Last week, Lauren Carlson, a CRM Market Analyst for Software Advice, wrote a post about her take on how iCloud could be the foothold Apple needs to establish itself as a major player in the enterprise category.

Lauren’s article make some good points for and against Apple in this space…but the article concludes with “a cloudy future” summary.

To me, the future with iCloud, Apple, and the enterprise market is as crystal clear as the diving waters in Belize.

One just needs to look at the the facts in the article – as well as those you’ve likely read elsewhere – to see a wave shaped like the Apple logo descending on corporate America.

The number of Macs being sold to enterprise market was on average up 66% in Q1 2011…and if you read the research, the biggest growth area was to “very large businesses”. And this just isn’t a flash in the pan as sales of Apple computers grew in consumer, education, and government sectors as well.

What’s driving this growth? Easy…the “halo effect” of Apple iDevices…specifically the iPad. And looking ahead to the announced Multi-Touch features of Lion, this growth will only continue.

Back in the 80′s…when GUI’s were just emerging, I feel the public voted with their wallets rather than the most elegant solution. The price differential between Macs and PCs was just ridiculous…and at the time—to me anyways—Apple hardware definitely wasn’t as sexy and/or as unique compared to PCs as it is today.

But now…you get a Jonny Ive inspired design and a far superior OS (especially with iOS). Form and Function trump cost….even in a corporate jungle ruled by CFO’s.

As long as market share grows for consumers and in education, the more people exposed to Macs will begin to ask and even demand them in the work place as they experience—and know—what they don’t have to put up with in an operating system. For a long time people would just assume the Windows experience was how computers operated, but when an iPhone or an iPad proves itself as a better working OS than even a full windows machine peoples eyes open up and expectations change.

Budget overlords and IT departments will be forced to integrate Apple into their teams’ workflows…and since Apple already looks at everyone as a user/consumer, they’ll address any issues (security/privacy, user log activity, user management) in the near term I’m sure. While others, including Lauren, aren’t sure of the time frame for this, do you honestly think Steve doesn’t want millions of potential corporate evangelists to tell others how insanely great Apple products and services are…sooner rather than later?

Apple owns the tablet market…their computer sales are growing….of course there’s a plan to take on the enterprise market.