low privileged account it does not have rights to create/update any files on the file system.

At run time MobileAlerts needs to be able to update application specific files that are stored in the Logs and Resources folders.

At installation time MobileAlerts grants full rights to the Network Service account to the above mentioned folders in the file system (MobileAlertsRootFolder\Logs and MobileAlertsRootFolder\Resources).