Consumer buzz tends to center on two mobile phones: Apple iPhone and Android. As far as the enterprise is concerned however, these two phones remain down the list.

ESG Research conducted a survey of 174 IT professionals from enterprise organizations (i.e., greater than 1,000 employees) and asked them which mobile device platforms their organizations support. Here is what they said:

Phone:                     Support today:                     Will support in the future:

Blackberry                     74%                                             11%
Windows Mobile              62%                                              9%
iPhone                          43%                                             18%
Palm WebOS                  24%                                             17%
Google Android                 8%                                             16%
Symbian                          7%                                             14%

A few facts about the survey. First, it was conducted at the very end of 2009 so it doesn’t capture recent momentum or the impact of new products like iPad and iPhone 4. Additionally, this data comes from IT professionals in North America only.

My read of this data is as follows:

1. Blackberry retains a strong position. Yes, other data indicates a migration trend away from Blackberry and phone swaps are much more common than corporate PC to Mac swap outs. Nevertheless, Blackberry infrastructure is embedded in the enterprise so new “cool” products could become the corporate choice.
2. Microsoft is teetering. Windows Mobile has a big installed base but most enterprises are looking closely at other phones. Microsoft has tried to link Windows Mobile to Office, Outlook, and Exchange but users want the pizazz of iPhones, Palms, and Androids. Can Microsoft catch up or will it produce the mobile device equivalent of Zune when the market wants iPods?
3. Don’t count out HP. Palm was on a downward spiral with consumers but it seems to be holding its own in the enterprise. Now that it is owned by enterprise-savvy HP, it could really impact this space.
4. Google remains in the distance. Google support is thin but many organizations will include Android support in the future. Nevertheless, it has a lot of work to do if it is going to push others aside and gain share in the enterprise market.

Unlike consumers, enterprises want more than just cool devices — application development, device management, security, and integration into the existing infrastructure are all important considerations. Vendors need to find the right combination of consumer cool and corporate requirements support if they want to defend their position or gain share in the enterprise.

Related posts:

1. Microsoft’s Mobile Phone Opportunity
2. Enterprises Are Embracing Mobile Devices
3. Apple and Google Make the Department of Defense Jump Through Hoops for Mobile Device Security
4. Enterprises Want Broad Functionality for Mobile Device Security
5. ESG Research Points to Lots of Windows 7 Migration in 2010

Tags: Android, Apple, Blackberry, Google, HP, iPhone, Microsoft, Palm, Palm WebOS, RIM, Symbian, Windows Mobile