Apple, IBM tie up to tap global enterprise mobility market

Tech giants Apple and IBM have announced a partnership to aggressively tackle the enterprise market.

The 'landmark partnership', as the two companies termed it, would change the way work is done, they said.

"Apple and IBM are working together to bring iPhone, iPad and IBM MobileFirst for iOS apps to enterprises around the world." Apple said in a statement.

It added, the two companies are redefining the mobile enterprise by combining the exponential power of corporate data with the world's best mobile technology.

The two companies say the partnership teams the market-leading strengths of each company to transform enterprise mobility through a new class of business apps - bringing IBM's big data and analytics capabilities to iPhone and iPad.

IBM will offer its big data and analytics expertise, with Apple offering the elegant user experience of iPhone and iPad. This could see Apple, which focuses squarely on consumers, transform into a true business powerhouse.

Meanwhile, IBM would sell iOS devices to corporate clients that would come preloaded with enterprise software designed in collaboration with Apple.

Both companies are promising a new category of mobile apps addressing the needs of specific industries like "retail, healthcare, banking, travel, telecommunications, and insurance.

Apple also announced that it planned to add a new 'AppleCare for Enterprise' customer service tier for providing IT departments and users with 24/7 support, the report added.

The announcement of the "landmark partnership" forged by the two companies came  yesterday and would see each firm help the other make money from a business area it had no interest in, The Register reported.

IBM, on its part would "sell iPhones and iPads" loaded with any of 100 industry-specific software products co-developed by IBM and Apple, while Apple would provide phone support for the products. On-site support would be IBM responsibility.

As part of the agreement, IBM would port around 150 of its applications to iOS, which should be available starting this autumn, according to the New York-headquartered giant.

This would allow IBM to sell handheld computers without developing them, which, according to commentators was what the company wanted given its moves to divest itself of its hardware businesses – like its selloff of ThinkPad and, more recently, servers to Lenovo.

Apple, would in the bargain, get a far more enterprise software on its various mobile devices without having to develop the applications themselves.

"We are delighted to be teaming with Apple, whose innovations have transformed our lives in ways we take for granted, but can't imagine living without. Our alliance will bring the same kind of transformation to the way people work, industries operate and companies perform," said IBM chief Ginni Rommetty in a canned quote.

(See the joint statement by Apple and IBM: Apple and IBM Forge Global Partnership to Transform Enterprise Mobility)