CIO Meets Mobile Challenges Head-on

The shift to smartphones and tablets means enterprises must change how they think about employees, competitors and risk

In some ways, veteran CIO Sam Lamonica is an old dog learning new tricks.

As the top technology strategist at Rosendin Electric, an electrical contractor in Silicon Valley, Lamonica has had to reverse his views on everything from the iPad to rogue mobile apps. He's had to place big bets on mobile device management (MDM) technology, quickly create a mobile environment for app development and support, and adopt emerging mobile platforms practically overnight.

"We're starting to see convergence happening, and it's hard to keep up," Lamonica says.

Winning in the brave new world of mobility sometimes means casting aside tried-and-true best practices. Mobility has turned companies, markets and people on their heads. There are huge opportunities and equally daunting challenges that demand new ways of thinking about employees, competitors and risk.

It's no wonder many companies' mobile strategies and execution fall flat. Only about two out of five companies have made good progress in their mobility efforts, according to a recent Accenture survey of nearly 1,500 C-level executives. The majority of mobile strategies fall short of expectations, while some outright fail.

[Related: Why Mobile Strategies Are Stalling at Many Enterprises]

Lamonica, however, was able to avoid this fate -- in part, by embracing change.

Developing iPad Apps Aren't So Crazy After All

Only a few years ago, Lamonica told one of his C-level peers that he thought developing iPad apps in the construction business was crazy. A few months later, he was doing it.

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CIO Meets Mobile Challenges Head-on