No. When I was at AT&T, I tested several other devices. The one that would actually function, the one that would work in areas of difficulty [during emergencies] was a BlackBerry. When I was doing all the recovery after Hurricane Katrina, the only device that would get a signal was a BlackBerry. 9/11, the only device that would get a signal and actually handle the processing I needed, was a BlackBerry.

That was because cellular networks were overloaded, and your communications were going directly through RIM's infrastructure, correct?

Yes. And even though we were boosting the network up, still the signal that was really traveling through was via BlackBerry. We've actually seen the same thing [recently] in Haiti and with the earthquakes overseas, in Japan. Same phenomenon.

Moving on to the modern CIO role, can you talk a bit about the major IT trends you think all CIOs should be watching right now?

The biggest thing is making sure your IT team really understands what is running the business. Really understanding the business versus just making sure machines are up and running. Being more of a business partner. Some IT folks have a lot of great ideas and innovations and thoughts about how to improve the business workflow. Getting them engaged at the business level can [benefit the entire business.]