So we turned to a couple of tech experts to discuss what a mobile worker should look for in a smart phone platform.

The basics

Smart phones are an increasingly popular choice for business use, but regardless which of which operating system you go with, the handset must meet a few key minimum requirements.

Mass.-based technology research firm says before deciding which smart phone to invest in, figure out what applications your business requires and if they’re supported by the platform. “The horizontal app is e-mail, of course, but after that you’ll need to list any other apps you’ll want to run.  A small or mid-sized business “will also work out the cost per device, how many you need for your staff, the cost of the data plan, and any device management software or mobile middleware you might need.”

Deciding which smart phone platform to go, however, might be dependent on the industry you’re in. If you’re in regulated industry — such as health care, pharmaceutical, insurance, or financial services — you might have strict privacy requirements, such as protecting customer data, remote wiping of device if the smart phone is lost or stolen, and so on. “There are many, many different kinds of policies in these industries so you have to be careful about which phones you’re supporting to ensure they meet regulatory compliance.

The additional requirements for any smart phone consideration. Your priorities should be “security and privacy issues must be addressed support for enterprise-level e-mail, and whether or not you easily sync your data with a PC.

- By Mario Lee