Bitter rivals no more.
Formerly in stiff competition, IBM announced a new initiative Wednesday (August 5) to encourage large companies to adopt and incorporate Apple's Macs within their existing IT infrastructures. The idea is to make the transition to Apple's OS X platforms simpler than ever.
With Big Blue set to be the world's largest corporate user of MacBooks, IBM's MobileFirst Managed Mobility Services will use Big Blue's own experiences from its internal Mac@IBM program, according to AppleInsider.
IBM employees currently use more than 110,000 Apple devices including 50,000 MacBooks, but over half of IBM's 380,000 employees could reportedly soon be on MacBooks. The Wall Street Journal even points out that upwards of 100 IBM employees can be found on Apple's Cupertino, CA. campus, helping to build iPhone and iPad apps for IBM clients such as Sprint, Citigroup and Japan Post Holdings Co, so the collaborations between IBM and Apple have been present. And from the sound of Wednesday's partnership, they're likely to only grow.
"Ease of adoption and use are at the foundation of every Apple product, and as these devices are used more in the workplace, people expect the same experience that they enjoy with Apple technology in their personal lives," Richard Patterson, the general manager of infrastructure services for IBM Global Technology Services said in a statement as reported by AppleInsider. "IBM's new enterprise services ensure a great user experience for clients using Macs, providing world-class support from installation through the life of the product."
IBM's newly-announced program will rely on cloud-based IT services to help corporate clients transition to Macs within their respective infrastructure and applications.
Who would have thought they would see the day that IBM is helping large companies succeed with Apple?
