Apple and Cisco today announced a partnership to create a fast lane for iOS business users by optimizing Cisco networks for iOS devices and apps, integrating iPhone with Cisco enterprise environments and providing unique collaboration on iPhone and iPad.
“iOS is the world’s best mobile platform, and nearly every Fortune 500 and Global 500 company today has put iOS at the center of their mobile strategy,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “iPhone and iPad have become essential tools for the modern workforce and are changing the way work gets done. Together with Cisco, we believe we can give businesses the tools to maximize the potential of iOS and help employees become even more productive using the devices they already love.”
“Ninety-five percent of companies in the Fortune 500 count on Cisco Collaboration and Cisco networks to help their teams be more productive,” said Cisco Executive Chairman John Chambers, in a statement. “Through this engineering and go-to-market partnership, we’re offering our joint customers the ability to seamlessly extend that awesome Cisco environment to their favorite iOS devices. Together, we’re going to help teams achieve higher levels of productivity and effectiveness.”
To address the ever-increasing demands on corporate infrastructure, Cisco networks and iOS devices will be optimized so that they work together more efficiently and reliably with the goal of providing users with even greater performance.
Apple and Cisco are also working together to make iPhone an even better business collaboration tool in Cisco voice and video environments, with the goal of providing employees with a seamless experience between iPhone and their desk phone.
With Apple’s support, Cisco will deliver experiences specially optimized for iOS across mobile, cloud, and premises-based collaboration tools such as Cisco Spark, Cisco Telepresence and Cisco WebEx in order to deliver seamless team collaboration and reinvent the meeting experience.
Source: Apple Inc.
MacDailyNews Take: More excellent news for iOS enterprise users and productivity in general!
Apple inc with IBM and Cisco … Thermonuclear attack on Microsoft in the enterprise, no less!
Realistically, this may be bigger than Apple teaming up with has-been IBM.
Got one down vote from an IBMer. 😀
Microsoft and frankly everyone else in the enterprise hardware/software business should be really concerned about this. Deals like this and the one with IBM are transforming Apple into the “go to” vendor for phones and tablets. (Of course we know there is no tablet market – only an iPad market.) Because of this the Macintosh will continue to make steady inroads as well. In a few short years Apple could be the standard that everyone else needs to be compatible with.
It’s unlikely most companies will be willing to pay for Apple hardware but it’s good Apple is putting some effort into the enterprise. It’s not something Microsoft will worry about because they’re sitting comfortably in the enterprise and have established nearly unbreakable bonds. No one ever got fired for choosing Microsoft and Windows. IT is always reluctant to make any changes.
Good thing the choice to change was already made by those above and below those that run the IT department. Execs want to use their iPhones, as do the everyday workers.
I wonder what the IT-(NO MAC’S ON MY NETWORK!)-winers will come up with next to fend off Apple.