Long-time fierce rivals IBM and Apple are getting together to sell iPhones and iPads loaded with applications aimed at business customers.<br /><br />IBM will release more than 100 apps that can be used in retail, healthcare, banking, travel, transportation and telecommunications. <br /><br />That is encroaching on the traditional territory of BlackBerry and the Canadian smartphone maker’s shares fell after the announcement. <br /><br />IBM is attempting to shift its focus to software and services as its hardware sales continue to slump.<br /><br />With the IBM tie-up, Apple addresses any concerns about smartphone software security and data privacy. <br /><br />“We wanted to remove some of the existing barriers of mobile in enterprise,” Bridget van Kralingen, IBM’s senior vice president of global business services said.<br /><br />She added that chief information officers worry about security, utilising cloud and installing apps in mobile devices.<br /><br />The partnership, which was six months in the making, will offer services geared at security, mobile device management and big data and analytics. <br /><br />The company also plans to develop cloud services optimized for Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS. The devices will operate through wireless carriers chosen by the client, van Kralingen said.<br /><br />Apple and Samsung have steadily expanded their share of the mobile enterprise market in recent years, mostly at Blackberry’s expense, while Microsoft Windows phones have made little headway.<br /><br />Increasingly, Apple’s expansion has been driven by employees bringing in their own devices and requesting corporate support, the so-called bring-your-own-IT trend.<br /><br />with Reuters
