Apple products make inroads within enterprise sector

As recently as five years ago, it was nearly impossible to identify an IT department that relied on Apple products. At that time, the company was known more for its consumer-based devices like the iPod and high-end computers, which were better for graphic designers than sales teams.

But times have certainly changed thanks to a pair of offerings that have made their debuts since then - the iPhone and the iPad. Both devices represented sea changes in their respective industries, and, now, they have made their way into the hands of many mobile professionals.

“What they’ve done in the past few years is really started thinking in a deeper way what the enterprise needs,” Rich Adduci, the chief information officer of medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific, recently told the New York Times.

And the results of a recent mobile device management study, the quarterly Mobile Workforce Report, validated those claims. According to the latest research, the iPhone has overtaken Research In Motion's BlackBerry as the top mobile device among enterprise users.

While the shift within the market has been predicted for some time, BlackBerry had continued to hold its top spot for the past several years, despite challenges from Apple and devices run on Google's Android mobile operating system.

But now the change is complete, as the report found the iPhone is used by 45 percent of mobile professionals. BlackBerry, on the other hand, has witnessed its market share drop in the past year from 35 percent in 2010 to 32 percent according to the latest research.

Furthermore, the New York Times report revealed that nearly all Fortune 500 companies are at least exploring the use of Apple products. Last month, the newspaper said, Apple reported that 93 percent of such organizations have deployed the iPhone, while 92 percent have embraced the iPad.

"You never heard those stats before," Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, said, according to the Times.

Overall, the solution provider's quarterly report revealed that the enterprise smartphone market in general has also skyrocketed. Ninety-one percent of professionals said they use a smartphone at work, up from just 26 percent who answered similarly in 2010.

As a result of Apple's new-found enterprise success, IT departments should be preparing their mobile device management programs to support and oversee the use of iPhones, as it's likely the smartphone will soon be in the hands of employees.