iPad adoption driving enterprise mobility deployments

Adopting mobile device management for the iPad may be a wise move for many companies, as it appears the tablet is taking over the enterprise mobility landscape.

According to research from an MDM solutions provider, the iPad overtook devices based on Google's Android mobile operating system for the first time during the second quarter of 2011. The report found that iOS-based tablets - the iPad and iPad 2 - accounted for about 30 percent of device activations on the firm's enterprise server.

"In the second quarter of 2011, the most striking thing is ... users activated more iPad tablets than Android smartphones and tablets combined," said John Herrema, an enterprise mobility expert with the company.

The iPhone was by far the most popular enterprise device during the second quarter, as it accounted for about half of all activations. Combined, all iOS-based devices were activated by about 70 percent of the firm's customers.

It's important to note that the research didn't not include devices from Microsoft or Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones and tablets.

This research highlights the continued rise of consumerization, or what a recent InfoWorld report called "the iPhone Revolution." According to the news provider, companies should prepare by deploying mobile device management software.