Wireless is no longer an option for enterprises. With high-speed wireless networks and intelligent devices, IT managers are faced with a mandate to make their employees mobile immediately. Expect the show floor to be buzzing with security firms promising the latest software to keep proprietary corporate information safe in a mobile world and device makers to be showing off the latest handset capabilities that allow workers to morph their devices into efficient business tools.
Although RIM will have a high-profile presence at the show (co-CEO Jim Basillie will be a keynote speaker on Day 2), we expect Apple's iPhone 3G to be the center of many enterprise-device discussions. The enterprise applications that the iPhone supports may be narrow (email and browsing) but many IT managers are praising it for its ease of use and functionality. The next step: getting more enterprise applications available to iPhone users.
Finally, you know the mobile enterprise market has matured when one of the educational panels is devoted to value added resellers and how these players can better sell wireless to small and medium-size businesses. Check out "VARs: The Need to Know Session for Selling Wireless" on Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. in Room 2002.