When CRN set out to look at how major channel-facing vendors are honing their mobility strategies for our mobility issue, we based our discussion on a few dominant trends. First, smartphones and tablet PCs are here to stay. Second, the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) phenomenon is very real: IT managers throughout the world must now wrestle with how to enable, optimize and secure mobile devices their employees are choosing themselves. Third, there’s a legitimate channel play behind the types of challenges those first two trends are creating, and that’s why when we talk about different products like Cisco’s Cius or Wyse’s Pocket Cloud, or the latest RIM BlackBerry or Google Android phones, or the mobile security reach of Symantec or Webroot, we’re having, at a macro-level at least, the same discussion.

The vendors and channel partners that can connect all those dots will be the big winners in the mobile era. Here are just a few.

2X focuses on server-based computing. Key products include ThinClientServer for Windows and Linux for management and configuration; ApplicationServer XG; and LoadBalancer for Terminal Services.

Computer giant Acer is throwing old PC conventions out the window and is bringing a tablet to the market set to rival all major players. The Iconia A500, which runs Google Android, is a true contender.

Adobe is best known for its Flash multimedia software and online marketing apps. But a key product in the mobility world is Adobe Connect, a Flash-based live meeting and videoconferencing application.

The world’s second-largest chip maker earlier this year introduced its Fusion APUs, which combine CPU and GPU functionality on a single chip, and launched the Fusion A-Series chips for high-performance notebooks and laptops.

Appcelerator provides development tools and services that help Web developers build applications once and deploy them on mobile devices, tablets and desktop computers based on disparate architectures.

The mobility revolution market leader. No other company has had a bigger impact on computing in the 21st century. First the iPhone sets the standard for smartphones. Then the iPad single-handledly creates the tablet market.

The British semiconductor firm has seen its business explode thanks to the mobile device boom. ARM’s mobile chip architectures like the Cortex-A9 are licensed to various vendors and used for such devices as Apple’s iPad.

Aruba’s innovative MOVE (Mobile Virtual Enterprise) architecture leverages a set of Aruba mobility products that provide context-aware networking for enterprises’ mobile infrastructure.

Asigra was one of the first to offer technology to allow partners to build enterprise-class cloud storage infrastructures and was also one of the first to offer mobile apps to access cloud storage.

The combination of these two wireless powerhouses makes for a major mobile monster. Boasting the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T (including T-Mobile once the merger gets the OK) is one to beat in mobility.

Backup and Go offers automated online backup with unlimited storage per PC. Data can be accessed from any Web-connected computer or mobile device for viewing, downloading and sharing of files.

Cisco’s best horse in the mobility race may be Cius, the Android tablet with on-board security controls it’s intending for use as a unified communications endpoint, capable of everything from on-the-go videoconferencing to VDI.

An early player in desktop virtualization, Citrix is now also a major server virtualization player. It is leading the Xen open-source hypervisor project by virtue of its 2007 acquisition of XenSource.

Cloud Engines is the maker of the popular Pogoplug device that lets users create their own “personal cloud,” letting them access content through the Web or a connected device. The company’s Pogoplug Biz is a winner.

One of the largest computer makers in the market, Dell built an empire with its Inspiron laptops and XPS high-performance notebooks. Now Dell is seeking success with smaller devices like the Streak tablets and Venue smartphones.

Digium is winning raves for Switchvox Mobile, which takes many of the best features of its Switchvox open-source VoIP-PBX system and extends them for mobile device use. Digium has added fixed mobile convergence to Switchvox.

DropBox provides cloud storage for iOS, Android and BlackBerry mobile devices. It gives third parties tools to develop apps to take advantage of its cloud storage, and offers a developer’s kit for adding DropBox to other services.

Ericom positions itself as an alternative to Citrix. It focuses on application delivery for server-based computing environments. It also offers HTML5 client for accessing VMware View virtual desktops.

F-Secure is focusing on protecting mobile data with a comprehensive mobile security product that has an array of sophisticated features such as Web-browsing alerts and protection, and a new remote GPS tracking feature.

Fujitsu is staking its claim to the mobility crown with its own take on the tablet, but Fujitsu is calling its LifeBooks a true “business-oriented” tablet for the mobile workforce, not the consumer- focused tablets of the competition.

Google is a cloud and mobility tour de force. Whether it’s Google Apps Mobile or the ever-evolving Google Android mobile platform for smartphones and for tablets, Google is making being tethered to a desk a thing of the past.

HP is in the mobility ring throwing punches like a hungry heavyweight. The world’s largest IT vendor has all its guns focused on mobility and has brought game-changing innovation to the mobility market in 2011.

The world’s largest chip maker dominated the netbook market with the Atom family of low-power processors. Now Intel is taking Atom to the tablet market with its new Oak Trail architecture, and also developing higher end laptops.

As one of the first antivirus vendors to offer a mobile security product, Kaspersky is now breaking new ground with security in the mobile tablet space with a security product that targets the proliferation of Android malware.

The company’s KeyFolio keyboard for the iPad is a winner. Add that to a long list of sleek, smart, well-designed products for the mobile marketplace and you have a new world mobility peripherals market leader.

Famous for its ThinkPad brand of business-class notebooks, Lenovo updated its ThinkPad product line with entries like the SMB-focused notebook called the X1 as well as a new Android-based ThinkPad tablet.

