As the divide between the workplace and the home continues to shrink, business people rely more and more on electronics to stay connected to their offices, wherever they happen to be. This is especially true in service industries such as insurance. Policyholders increasingly expect immediate responses to their questions, making wireless devices an essential productivity tool in today's insurance offices.

This acceptance — almost the demand — that we always be “connected” is unprecedented in its rapid growth. As of December 2007, there were more than 255 million wireless cell phone subscribers, representing an astounding 84 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. That's up 23 percent from 208 million in 2005 and more than double the 109 million wireless subscribers in 2000. Minutes of use have surged to 2 trillion in 2007, from 534 billion in 2000.

Now that translates to a lot of phones in a lot of hands. Those numbers don't even factor in PDAs, walkie talkies, and other wireless devices. Adding to the problem, cell phones are no longer just phones. They are portable computers, e-mailers, word processors, address books, Internet devices, cameras, and more.

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