MDM for iPhone more important than ever

More small- and medium-sized businesses may want to start thinking about implementing mobile device management solutions to support the iPhone and iPad. If a new report is any indication, the two devices are the most popular for SMBs.

During the three-month period ending in May, Intermedia, a provider of Microsoft Exchange hosting with more than 350,000 mailboxes, tracked which device manufacturer its clients chose to activate. At 78 percent, devices based on Apple's iOS mobile operating system were the overwhelming favorite.

"The iPad is leading the tablet charge in small and medium-sized businesses, resulting in a growth spurt that puts the Apple device out in front of nearly all other comers,"

Darrell Etherington wrote for GigaOm on the report. "I say nearly because there’s still one device that sees even more activations: the iPhone."

According to the research, the iPhone accounted for 57 percent of enterprise activations in the three months leading up to May. iPad was second with 21 percent. No other manufacturer garnered a double-digit rate. Motorola was second at 9 percent and HTC was third at 8 percent.

Whenever activating devices of any kind, experts agree that companies should also deploy an MDM solution to keep strained budgets in check.