McAfee is playing hard in the mobile management space, integrating a slew of mobile security offerings such as antimalware and authentication with its ePolicy Orchestrator platform, which ensures compliancy.

MeLLmo developed the Roambi mobile graphics and visualization application for accessing corporate systems, including BI systems such as SAP Business Objects, Crystal Reports, IBM Cognos and Microsoft Reporting Services.

Microsoft is counting on its Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system to help it regain market share as it competes against Apple iOS and Google Android in the mobile operating system arena.

Motorola is the standard for industrial-strength, business-class mobility solutions. It’s hard to find another vendor with as many solutions in vertical markets. It also invests heavily in cutting-edge cloud solutions.

Mozy was a pioneer in online data protection for consumers but since its acquisition by EMC, it has expanded rapidly into the SMB market. Its app provides secure file access as well as centralized administrator controls.

A graphics card powerhouse, Nvidia moved beyond GPU technology with the development of its Tegra system-on-a-chip platform for both smartphones and tablets. Tegra combines CPU and GPU functionality on a single chip.

The wireless telecom company has made waves with its Snapdragon system-on-a-chip platform, which can be found in many leading smartphones. Qualcomm is readying a quad-core version of its Snapdragon chip.

Quest develops a wide array of software, including databases, application servers, OSes and hypervisors, and virtualization management, desktop and server virtualization, and cloud automation products.

Underestimating RIM’s product and channel prowess would be a big mistake. The company was a pioneer with its BlackBerry, bringing secure mobile device e-mail to enterprises, and it has a strong, loyal channel following.

Rogers Wireless is a triple threat throughout Canada. As that country’s largest cell phone provider with some 9 million subscribers, Rogers Wireless runs a trio of key wireless networks including 3GPP LTE, HSPA and GSM.

Ruckus Wireless uses technologies it describes as “Smart Wi-Fi.” Among those are beam steering, beam forming, adaptive signal path selection, QoS controls, traffic classification and RF routing.

Salesforce may be the cloud’s Godfather, but the cloud business software player also shines a light on anytime, anywhere and any-device access to its application and the data within, so business no longer has to be a 9-to-5 game.

The electronics manufacturer has built a strong notebook business behind alluring models like the Samsung Series 9 ultra-thin laptop. The company also launched its own line of tablets, dubbed the Galaxy Tab.

When SAP acquired Sybase in July 2010, the assets included a treasure trove of wireless technology.Topping that list is the Sybase Unwired Platform 2.0, and several industryspecific mobile apps that run on that platform.

With its acquisition of Agito Networks in fall 2010, Shoretel is leveraging Agito’s technology with its ShoreTel Mobility, which extends the features of an enterprise’s existing PBX and UC system out to the mobile edge.

Being mobile doesn’t matter if your apps aren’t performing. And SOASTA, with its lineup of cloud and mobility application and Web site testing products, ensures user experience and mobile app performance are up to snuff.

Solution providers looking for a “single app” touch-screen device can turn to Sparkpad, which offers hardware and software for assembling touch-screen tablets and digital signage. Key is its easy-to-use software development platform.

Sprint broke the mold and kicked mobile computing into high gear when it was the first national carrier to launch speedy 4G service in the U.S. Now Sprint will continue to build on that as its mobile-data moves continue.

Storage Guardian provides cloud-based backup and the ability to recover data and applications to new hardware. Its Mobile Client automatically protects data from multiple mobile and remote PCs.

Open-source CRM application vendor SugarCRM has gone beyond providing road warriors with mobile browser access to its CRM apps to developing native Sugar Mobile applications for Android and iPhone devices.

SugarSync offers businesses a complete cloud storage platform that provides realtime backups, password-protected folder and file sharing and access, and synchronization of data between multiple devices.

Symantec is going strong in the mobile management space with the launch of its Symantec Management Platform, used to provide customers with unified management of all disparate mobile devices.

With more than 7 million wireless subscribers, Telus is keeping the Canadian mobile market in check with its roster of mobility services. With HSPA, HSPA+ and CDMA networks on lock, Telus has a robust roster of mobile devices.

Toshiba knows it has to bring a fresh horse to the tablet race to place, so it came out of the gate with the Toshiba Thrive, a tablet that adds a full USB port, a removable battery and an SD slot to its tablet play.

Give credit to Verizon. The wireless mainstay has continued to dominate the mobility landscape with its 3G and its 4G LTE networks, and adding the iconic Apple iPhone to its roster of supported devices was a major victory.

The display powerhouse, known for its desktop monitors, branched out into mobile devices with three new tablets: the Android-based gTablet and ViewPad 7, and the dual-OS ViewPad 10, which comes with both Windows and Android.

Visioneer has taken its best-of-breed scanning technology to the mobile market by teaming with distributor Synnex on the Visioneer Mobility Cordless Scanner for Android-based tablets and smartphones.

VMware dominates server virtualization by a large margin but is less prominent on the desktop side. It is now diversifying into cloud computing, Platform-as-a-Service and end-user computing applications.

Webroot is enabling small businesses to bulk up their mobile security infrastructure from the cloud with SaaS-based anti-malware and URL-scanning technologies for a slew of mobile devices.

Wyse takes the cloud and mobility marriage one step further than its competitors and puts a true cloud directly in its users’ pockets. Leveraging iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android devices to access data, Wyse is a wise play.