<p>"From a security standpoint, it is important not to open up your IP and customer information directly to a mobile device or the Internet," said Jerry Irvine, CIO of Prescient Solutions. He recommended configuring the application server that connects to the back-end CRM system to be VPN-accessible only. It is not convenient -- and it's expensive to boot -- but it is the most secure option.</p><p>Want to extend your company's CRM presence in the mobile world easily and effortlessly? Vendors are lining up to help -- at least with the first part of that sentence. Sales, service and marketing are all categories in which vendors are actively rolling out products aimed at the mobile space. Whether their deployment, though, is "easy and effortless" is an open question.</p><p>Sometimes it is -- or at least it comes close to that state -- but that's only if you started out with the "right" CRM application from the beginning.</p><p>"The proper platform will expose content via flexible APIs which allow the developers to build what they need without being forced to accommodate data or overhead they don't," said Gene Koopman, director of mobile applications at Bluewolf.</p><p><a href="http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/Mobile-CRMs-Tricky-Back-End-76122.html">Keep reading...</a></p>