IBM has been a stalwart in the computing and software industry for as long as there has been a computing and software industry. This leadership has greatly profited the company, but at the same time left it with a stale reputation as an old-school player in a rapidly evolving game.
In a move to shake-up the status quo, IBM last week announced a deal with Apple to collaborate on enterprise mobility solutions that will tap into IBM’s offerings in big data and analytics, Apple’s mobile devices, and a host of new native iPhone and iPad applications custom-built for specific verticals. The two companies called the IBM MobileFirst for iOS partnership “landmark” and said that the first solutions will focus on bringing IBM’s big data capabilities to iPads and iPhones. The deal also opens up IBM’s global enterprise reach to Apple, with IBM selling Apple mobile devices to business clients around the world.
Industry observers appeared bullish on the news, with Jim Patterson, CEO of the Patterson Advisory Group, noting the deal was a natural fit for both parties.
“From Apple’s perspective, it vaults them from providing market-leading devices and software into providing market-leading solutions,” Patterson wrote in a recent column. “Apple really did not need a reputation boost in corporate board rooms, but they needed a server/mainframe/services partner to bridge the transition from premise to centralized computing solutions.
“IBM gets to hang out with the popular kids,” Patterson continued. “Face it, ‘Big Blue’ has had a lot of troubles recently retaining their reputation for invention and innovation. They did not invent SoftLayer – they had to buy them in 2013 for $2 billion. Silicon Valley start-ups are more concerned about IBM’s patent attorneys than they are interested in their analytical engine (appropriately called Watson).”
Patterson added that the deal could put significant pressure on some companies already focused on the mobile enterprise space, including Google, Microsoft and BlackBerry.
RCR Wireless News spoke with Robert Fox, global industry leader for telecommunications, media and entertainment at IBM, on the partnership and how it will impact IBM’s plans for the telecom space.
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