Apple Digs Deeper into Enterprise with Cisco Partnership

Apple is teaming up with Cisco to create what they're calling "a fast lane for iOS business users." The two companies are also working together to bring iPhone and iPad support to Cisco's video conferencing and online collaboration services, all of which will make Apple's mobile devices even more enticing to the enerprise business market.

Apple scores another enterprise-level mobile partner in Cisco dealApple scores another enterprise-level mobile partner in Cisco deal

The partnership will make it possible to use services such as Cisco's Spark, Telepresence, and WebEx services on the iPhone and iPad, which is likely something employees at Fortune 500 companies have been begging for.

This partnership extends Apple's push into the enterprise market that started about a year ago with IBM. Apple announced in July 2014 that it was teaming up with IBM on the MobileFirst for iOS program where the two companies worked to bring hundreds of enterprise-level mobile apps to the iPhone and iPad. IBM also launched a collection of Web-based services optimized for managing iOS devices, collecting analytics, and improving corporate security.

The deal helped Apple get its foot into the corporate door—a place the company has typically failed to make serious headway. It also gave IBM a well integrated mobile platform it could sell to its customers.

Adding Cisco to the mix should make Apple's mobile devices feel more legit to corporate IT departments looking to find ways support an increasingly on-the-go workforce.

The companies spent ten months working out the details for their collaboration, and it's something Apple CEO Tim Cook sees as a big deal for the business world. "Nearly every Fortune 500 and Global 500 company today has put iOS at the center of their mobile strategy," he said. Gaining first class Cisco support for those devices will make them an even easier sell.