IBM’s Decision to Push the Apple Enterprise Was Incredibly Smart

IBM says its early support for Apple in the enterprise is vindicated. Image c/o IBM

Apple and Accenture have reached a big enterprise partnership deal, the latest in a long line of key enterprise IT partnerships that put iPhone at the heart of the digital transformation of business. Apple’s first enterprise partner, IBM, says the deal “validates the market we established with Apple over three years ago.”

That’s quite true

After all, three years ago when the deal was announced the industry really wasn’t savvy enough to understand that Apple had already become an enterprise company on the back of the BYOD movement.

That employees were insisting on using iPhones at work was the key that unlocked a market Apple has always had problems getting into, such was the buy in of the Microsoft hegemony.

IBM’s decision to support Apple in its enterprise market move simply opened a few more locks. The long string of enterprise-focused alliances Apple has reached since just serve to underline the importance of these moves.

The Apple/IBM partnership continues to significantly transform enterprise mobility, offering a combination of technology, deep industry and design expertise that has helped thousands of companies across the globe gain competitive advantage.

“We continue to expand our collaboration with Apple, achieving several billion dollars in signings through the delivery of market-ready and custom iOS apps to professionals across all industries,” IBM said. (IBM massively extended its deal with Apple).

What a good idea

Three years later, Accenture’s decision to join IBM in the Apple in the enterprise pool shows just how good a decision IBM made — merely because critics, analysts and many in the media didn’t get it meant nothing. IBM knew its market better.

“This further validates the market we established with Apple over three years ago,” IBM told me. “Since that time, IBM has built a billion-dollar-revenue business and delivered a total platform for enterprise mobility — web services for security, device management and Watson analytics — all front-ended by more than 100 made-for-business apps that are transforming the nature of work.”

IBM also revealed a few of the big enterprise firms that are already doing business with IBM and Apple, including: United Airlines, Pets at Home, Air Canada, Banco Santander, Amica Insurance and Scandinavian Airlines. “IBM remains Apple’s only global strategic partner,” the company said.

The way I see it I’m in no doubt at all: this is the future of enterprise technology.