IBM said it has created developer tools to support a new set of software and services for mobile devices. This will put business process management and business event processing in the palm of business executives hands, says Sandy Carter, vice president for SOA and WebSphere strategy.

WebSphere Business Monitor links BlackBerry devices to back office applications so business executives and consumers can check sales metrics or their bank balances on the run wherever they are.

iPhone connectivity won't be generally available until the fourth quarter of this year, but composite applications like those IBM describes may help make the iPhone platform an enterprise client, not just a stylish technology gadget. WebSphere Business Monitor provides the notifications and the dashboards and reports now go to a Blackberry, with iPhone support to follow.