Before the end of the year, Android will enjoy the second highest sales in the mobile operating system market, following closely behind Symbian, according to research that Gartner just released. By 2014, Android could be leading the pack. 

Android's market share grew from 3.9 percent in 2009 to 17.7 percent this year, and it will grow to 29.6 percent over the next four years, according to Gartner. The strong forecast is based largely on Gartner's expectation that manufacturers will be coming out with a plethora of low-priced Android devices. The researchers also expect open source systems to dominate the smartphone market in 2014. Meanwhile, closed systems, such as the RIM OS or Apple iOS, will not see an increase in market share even though their sales will continue to grow, they predict.

For businesses, there is good news and bad news in Gartner's outlook for the mobile OS market. It's encouraging to hear that analysts expect continued growth out of the RIM OS, since it is the system so many enterprises feel most comfortable supporting. However, the anticipated explosive growth of Android phones could put mounting pressure on IT departments already struggling to handle various and sundry smartphone demands from employees (and managers).

The great variety of Android phones that users may want to carry could create challenges of Wild West proportions for IT departments. While open source technologies are gaining acceptance in enterprises, they can be harder to manage when problems arise. Unlike RIM (NASDAQ: RIMM) phones, for example, Android devices do not necessarily come with obvious tools for security and monitoring.   

If the outlook for mobile operating systems proves right, perhaps it's time to insist on a semblance of order in the management of mobile devices. It makes more and more sense for enterprises to bite the bullet, select one system (or a manageable number of systems) and require employees to use company-issued devices. - Caron