Apple and Cisco have announced a new partnership focused on enterprise users. The partnership will see Apple's devices work even better with Cisco's networks and services, including voice and video communications products.
Cisco will work to optimize its networks and services specifically for iOS devices, and together with Apple, will work to make iOS devices better tools for collaboration in enterprise environments. The goal, ultimately, is to give users "a seamless experience between iPhone and their desk phone."
More specifically, the two companies will focus first on the following, according to Cisco:
- Delivering unparalleled performance and end-to-end solutions on Cisco networks and iOS devices
- Extending the Cisco Unified Communications experience to the iPhone
- Transforming team collaboration with iOS experiences on Cisco Spark, Cisco TelePresence, and Cisco WebEx
This isn't Apple's first major enterprise partnership. Last year, the company announced a major initiative with IBM to produce a new class of mobile enterprise software across several types of businesses. Early in August, IBM also announced a new suite of tools for deploying Macs inside large businesses.
You can get the full details on the partnership in the press release below.
Apple and Cisco Partner to Deliver Fast Lane for iOS Enterprise Users
CUPERTINO, California and SAN JOSE, California — August 31, 2015 — 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. "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. "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.
Cisco is the worldwide leader in helping companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by delivering the amazing results that come from connecting the previously unconnected. Cisco is empowering countries, cities, industries and businesses around the globe to move faster in order to keep pace with digital transformation and the move to the Internet of Everything (IoE). With approximately 70,000 partners, Cisco is very well positioned to provide our customers with next generation of networking, security, data center, and collaboration products and solutions that help them achieve their desired business outcomes. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple's three software platforms — iOS, OS X and watchOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple's 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
