The enterprise is buzzing around the emerging trend of enterprise mobility. According to a recent report by Kelton Research, 9 out of 10 IT managers intended to implement at least one mobile application in 2011. A full 50 percent of managers stated that they thought managing mobile applications would be the top priority for this year. 

Clearly, the enterprise is anticipating a shift from performing work within the "four walls" of the enterprise to a world in which many of our job functions are performed remotely. To cater to the increasingly mobile worker, enterprise software vendors have started to focus intensely developing for a mobile platform. As enterprise software vendors develop for mobile applications, they're looking to the king of mobile - Apple - for design inspiration. 

I see three ways that Apple is influencing enterprise software development. Enterprise vendors are: 

1. Creating a mobile user experience that mirrors that of iOS.   
2. Building an ecosystem of mobile apps developers for their products. 
3. Selling their apps in their own enterprise marketplace. 

Apple is the gold standard for what a mobile user interface should look and feel like. The minimalistic and clean look has led to Apple iOS being intuitive to use and work with on a daily basis. Enterprise vendors are trying to replicate that level of elegant design and usability, using Apple as a template for how a application should work on a mobile platform. 

Beyond that, enterprise vendors such as SAP and Salesforce and are enlisting the help of mobile developers to build out applications for them. Building out an ecosystem has been critical to producing the astounding number of apps available in the iTunes App Store and it will be essential to creating a vibrant app development environment in the enterprise as well. 

To capitalize on the development talent they're enlisting, enterprise vendors are distributing the apps in their own enterprise marketplaces. Salesforce already has over 1,000,000 app downloads from their AppExchange program and are selling more and more each day. Acting as the distribution network was pioneered by Apple and if it can be replicated in the enterprise, it can turn into a quickly turn into a steady and reliable source of revenue for enterprise vendors. 

But that's just how it looks from where I'm sitting. What influence do you see Apple exerting on enterprise software development? Please stop by my blog at: Three Ways Apple is Influencing Enterprise Software Development to leave your thoughts. 

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