We've seen remote access on a broadband connection to an IP PBX or e-mail server become a common business tool for the mobile worker. As broadband access becomes more widely available outside the office, office applications such as unified communication (including VoIP-enabled services), sales force automation, customer relationship management and collaboration can also become mobile - either on a wireline or wireless connection.

This capability allows the mobile worker access to the same kinds of business tools available in the office. Service providers and enterprise managers alike are building their network infrastructures to take advantage of enterprise mobility for far more than remote e-mail access.

With all that in mind, this week we’d like to take a closer look at the family of enterprise mobility services.

Enterprise mobility services target the needs of enterprise organizations’ mobile workers and are designed to improve productivity for an increasingly mobile workforce. Enterprise mobility services include offers from both wireless and wireline network service providers such as Sprint, Vodaphone and AT&T. These services can also be offered by third parties. Enterprise mobility can also be supported by using a public network connection to a corporate VPN.

Many mobile workers already use enterprise mobility services in two categories. These are:

* Data connectivity. Data connectivity options simply connect a laptop to a corporate network, providing access to the enterprise VPN. Data connectivity is often bundled with connectivity services from mobile operators. These connections can be made by individual subscriptions to wireless hot spots, with broadband mobile transceivers (like EV-DO-based services offered by Sprint and Verizon), or by corporate-level subscriptions to third-party service providers such as iPass, GoRemote and Fiberlink.

* Individual mobility services. These services provide an enterprise- or service provider-hosted suite of applications purpose-built for mobilizing individual employees with access to basic services like mobile e-mail, mobile Internet access and mobile voice.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Larry Hettick is a principal analyst at Current Analysis.