Look out Microsoft. Apple is nipping at your enterprise heels.

Apple is going to see strong growth in both iPad and Mac computer sales to business users in 2012. So says Forrester Research. In fact, Forrester predicts Apple will bring home $19 billion in worldwide revenues on those two product lines in 2012.

What's more, Apple will see more companies using its iPad this year than last year -- a 68 percent rise, Forrester reports in its Global Tech Market Outlook -- and a 45 percent increase in the sale of Macs to companies and organizations.

By contrast, the market research firm predicts Microsoft will see $69 billion in enterprise sales in 2012.

"The Apple assault on the corporate market has so far taken place without much formal Apple support, and probably without Apple itself understanding its full extent," Forrester said in its report. "That's because corporate adoption of Apple products has been largely clandestine."

Apple: A Disruptive Force

Apple has made a name for itself in the consumer market, clearly, but Forrester is suggesting that the tide is shifting and Apple may finally get a larger piece of the enterprise hardware pie.

"The biggest disruptive force in the computer equipment market thus is...Apple," said the report. "This is a surprise, because Apple has not and does not directly address the corporate market, while turning a wide variety of consumer technology markets upside-down. But its rapid growth in the corporate market has been the big surprise of 2011, and it will be even more of a factor in 2012."

Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, said Forrester's numbers are accurate. But, he added, like most of the numbers from market research firms -- the numbers are old news because research firms are better at looking back than looking ahead.

"Forrester's report does serve as a warning because clearly coming up to Windows 8, Apple is moving into the enterprise pretty heavily," Enderle said. "I saw that at the EMC conference. I saw this discussed at IBM. IBM is actually talking about Apple like they are a strategic partner, though as far as I can tell no formal relationship exists between the two companies."

Microsoft Exposed

Microsoft dwarfs Apple in terms of annual earnings. But Apple's big splash in the consumer market is getting the attention of the enterprise. The bottom line: Apple first eroded Research In Motion's BlackBerry market share and is now threatening Microsoft with its mobile and desktop operating systems.

"Forrester is accurately reporting the risk to Windows 8, but forecasting this early, before we see the Windows 8 creative or even see the beta Windows 8, which isn't out until next month, is probably premature," Enderle said. "It's still Microsoft's market to lose no matter how we look at it, and the Windows 8 product, at least early on, does look interesting enough and if it's wrapped in the right program it could reaffirm the base. But they are right. Right now, Microsoft is exposed."

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