IBM has partnered with Apple to offer iPhones and iPads with preloaded apps for businesses, continuing its shift away from hardware to cloud and enterprise services.
The global partnership aims to ‘transform enterprise mobility’, and will see IBM release more than 100 ‘made-for-business’ apps targeting retail, healthcare, banking, travel, transportation and telecommunication enterprises.
IBM’s cloud services will also be optimised with the IBM MobileFirst Platform for iOS, which will include device management, security, analytics and mobile integration.
The new package will be supported by AppleCare for Enterprise, available to IT departments and users 24/7, with on-site service delivered by IBM.
Furthermore, as part of this ‘IBM MobileFirst for iOS agreement’, IBM will sell and lease iPhones and iPads with the industry-specific solutions to business clients worldwide.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, commented: “iPhone and iPad are the best mobile devices in the world and have transformed the way people work with over 98 per cent of the Fortune 500 and over 92 per cent of the Global 500 using iOS devices in their business today.
“For the first time ever we’re putting IBM’s renowned big data analytics at iOS users’ fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple. This is a radical step for enterprise and something that only Apple and IBM can deliver.”
Meanwhile, Ginni Rometty, IBM chairman, president and CEO, said: “Mobility, combined with the phenomena of data and cloud, is transforming business and our industry in historic ways, allowing people to re-imagine work, industries and professions.
“This alliance with Apple will build on our momentum in bringing these innovations to our clients globally, and leverages IBM’s leadership in analytics, cloud, software and services. 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.”
However, despite IBM’s new focus on cloud and enterprise services, its revenue figures remain flat. Last week the tech giant announced its second-quarter revenue was $24.4 billion, down two per cent compared from the second-quarter of 2013, despite increasing year-over-year profit by 28 per cent.
