The main motivator for providing wireless access to business data is that it increases the productivity of mobile workers, according to a survey released Wednesday by IDC.

The survey found that increased productivity was more important than other benefits such as reducing field service time or costs. The survey also found that 36% of the companies surveyed now provide mobile access to their data and another 28% plan to do so in the next year.

Of the companies that do provide mobile access to data, the most common applications are CRM, field service and sales-force automation. The two primary challenges facing the survey respondents are security and integrating the mobile technology with back-end data, according to IDC.

"Organizations that can effectively leverage mobility solutions to achieve their business objectives are leading the next evolutionary wave," Dana Thorat, senior analyst at IDC's mobile user program, said in a statement. "These organizations are moving towards device convergence, wireless LAN infrastructures, wireless access to back-end servers and corporate data, and deployments beyond basic PIM and E-mail, all while instituting standards, policies, and processes to minimize the security risks of these investments."

The survey also found high interest in converged devices such as wireless-enabled PDAs and smart phones.