Henry Ford revolutionized the manufacturing industry when he introduced the assembly line into his plants during the early 20th century. Just about 100 years later, enterprise mobility is having a similar impact on companies around the world, according to a recent report from CIO Magazine.

"The mobilization of the enterprise and the productivity enhancements that come with it is akin to the societal changes brought to American life by Henry Ford's assembly-line manufacturing process," contributor Gary Beach wrote for the news provider.

These days it's difficult to identify a company that hasn't been impacted by the use of smartphones in some way. From executives down to sales personnel out on the road, the number of employees leveraging mobile devices within an organization is expanding all the time.

As it grows, the trend is also evolving to encompass new devices and new uses based on job function. But perhaps nothing is having quite the same impact on enterprise mobility as consumerization, according to the report.

Beach said there is a mobile operating system shakeup on the horizon. No longer are employees accepting the one-company, one-device model where everyone is given the same smartphone.

Traditionally, that device was a BlackBerry from Research In Motion. But, in talking with chief information officers at a recent conference, Beach said the BlackBerry's enterprise days are numbered. Pretty soon, he concluded, Apple's iPhone and smartphones based on Google's Android mobile operating system will win out.

At first, this model presents numerous mobile device management challenges for organizations. However, such concerns are waning as IT departments get used to the fact that consumerization is inevitable and being proactive is their best option.

"Bottom line: It is not a question of if your firm will fully embrace mobility, but when," Beach wrote for CIO. "If you sit on the sidelines, you will be out of business within three years. Likewise, if your deployment plans are too timid, that is a prescription for corporate irrelevancy with customers and prospects."

Supporting consumer-based devices could be part of this, according to the recently released whitepaper Enterprise Mobility Management Solutions From the Cloud. According to researchers, employees are most happy and more productive when the company allows them to choose a device. Experts agree that companies should tailor their MDM practices accordingly to deal with the consumerization trend.