Sankaran says the number of things you can do with a BlackBerry is very limited, making it more secure from a corporate IT standpoint. The more features, capabilities and services a device has, the more security holes that it comes with, he explains. Some CIOs use the power of the purse to keep mobile devices under control. "We don't allow our associates to bring in their own equipment," says Patrick Law, vice president of infrastructure at American Modern Insurance Group Inc. in Amelia, Ohio. Personal cell phones, which can't connect to the company network, are the exception. Anything else has to be acquired through the help desk.

Cost versus value

Cost is an issue, but there are ways to rein in the costs of mobility while increasing its value. For example, American Modern lets employees sign up for their own cell phone service plans using whichever companies they want because the local cell phone companies provide much better signals than nonlocal ones, Law says. He reimburses them for basic service as well as for features that add business value.

For example, an instant text-messaging feature comes in handy for adjusters, who may be on the phone when someone needs to get through to them with important information. With that feature, they can stay on the line and get the information at the same time.

Law says that the most reliable, practical and cost-justifiable mobile devices are PDAs, smart phones and BlackBerries. "When we get beyond those devices, it doesn't seem to be cost-justifiable," he says.