The news of Steve Jobs’ resignation has set the news sites and blogosphere into a ferocious frenzy. No doubt the magnitude of this news and the consequence of what lies ahead are drivers to what will surely be record-level chatter on the internet and beyond. As one of the most valuable companies in the world, the specter of what happens next is headline gaining news evey beyond technology circles. The history of Apple and its products is well documented and you will surely be seeing much ado about that today. In terms of the enterprise, what Apple has done is change the game and added the paradigm of mobility, either by design or happenstance, it depends on the amount of insider knowledge you may possess or what you may wish to believe, but it is a fact and a permanent change and for that we can attribute to Jobs’ undying vision and drive.

When it comes to the enterprise, Apple in the past never truly gained. Mac’s were pricey, added support questions, had unique software, and even when Microsoft partially supported the community by deploying versions of Office, it never quite came into the picture. This of course is a generalized statement. I mention this because I have seen institutions and shops that bit the “apple” suffice it to say in adopting a strong Apple presence. So don’t jump on me. The iPhone introduced something new. Prior to this device, it was all about RIM’s Blackberry. And the enterprise had nailed down the management and support for this technology. The iPhone disrupted that. A superior product that could do so much more and basically put a serious PC in a phone and that changed the enterprise. Without the iPhone, there is no Android. I’ll admit that (self-professed Android user). Without the iPhone and the Apple Store, there are no “apps.”

No one was doing it, at least we would probably not see it until way down the line. It took Apple to step forward and do that. The enterprise and Apple stand today with the pervasive and increasing presence of the iPad. Without the iPad, there is no tablet market. HP tried that once before, and tried it again, and is failing. Dell tried it, and will continue to try despite continued challenges. Microsoft has some skin in the game as well, among several others.

There is still an opening for a contender, but it is not a very obvious one at this point in time. It took Apple to make this happen, with all its widespread adoption, user experience, and quality. They are far and away the leaders in the tablet space. Forcing the enterprise in general to heed its capabilities, the iPad has changed the game once again, beyond the scope of the consumer market and into everyday business.

These shifts in technology have brought forward the challenges of mobility, in terms of security, management, standardization, and support, this is no small challenge. In prior posts, I wrote here on the challenges and questions that arise from the ever-changing mobility state. I spotlighted some nifty technology options, and reviewed general security approach for mobile devices.

The bottom line is that with mobility – tablets, smartphones, thin-apps, all on the rise, the enterprise must consider not only expanding functionality, but new fectors for malware, compromise, data loss, and attention to user experience. The future of Apple holds a lot of questions.

What Jobs leaves behind as the roadmap future direction of the organization is anybody’s guess. Enterprise must rise to embracing disruptive technology, enabling their users, and providing a smooth introduction into the production picture. That means infrastructure, security, process, support, and training. Apple is teaching us all in the enterprise to move quicker, get better at these things as technology won’t wait.