BlackBerry faces an uphill struggle to regain its title as enterprise go to device, according to a new survey.
The survey of businesses carried out by Wi-Fi access company iPass found that IT departments were more likely to support devices running Windows Phone 8 than the newly released BlackBerry 10.
The report found that the iPhone had become the most popular smartphone in the enterprise, overtaking the previous generations of BlackBerry.
"BlackBerry is still entrenched in the enterprise but it seems that it is being phased out," the report said.
Over a third (34 per cent) of organisations plan to support the new BlackBerry handsets, compared with 45 per cent that plan to support handsets running the latest Windows Phone 8 operating system.
The report said that IT departments were "more bullish" on the prospects of Windows Phone 8 than they were with BlackBerry.
BlackBerry is still entrenched in the enterprise but it seems that it is being phased out
"Optimism about Windows Phone 8 appears to directly correlate with Nokia's influence over a region," the report added. "IT managers located in Nokia's strongest markets (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) were the most upbeat about Windows Phone 8 where 54 per cent of IT managers say they plan to support Windows Phone 8, compared to 42 per cent in North America and 37 per cent in Asia."
In 2011, BlackBerry was the top enterprise smartphone with support at 77 per cent of companies. Apple's iPhone was second with a presence at 52 per cent of enterprises.
In the latest Mobile Enterprise Survey, the brands switched places. The iPhone is now the leader, with support from 74 per cent of enterprises. BlackBerry held onto second place with 62 percent but its popularity is rapidly eroding.
The report said that as with the iPhone, Android-based phones have shown growth since the last survey, rising from 48 to 61 per cent of the enterprise. "Android is now a close third behind BlackBerry and is set to outpace it to claim the number two spot by next year," the report stated.
