Employees can thank Apple for mobility consumerization

When Apple first launched the iPhone in 2007, the company gave no indication that it would focus on introducing the smartphone to the enterprise market. Traditionally, Apple had been more of a consumer-focused company, as many enterprises around the world chose instead to focus on Microsoft's Windows operating system and BlackBerry from Research In Motion.

However, four years later, it's clear that Apple is on its way to conquering the enterprise mobility market without even trying, according to a recent Network World report.

Given the recent passing of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, many within the technology industry have reflected on his and the company's contributions to the sector. Undoubtedly, mobility has been among the most important for both. The iPhone was a huge step forward for the smartphone market and the iPad has all but revolutionized computing habits, according to experts.

Neither of those has been ignored by companies and their mobile professionals. Soon after the iPhone was released, employees realized how much better mobile work could be with a device they actually wanted to use.

"The user experience, the ease of use, the graphical displays, along with the usability-based innovations are the primary reason for Apple's success in the enterprise," Manoj Prasad, vice president of information technologies for Life Technologies, told Network World.

While it's true that IT consumerization was present in many organizations prior to the iPhone, there's no question that Jobs' vision helped usher in a new era for the trend. These days, consumerization is the hottest buzzword for mobile device management, as companies scramble to lend support to personally owned devices or supply consumer-based technology to employees. Both of those have been accelerated by the iPhone.

"Four years ago, what percentage of these [companies] had any kind of corporate relationship with Apple?" Dan Kerzner, the senior vice president of mobile for business intelligence vendor MicroStrategy, said, according to the news provider. "I would contend it was very small."

Kerzner added that his company has about 2,300 employees who rely on an iPad daily. Many of those same professionals also have an iPhone, according to Network World.

Intended or not, Apple's influence over the enterprise mobility market may only grow with the release of the latest iPhone. Though not the long-rumored iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S provides plenty of improvements over its predecessor, including enhanced voice controls that mobile professionals can leverage to become more efficient.