Perhaps nowhere else in IT is the opportunity to innovate as rich as it is with enterprise mobility. Smartphones and tablets offer the chance to improve everything from employee productivity to how you interact with customers and achieve competitive advantage. But most enterprises are trying to implement modern mobility strategies using existing IT organizational structures.

When Ferguson Enterprises decided to upgrade mobile phones for thousands of employees, the plumbing supplies distributor opted for a chunky, 12-ounce handset with a 3.7-inch screen, running a version of Microsoft Windows Mobile, and able to stand up to repeated 6-foot drops to polished concrete. Hadn't they heard of the iPhone? Or the Samsung Galaxy S III?

To handle the explosion of mobile devices in the enterprise, Dell this week unveiled plans for a server designed to automate a wide range of mobile management jobs for mid-range business customers.

Google announced Tuesday that companies with their own in-house Android applications can now distribute them internally via the new Private Channel feature of the Play Store.

Educating employees on how to protect data on their smartphones and tablets is crucial to bring-your-own-device (BYOD) security, according to a panel of security experts.

No CIO wants to be the person who says ‘no’ to productivity -- especially when the request for iPads comes from the company’s senior executives. But when it comes to mobile devices entering the enterprise, CIOs face the ultimate challenge: How to best service their employees while keeping a lid on costs and security.

When it comes to getting closer to your customers, Ryan Klose says nothing beats mobile technology. As chief information officer for Australia at the global wine and spirits group, Pernod Ricard, Klose is getting applications for Blackberries and iPhones into the hands of sales representatives, major customers, winemakers and consumers. And it seems to be working.

Mobile devices are helping to liberate the workforce. They are freeing employees to easily access email and make use of business applications while tapping critical information regardless of where their work takes them. At the same time, growing reliance on those devices is creating serious headaches for CIOs.